mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
mr. chairman , i am sure all members are very concerned about the proposed embassy compound in iraq and the number of dollars that are involved . 
i think it is very important that i share with members our discussion with the secretary of state . 
she feels it is absolutely critical that we move forward very quickly with this money , first and foremost because we have almost 4 , 000 american personnel whose lives are in jeopardy under current conditions . 
indeed , if this compound goes forward quickly , their security will be assured . 
the secretary has been given great assurance that the compound can be completed in 24 months . 
there is only one small hook , and that is in order to get a contractor to bid on such a job in this territory , the money has to be there in the pot . 
so within this bill we are providing the funds to make sure the funds are available and we can move quickly . 
this embassy and the compound are designed to solidify our mission , allowing us to be successful in iraq as well as the middle east . 
it is very important that we go forward with this money now . 
mr. chairman , i reserve the balance of my time . 
