Washington, D.C. – House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) released the following statement on H.R. 3087, bipartisan legislation concerning the development of a redeployment strategy for U.S. forces in Iraq. H.R. 3087 was approved in the House on a vote of 377 to 46.

   “Many of the problems we face in Iraq resulted from the Administration’s failure to make adequate plans for the post-war period.  Military experts and Members of Congress from both parties agree that bringing our troops home from Iraq demands significant planning by the Department of Defense.  We must make sure that we get the planning right this time.

    “I commend my colleagues Congressman Neil Abercrombie, Congressman John Tanner, Congressman Michael Turner, and Congressman Phil English for sponsoring a bill that will ensure that Members of Congress have the information we need to conduct oversight of the planning that will be critical for our military.  This bill, which received broad bipartisan support, will help us hold the Administration to account and will help the Department of Defense develop the best plans to ensure the safety and security of U.S. troops during redeployment from Iraq.” 

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    H.R. 3087 expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of Defense should conduct robust contingency planning.  Sixty days after enactment, the bill requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report on redeployment planning, and that he and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff brief the House and Senate Defense Committees on its contents.  Every 90 days thereafter, the report must be updated and the committees must be briefed again.