mr. speaker , when h.r. 1268 was first considered on the floor in march , i reluctantly supported its passage . 
now that the conference report has been returned to the house for this chamber 's approval , i still find myself torn because i do not see how additional funding for the iraq war effort will ultimately produce a positive outcome for the united states or for the people in iraq . 
i want a successful exit strategy -- not a permanent occupation in iraq . 
despite my misgivings for the direction of our iraq policy , or lack thereof , i do not believe our troops , who are fighting so bravely , should be penalized for the mistakes in judgment of our civilian military leadership at the white house and the pentagon . 
as we speak , our ground forces scrounge for scrap metal to make the unarmored vehicles more safe against insurgent attack . 
the funds provided in this bill will enable our soldiers and marines on the ground to uparmor their vehicles . 
there should be more outrage from the american public that they were deployed without adequate equipment from the beginning . 
but they are there . 
it is vital that our troops receive the equipment they need to defend themselves against attack . 
i have been critical of our war planning from the outset . 
i voted against the authority that allowed the president to take action in iraq . 
i continue to be frustrated that our war plan still contains no game plan on when we can begin to bring our troops home . 
i am pleased that the bill does contain provisions that require the administration to develop a set of performance indicators and measures for determining the stability and security in iraq and report its findings to congress . 
this requirement falls well short of the exit strategy we need to determine how long our commitment in iraq will last . 
the bill also funds tsunami relief , which is well overdue . 
the agreement appropriates $ 656 million in direct assistance to tsunami disaster relief for countries affected by last december 's tragedy . 
the total includes $ 5 million to support environmental recovery activities ; $ 10 million to create new economic opportunities for women ; and $ 12.5 million to support initiatives that focus on the immediate and long-term needs of children . 
the bill provides $ 400 million for humanitarian assistance in the darfur region of sudan and elsewhere in africa , including funds for the temporary resettlement of refugees . 
it also funds $ 240 million for international humanitarian food assistance through the food for peace program , much of which will go to the darfur region . 
this assistance will provide some relief to those who are being victimized by the ethnic cleansing that is being waged against the black muslim population by the arab muslim-dominated sudanese government . 
in a period when the president and this congress proposes reductions in programs that support the development of local communities and neighborhoods , the bill provides $ 592 million for a gold-plated embassy compound in iraq . 
i find it very difficult to defend such spending when the budget priorities of this administration propose disinvesting in our cities , towns and our american workforce . 
money for this project goes beyond providing office and working space for u.s. foreign service personnel . 
what we are proposing to build is not an embassy , but a compound , with stores and other amenities which will further distance our american embassy personnel from the iraqi civilian and political population . 
we are constructing a fortress , not an embassy . 
i want a successful exit strategy -- not a permanent occupation in iraq . 
another key element of this agreement with which i take issue is the mandate imposed on states that requires certain identification standards on driver 's licenses for federal identification purposes . 
the measure mandates that states meet certain requirements for determining the validity of persons applying for drivers ' licenses . 
although the bill provides authority for states to receive federal grants to comply , it is insufficient and amounts to an unfunded federal mandate . 
the money contained in this bill will go a long way to saving lives , saving the lives of our land forces in iraq and afghanistan and reconstructing the lives of those who experienced the devastation of last year 's tsunami . 
after weighing the alternatives , i reluctantly support the passage of this bill . 
i am not happy with the choices we are making today . 
i feel backed into a corner without much wiggle room , but the lives of our troops matter to me and they deserve the protection this bill is designed to deliver to them . 
