Department of Virginia

VFW: Troops Need Funds, Not Further Debate

Posted at 03:52 PM on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 by Virginia A/Q

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2007--Congress' nonchalant attitude towards President Bush's war funding request yesterday is not what the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. expected from a wartime Congress.

"Our nation is at war, yet congressional leaders would rather continue to debate the administration's policies than fulfill their obligation to support the troops with adequate and timely funding," said George Lisicki, a Vietnam combat veteran from Carteret, N.J.

“Our men and women in uniform are doing everything within their power to succeed in Afghanistan and Iraq,” he said. “Their families are keeping the home front functioning so that their loved ones can stay mission focused. The administration has new military leadership with a new plan that is working. The only part of the team that isn’t pulling its weight in this war is Congress.”

The new funding request for $196.4 billion is in addition to the Defense Department’s fiscal year 2008 budget, which is among the 12 major spending bills that the House and Senate have approved separately but have yet to consolidate for the president’s signature. The federal government’s new fiscal year began Oct. 1. It is currently operating on a temporary stopgap measure that expires Nov. 16.

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