Dear Representative,

On behalf of the 68% of people in this country who want to bring our troops safely home in 2008 (1), we thank you for voting against $163 billion more for Iraq occupation funding on May 15 (2).

Unfortunately the Senate did not follow your lead and you will have to vote again on Iraq occupation funds in June.

This time your vote may include the popular GI education "bill" and other domestic funds.

We urge you to stand firm in your opposition and vote against the Senate bill for the following reasons:

1. The GI bill passed with overwhelming majorities in the House (3) and Senate (4) and would easily pass as a standalone bill, which we support. You should demonstrate your honest support for our troops by fighting to pass the bill without requiring an additional year of war. That bill could include all the other domestic funds.

2. By far the best way to show your support for our troops is to bring them safely home as soon as possible.

We consider it morally disgraceful that necessary expenditures to meet human needs are being tied to $165 billion to pay for another year of war. Under the guise of helping veterans, a 'yes' vote on a bill that includes funding for Iraq guarantees that hundreds of our soldiers will die, thousands will endure physical and mental injury and that the carnage in Iraq will continue.

We recognize that defeating the Senate bill would force Congress to pass a stop-gap bill to fund short-term operations in Iraq. We support a narrow bill modeled after the Lee Amendment that fully funds a safe withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. This is the position that 68% of people in the United States support (1).

Sincerely,

Democrats.com
United for Peace and Justice
AfterDowningStreet.org
Backbone Campaign
Code Pink
Gold Star Families for Peace
Peace Action
Progressive Democrats of America
US Labor Against the War
Voters for Peace

(1) 68% of Americans want Bush to bring U.S. troops home within 6 months, according to a Democrats.com telephone poll of 628 adults conducted from May 1-4, 2008 by ICR.
http://www.democrats.com/iraq-poll-2

(2) House Roll Call 328
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll328.xml

(3) House Roll Call 330
http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.asp?year=2008&rollnumber=330

(4) Senate Roll Call 137
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00137