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We've certainly heard one bad piece of economic news after another lately. Being an eternal optimist, my belief is that brighter times are ahead. Our wonderful country has bounced back before from hard times, and I believe we will again.
Good News: Iraq Will Pay for Its Reconstruction
Taxpayers in America deserve some good news and we're getting it from a bill Congress sent to the president. A couple weeks ago, the Senate gave final passage to the 2009 National Defense Authorization bill that included an important bipartisan provision I sponsored along with Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican, and Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, a Democrat.
I call it the "Iraq Must Pay" provision. It bans further U.S. taxpayer-funded spending on infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges and buildings in Iraq. We made exceptions so the U.S. military can continue small scale but important stabilization efforts in Iraq, which I fully supported.
The provision also requires the President to craft a cost-sharing agreement with the Iraqi government for Coalition-Iraqi combined operations in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It also directs the Iraqis to pay the costs of the salaries, training, equipping, and sustaining of Iraqi Security Forces.
We Need to Tend to Needs At Home
Even if we didn’t have such a large federal deficit, and even if we weren't in the middle of a serious financial crisis, it just makes sense for Iraq to shoulder reconstruction costs today. Thankfully, after a war and five tough years, Iraq seems more stable these days, and more able to meet its needs.
Here at home, we need to rebuild our own crumbling roads, bridges and public facilities. We need to provide more health care access and services. It's more than just odd to think of American taxpayers footing the bill for new facilities in Iraq so Iraqis can get access to health care services that, in some cases, Americans don’t have now. We cannot and will not continue to pay Iraq’s bills.
America Is Meeting Its Obligations While Iraq Sits on Surplus
Some might say the U.S. is obligated to restore a country damaged by a war we started. I would tell them that we are doing our part to rebuild facilities damaged by bombs and battle.
We've already spent about $48 billion for stabilization and reconstruction projects in Iraq’s security, electricity and water sectors since 2003, compared to Iraq spending just $4.3 billion.
Those figures are from the Government Accountability Office. Congress' investigative arm also told us in a September report that the government in Iraq could be sitting on a cumulative oil-funded surplus of up to about $80 billion, with the GAO estimating a surplus of between $38.2 billion to $50.3 billion just for 2008.
As Iraq Steps Up U.S. Taxpayers Can Breathe a Bit Easier
If Iraq spends that surplus to help Iraqis, we can cut some of the $9.8 billion have been spending a month on military and reconstruction expenses in Iraq. That will help U.S. taxpayers.
Our common sense provision won a lot of support in Congress. Even the administration -- which fought all efforts in Congress to force changes in its Iraq policy -- didn’t stand in the way.
With the President's signature on the defense bill, the "Iraq Must Pay" provision will go into effect. Then, I hope, taxpayers will breathe a little bit easier in the times ahead.
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