Today Congressman Dave Loebsack voted in support of H.R. 3087, an act to establish oversight of the Pentagon’s planning for redeployment from Iraq. This bipartisan bill requires the Department of Defense, within 60 days, to submit a report on the status of planning for redeployment from Iraq to the congressional defense committees, with updated reports every 90 days thereafter.

“Safely redeploying our troops from Iraq will be a complex task that will require responsible planning and execution,” said Congressman Dave Loebsack. “This new Congress will not allow the Administration or Department of Defense to repeat the mistakes made in the Iraq invasion and post war occupation. This time we will ensure there is dependable and adequate planning.”

H.R.3087 states that our military needs appropriate, detailed contingency planning for a redeployment of troops from Iraq that takes into consideration force protection for military and civilian personnel and the need to continue protecting our vital national security interests. This bipartisan legislation will allow Congress to provide vigorous oversight, as is necessary and appropriate for the responsible redeployment of our troops.

This Congress recognizes that the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq will be a complex task – which requires comprehensive and robust contingency planning. Many mistakes were made by the Administration as it was putting our troops into Iraq in the early months of the war, due to a lack of sound military planning. The Congress wants to make sure that the Administration doesn’t make the same mistakes once we begin redeploying our troops out of Iraq.

This bill is part of a broader effort to restore vigorous congressional oversight. This Congress has held more than 250 hearings on issues related to the Iraq war so far this year, uncovering violence by U.S. private contractors in Iraq, severe levels of strain on American troops, health care failures for returning veterans, and billions of U.S. dollars spent in Iraq.

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