mr. speaker , my motion to recommit is simple and straightforward and deserves the support of every member of this body . 
it would amend the criminal code to prohibit defrauding the government in connection with the reconstruction efforts in iraq . 
my motion would make it clear that these outrageous and unpatriotic activities would be subject to prison time and monetary penalties . 
every single dollar that is wasted because of corporate fraud or abuse in iraq is one less dollar that can go to protect our troops , one less dollar for body armor , one less dollar for protective equipment that can save lives . 
it is an unfortunate fact of life that , today , in iraq , taxpayer funds are being routinely wasted by organized corporate criminals . 
the american taxpayer is being defrauded by a system of distributing funds that is totally unaccountable . 
this not only demeans and cheapens the sacrifices that our military and civilian personnel are making in iraq , it endangers their lives . 
mr. speaker , just last week , the house spent another $ 82 billion of taxpayer funds on the war . 
the cost of the war had already been over $ 200 billion . 
we also learned this week that the pentagon auditors found that $ 212 million was paid to kuwaiti and turkish subcontractors for fuel the pentagon auditors concluded was exorbitantly priced . 
halliburton passed these payments onto the taxpayer . 
that may be just the tip of the iceberg , as billions of dollars are being expended in iraq with precious little accountability . 
while there are fraud statutes to protect against wasted tax dollars at home , none expressly prohibit war profiteering , and none expressly confer extraterritorial jurisdiction overseas , as my motion would do . 
against this backdrop , it is imperative that this congress send a strong signal that we will not tolerate taxpayer rip-offs at the expense of our troops . 
i offer this amendment now because this bill before us is open ended as a crime bill . 
it not only deals with gangs but it amends the criminal laws on matters concerning hearsay , venues , statute of limitations and sentencing . 
it also authorizes new grants and databases , among other things . 
if we are going to do all of this , it certainly is appropriate that we also amend the criminal laws to combat blatant contract fraud in iraq to protect our brave troops . 
when concerns about wartime fraud were raised during world war ii , president roosevelt declared it was our duty to ensure that a few do not gain from the sacrifices of the many . 
then , as now , our government can not in good faith ask its people to sacrifice for reconstruction efforts that allow so many others to unfairly profit . 
mr. speaker , i urge a `` yes '' vote on this commonsense motion to recommit . 
