IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 319 

Recognizing March 19, 2008, as the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war and 

urging President George W. Bush to begin an immediate and safe redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 14, 2008 

Mr. WEXLER submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by 

the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Recognizing March 19, 2008, as the fifth anniversary of 

the Iraq war and urging President George W. Bush 

to begin an immediate and safe redeployment of United 

States Armed Forces from Iraq. 

Whereas the Iraq war began on March 19, 2003, when President George W. Bush announced before the entire Nation 

that ‘‘American and coalition forces are in the early 

stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its 

people and to defend the world from grave danger.’’; 

Whereas March 19, 2008, marks the fifth year of the Iraq 

war, one of the biggest foreign policy disasters in American history; 


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•HCON 319 IH 

Whereas during March 2008, all Americans, including families of members of the United States Armed Forces 

maimed or killed in Iraq, will reflect, mourn, pray, and 

hold vigils; 

Whereas countless numbers of Americans have been permanently scarred and their lives shattered because of the 

Iraq war; 

Whereas as of January 2, 2008, according to Department of 

Defense, the United States had 155,846 troops stationed 

in Iraq—137,709 members of the regular components of 

the Armed Forces and 18,137 members of the National 

Guard or Reserves; 

Whereas as of March 11, 2008, 3,983 members of the United 

States Armed Forces have died since the beginning of the 

Iraq war, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count; 

Whereas of March 1, 2008, over 39,000 members of the 

United States Armed Forces have been permanently 

maimed or injured, according to the United States Department of Defense; 

Whereas Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, 

along with co-author Harvard professor Linda Bilmes, 

concludes in his book ‘‘The Three Trillion Dollar War: 

The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict’’ that the Iraq war 

will cost American taxpayers at least three trillion dollars; 

Whereas, according to Mr. Stiglitz and Ms. Bilmes, ‘‘U.S. 

military operations in Iraq already have exceeded the cost 

of the 12-year war in Vietnam and is more than double 

the cost of the Korean Conflict.’’; 

Whereas, according to the Iraq Body Count (IBC), approximately 89,300 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the 


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•HCON 319 IH 

beginning of the Iraq war, although some independent estimates suggest Iraq civilian deaths to be in the hundreds 

of thousands; 

Whereas, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency 

and the International Organization for Migration, in 

2007 almost 5 million Iraqis had been displaced by violence in their country, the vast majority of whom have 

fled since 2003; 

Whereas March 19, 2008, marks the fifth anniversary of the 

Iraq war which has no end in sight under the failed leadership of President Bush; 

Whereas the Iraq war has severely compromised United 

States efforts to effectively fight the war on terrorism 

and irreparably damaged our Nation’s credibility globally; 

Whereas the Iraq war has left Americans less safe, has cost 

over $500 billion, and has embroiled our brave troops in 

an unwinnable and deadly sectarian war; 

Whereas thousands of members of the United States Armed 

Forces who were sent into Iraq without adequate body 

armor or armored vehicles for five years are now on their 

second or third 15-month rotation; 

Whereas 5 years after the start of the Iraq war, too many 

members of the United States Armed Forces returning 

home are still not receiving adequate health care or effective psychiatric care; 

Whereas President Bush is unwilling to ‘‘change course’’ in 

Iraq despite the long-term impact of his policies on 

American national security or the urgent need for America to address a resurgent Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and 

Pakistan; 


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•HCON 319 IH 

Whereas President Bush and his Administration continue to 

carelessly spend billions of dollars a month in Iraq, diverting critically needed funding for health care, education, strengthening the Nation’s bridges and infrastructure, and assisting Americans coping with an economic 

recession; 

Whereas the coalition of the willing has dwindled in Iraq, millions of Iraqis remain internally and externally displaced, 

and the Iraqi people have said unequivocally in poll after 

poll that they want United States troops out of their 

country; 

Whereas the Bush Administration’s ‘‘surge’’ policy has failed 

to bring political stability to Iraq and lasting reconciliation between ethnic groups; 

Whereas on March 13, 2008, General David H. Petraeus, the 

top United States commander in Iraq, when asked in an 

interview about the success of the ‘‘surge’’ in Iraq, stated 

‘‘No one feels that there has been sufficient progress by 

any means in the area of national reconciliation.’’; 

Whereas the Bush Administration is currently negotiating a 

status of forces agreement with the Iraqi Government 

that would keep United States Armed Forces in Iraq for 

the foreseeable future; 

Whereas on May 1, 2007, President Bush vetoed the U.S. 

Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, and 

Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 (H.R. 

1591), which would have set a date to begin withdrawing 

United States Armed Forces from Iraq; 

Whereas after 5 disastrous years, it is time for United States 

troops to immediately and safely redeploy from Iraq; and 


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•HCON 319 IH 

Whereas instead of marking another Iraq war anniversary on 

March 19, 2009, it is time for the United States Congress to end America’s involvement in Iraq by withholding additional funding for the war: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) recognizes and honors the heroic sacrifice of 

4 the brave members of the United States Armed 

5 Forces and their families on the fifth anniversary of 

6 the Iraq war; 

7 (2) urges President George W. Bush not to 

8 enter into any long-term United States-Iraq stra9 tegic agreement without the approval of Congress; 

10 (3) urges President Bush to begin an imme11 diate and safe redeployment of United States Armed 

12 Forces from Iraq; and 

13 (4) urges President Bush to live up to his re14 sponsibilities and adequately provide health care as15 sistance to United States troops returning from Iraq 

16 and Afghanistan. 

Æ 


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