mr. speaker , i thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time . 
mr. speaker , i expect this conference report to pass overwhelmingly . 
i am troubled , however , that the conferees failed to include the provision sponsored by senator byrd urging congress to fund operations in iraq and afghanistan through the normal budget process . 
our efforts in iraq and afghanistan are no longer unforeseen expenses ; they are known , and they are anticipated . 
they should be in this budget . 
this bill is nearly $ 82 billion , bringing the total amount the president has received off-budget for iraq and afghanistan to nearly $ 300 billion in just 2 years . 
we can not keep digging ourselves into this deficit hole . 
unless our policy changes , and i hope it does , these operations are going to be long-term . 
and even though no one at the white house or the pentagon is willing to admit it , everyone in this house knows it . 
we have to get this spending back into the regular budget process so that it is paid for and does not bankrupt the federal budget for decades to come . 
we should be paying these costs like grownups , not passing them on to our children and our grandchildren . 
mr. speaker , i am relieved that the conferees reinstated the president 's ability to waive the restrictions on the economic aid for palestine . 
i recently traveled to israel and the palestinian territory with our distinguished democratic leader , the gentlewoman from california ( ms. pelosi ) xz4003140 . 
it became clear to me that what we need out of any agreement is not just a separate state for the palestinians , but an economically viable state , where palestinians can make a decent living , feed their kids , and live with dignity . 
the house bill would have made it all but impossible for the u.s. to help create that kind of confidence in the future . 
at least now the president has some flexibility to show that the u.s. is willing to invest in a secure and dignified future for palestinians and israelis alike . 
finally , mr. speaker , i can not support this supplemental , because i can not support any more money for the policy in iraq . 
over 138 , 000 troops are serving in iraq , and i was there over the recess and had the privilege of meeting some of them . 
these men and women are in iraq because of lies , because of deceit , and half-truths , and they deserve better than more of the same . 
i can not support ever-increasing funding for the war in iraq without a clear understanding from this administration about when and how it will bring our own troops home . 
i am tired of the spin , i am tired of the lack of accountability , and i am tired of the lack of candor . 
i believe the time to stand up and call for that kind of clarity is now . 
every member of congress , liberal or conservative , democrat or republican , loves this country , supports our troops , and is doing everything possible to help military families make it through difficult times . 
this is not in question . 
our policy in iraq , mr. speaker , is what is in question , and i , for one , simply can not support it . 
mr. speaker , i expect this conference report to pass overwhelmingly , but there are a number of issues in this bill that i find troubling . 
first , i am troubled that the conferees failed to include the provision sponsored by senator byrd urging congress to fund our military , security and reconstruction operations in iraq and afghanistan through the normal budget process . 
our efforts in iraq and afghanistan are no longer unforeseen expenses ; they are known and anticipated . 
they should be in the budget . 
this bill is nearly $ 12 billion , bringing the total amount the president has received off-budget from the congress for iraq and afghanistan to nearly $ 300 billion in just two years . 
mr. speaker , we ca n't keep digging ourselves into this deficit hole . 
unless our policy changes -- and i hope it does -- these operations are going to be long term . 
and even though no one at the white house or the pentagon is willing to admit it , everyone in this house knows it . 
we have to get this spending back into the regular budget process , back into the regular authorization and appropriations process , so that it is paid for and does n't bankrupt the federal budget for decades to come . 
we should be paying these costs like grown-ups -- not passing them on to our children and grandchildren . 
second , i commend the conferees for providing funding to meet critical shortfalls in basic equipment for our troops in afghanistan and iraq , especially for the army , the marines , and our national guard and reservists . 
i just hope this time the funding works and the shortfalls are met . 
this is not the first time the congress has specifically provided funding above and beyond the president 's request for body armor , up-armored humvees , trucks , radios , and the like . 
but somehow , this equipment never gets to the men and women whose lives are on the line . 
so i thank the conferees for their work on this matter , and i just hope this time the equipment gets to where it 's needed most . 
third , i strongly support the increased life insurance and death benefit payments for our troops , including our guard and reservists . 
but , mr. speaker , we could have done this over a year ago when my colleague from arizona , mr. renzi , and i succeeded in doubling the death gratuity and restoring its tax exempt status . 
we would have done more , but we were told at that time , in no uncertain terms by the pentagon , that increasing the benefit to $ 100 , 000 was unacceptable . 
so i am pleased to see this matter satisfactorily resolved . 
fourth , i am very disappointed that the conferees failed to include in the final conference report the senate-approved amendment offered by senator durbin to close the pay-gap for federal employees who are national guard and reserve members and are now serving in iraq and afghanistan . 
representatives lantos , graves , shays and i have introduced h.r. 838 , the hope at home act , which would help close the pay gap for all activated and deployed guard and reservists , including those who work for the federal government . 
senator durbin 's provision focused solely on federal employees , which is the largest employer of national guard and reservists , and cost only $ 170 million over 5 years . 
right , the federal government praises those private sector employers that by their own choice do the fifth , i am pleased that the conferees reinstated the president 's ability to waive the restriction on the economic aid for palestine . 
i recently had the privilege of traveling to israel and the palestinian territories with our distinguished democratic leader , congresswoman pelosi . 
it became clear to me that one of the most important things we need out of any peace agreement is not a separate state for the palestinians , but an economically viable state . 
we need a palestinian state where people can make a decent living , feed and care for their children , and live with dignity . 
the house-passed bill would have made it all but impossible for the u.s. to help create that kind of confidence in the future . 
while the restrictions remain , at least now the president has the same flexibility to show that the united states is willing to invest in a secure and dignified future for palestinians and israelis alike . 
and sixth , i strongly support the funding provided in this supplemental for the tsunami disaster relief and reconstruction , the international peacekeeping missions in haiti and darfur , sudan , and for international food aid programs . 
finally , mr. speaker , i can not support this supplemental for two major reasons . 
the first is that it still contains the real id act . 
the conferees did not increase the funding levels for border security , as they were instructed to do under the house-passed motion to instruct . 
instead , the conferees have chosen to impose these highly restrictive , punitive measures that will burden our states and , i believe , fail to have any meaningful effect on stemming illegal immigration , but will do great harm to those immigrants fleeing persecution , regardless of how they come to our shores seeking protection . 
but most importantly , i can not support this supplemental because i can not support any more money for the policy in iraq . 
over 138 , 000 american troops currently serve in iraq . 
i had the privilege of meeting some of them when i was in iraq during the easter recess . 
these men and women are in iraq because of lies , deceit and half-truths . 
they deserve better than just more of the same . 
i can no longer support ever-increasing funding for the war in iraq without a clear understanding from this administration about when and how it will bring our own troops home . 
i am tired of the spin . 
i am tired of the lack of accountability . 
i am tired of the lack of candor . 
i believe the time to stand up and call for that kind of clarity is now . 
for others of my colleagues , that time may come 2 years from now , or 4 years from now , or 6 years from now , or maybe never -- but for me , the time is now . 
every member of congress , liberal or conservative , democrat or republican , loves this country , supports our troops , and is trying to do everything possible to help military families make it through this difficult time . 
this is not in question . 
our policy in iraq , mr. speaker , is what is in question . 
and i , for one , can simply not support it . 
