Congresswoman Richardson visits with troops in Iraq

Congresswoman Laura Richardson supported passage of the Supplemental Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (H.R. 2346), legislation that will secure $2.2 billion in funding for the C-17 aircraft, preserves 11,000 California jobs and initiates the fiscal drawdown of the troops in Iraq.

"Protecting the security of our country at home and abroad and keeping people in our communities working are my top priorities in Congress," Congresswoman Richardson said.

"When Congress is bailing out both Wall Street and the auto industry, it makes little sense to put 30,000 hardworking Americans out of work by closing the C-17 production line of the last American built cargo airlift plane," Congresswoman Richardson added.

Further, the Supplemental Appropriations Act also prohibits the Department of Defense from the establishment of permanent military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan in response to the American public's direction by the November, 2008 election and requires the Secretary of Defense to provide Congress with a detailed, month-by-month description of the transition of U.S. military forces, equipment, and contractors out of Iraq.

"The 2009 Supplemental is critical to ending the war in Iraq, minimizes unregulated build ups in Afghanistan and fulfills a commitment to bringing our troops home safely and responsibly," Congresswoman Richardson said. "In my 20 months as a U.S. Representative, I have consistently opposed further war spending without a plan to bring our soldiers out of Iraq."

The Supplemental Appropriations Act for FY09 will also:

- Provide $534 million to retroactively provide service members and veterans $500 for every month they served under stop-loss orders since 2001.

- Extend the new GI Bill to include education benefits to children of members of the armed forces who die while on active duty.

- Prohibit the release of current Guantanamo Bay detainees from being released or transferred into the United States.

- Provide a $5 billion line of credit to the International Monetary Fund to ensure that it has adequate resources to play its key role in helping to restore global economic growth.

- Provide a total of $7.3 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Disease and Control Response to assist in efforts to control a pandemic flu response, like the H1N1 virus.

- Enact the "Cash for Clunkers" Bill to provide consumers with up to $4,500 vouchers when they trade in their old vehicle for a new one with higher fuel efficiency.

From day one, Congresswoman Richardson was on the forefront of the battle to save the C-17's. She authored a bipartisan letter from over 60 members of the House of Representatives to the Administration urging President Obama to support the aircraft. The Congresswoman also held four face-to-face meetings with Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Murtha to earn his commitment to include funding for the C-17 in the FY09 Supplemental.

Production of the C-17 aircraft at the Boeing Plant in Long Beach employs 5,000 people. The C-17 production in California is responsible for 11,000 jobs, has an approximately $4 billion economic impact on the state and supports the employment of over 30,000 people nationwide.

Congresswoman Richardson is a Democrat from California's 37th Congressional District, which is home to the Long Beach Boeing Plant. She is a member of the House Committees on Transportation & Infrastructure and Homeland Security. Her district includes Long Beach, Compton, Carson, Watts, Willowbrooke and Signal Hill.

Last update: 06-24-2009 17:00

Published in : News, National

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