mr. speaker , it has been 2 years since president bush stood aboard the uss lincoln aircraft carrier and declared , `` mission accomplished '' in iraq . 
and in those two years it has become increasingly clear that the war in iraq is far from over , and that the american people are paying the price . 
let 's just take a look at the facts : there are currently 150 , 000 american troops now serving in iraq , including 8 , 000 reserve and national guard troops . 
tragically , 1 , 582 american service members have been killed in the iraq war . 
at least 12 , 243 u.s. troops have been wounded in action , many with grievous injuries that will require a lifetime of medical assistance and other types of support . 
more than one in five iraqi war veterans have some type of mental disorder caused by their wartime service . 
in addition to the cost of life and quality of life for the brave american men and women who are fighting in iraq , the dollar cost of the war is also taking its toll on the american people . 
to date , $ 217 billion in american taxpayer dollars have gone to fund the war in iraq . 
we were told our allies would share the cost of the war ; we were told iraqi oil would pay for the cost of the war . 
now it is clear , there was no plan : the american taxpayer is paying for the cost of this war to the tune of $ 5 billion a month . 
in fact , today 's $ 82 billion supplemental is the fifth such supplemental congress has passed at the request of the bush administration to fund the war on terror . 
that 's billions of dollars not spent on pressing problems right here at home . 
problems , such as : the price of gas at the pump . 
gas prices remain at record levels at $ 2.24 per gallon nationwide , with some states topping $ 2.60 . 
that means gas prices have risen 33 cents in just the last two months and are 42 cents a gallon higher than a year ago . 
the energy department predicts that gas prices will climb to a record $ 2.35 by memorial day -- averaging $ 2.28 this summer . 
the high cost of health insurance . 
health care costs for families have skyrocketed almost 50 percent over the past five years . 
a lagging economy . 
the economy grew at just 3.1 percent in the first quarter -- the slowest pace in 2 years and down from a 3.8-percent pace logged in the final quarter of 2004 . 
declining wages and benefits . 
workers ' salaries and benefits have suffered the largest 3-year decline since 1948 ( as a portion of our economy ) even as corporate profits continue to rise . 
fewer jobs . 
446 , 000 private-sector jobs and 2.8 million manufacturing jobs have been lost . 
record budget deficits . 
this year 's deficit is on track to reach a record $ 427 billion . 
veteran 's benefits . 
over the next 5 years , the budget for veterans programs , primarily health care , is $ 14.2 billion below the amount needed to maintain services at current levels . 
and , record trade deficits . 
the u.s. trade deficit surged to an all-time high of $ 61.04 billion in february . 
two years after president bush declared mission accomplished in iraq , there is still no end in sight . 
instead of just signing another multi-billion dollar check to the administration , is n't it time to develop a real plan to stabilize iraq so we can bring american troops home and concentrate on our problems here at home ? 
