mr. speaker , i rise in support of h.r. 1268 , to authorize emergency supplemental appropriations for our military . 
the vast majority of this $ 82 billion bill will go directly to support our troops in iraq and afghanistan . 
congress has a responsibility to work with the president to protect the national security of our nation . 
when our soldiers are sent in to war , it is the congress ' responsibility to make sure that all resources necessary are provided to carry out their missions . 
i stand behind our brave men and women who have performed admirably in iraq and afghanistan . 
they have made tremendous sacrifices on behalf of their country and have served longer deployments than expected . 
this bill provides important new benefits for our troops and their families . 
the legislation : increases the military death gratuity ; increases subsidized life insurance benefits ; creates a new insurance benefit for soldiers who have suffered traumatic injuries , such as the loss of a limb ; extends the basic allowance for housing for dependents of soldiers who die while on active duty ; and provides additional funding for add-on vehicle armor kits , night-vision equipment , and radio jammers that disrupt remote-control bombs and mines . 
the conference report also contains important measures to strengthen our domestic border security , by providing funds for new border patrol agents , immigration and customs investigators , enforcement agents , and detention officers . 
the bill also provides additional foreign assistance for : tsunami reconstruction ; humanitarian and peacekeeping programs in darfur ; democracy assistance in belarus ; and political and economic reforms in ukraine to strengthen their new democracy and legal system . 
i regret that the administration has consistently failed to properly budget for our ongoing military and reconstruction operations in iraq . 
congress should not repeatedly rely on emergency spending bills to provide the critical funding , resources , and equipment for our troops in battle by using emergency supplemental appropriations bills . 
the united states is only belatedly seeking international support for our reconstruction efforts in iraq , and we have failed to broadly engage the international community . 
because of these failures , americans have paid a heavy price . 
it is primarily american troops stationed in iraq that face continuing attacks , and have lost life and limb . 
it is our taxpayers that are being asked to almost exclusively pay the cost to rebuild iraq , and these costs are mounting every day . 
iraq is already facing a difficult transition in establishing a democracy that operates under the rule of law and protects minority rights . 
the u.s. must show enough flexibility in working with our allies to effectively help iraq during this critical transition period , so that other countries will pledge both troops and funds to alleviate the burden on our american soldiers and taxpayers . 
ultimately , the best way that we can support our troops is to reach out more aggressively to the international community , establish order and security in iraq , and help the interim iraqi government assume more responsibility for its own affairs as they establish a democratic state . 
i am also disappointed that the republican leadership decided to insert extraneous provisions into this legislation , which go beyond the scope of the 9/11 commission recommendations . 
i voted against the `` real id act '' when it was considered by this house as a separate bill earlier this year . 
i am particularly concerned that this legislation repeals a number of provisions of the intelligence reform and terrorism prevention act of 2004 , which enacted the recommendations of the 9/11 commission . 
the 9/11 bill established a negotiated rulemaking framework -- allowing for critical input from governors , state legislators , state officials , and other stakeholders -- which would provide the opportunity to develop effective national standards for driver 's licenses . 
i am concerned that this legislation does not give the states adequate flexibility to implement the 9/11 bill , and that this legislation may also create serious unfunded mandates and administrative burdens for the states . 
as the ranking member of the helsinki commission ( commission on security and cooperation in europe ) , which promotes human rights and rule of law in europe , i am also concerned about many of the asylum law changes contained in the real id act , which again go beyond the scope of the 9/11 commission recommendations . 
these provisions may have a harmful effect on true asylum seekers , trafficking victims , women and children who are victims of domestic violence , and others seeking protection against persecution . 
this legislation may create higher burdens for legitimate asylum seekers , restrict judicial discretion to grant asylum , and take away some of the rights of appeal for certain refugees and asylum seekers . 
over the past week i have heard from a number of groups in maryland that provide legal and social services to immigrants , asylum seekers , refugees , and survivors of torture and slavery . 
these groups have reported to me that it is already extremely difficult for legitimate asylum seekers to prevail in their case , as they have often left their home country on short notice , and do not have documentation of their persecution . 
it can take months or years for a case to work its way through our legal system . 
during this period , the asylum seeker often has neither legal representation nor work documentation . 
i hope that in the near future congress will have the opportunity , in a more thoughtful manner , to consider comprehensive immigration reform measures . 
