Pelosi: Senate Republicans Have Once Again Thwarted the Will of the American People on Iraq

July 18, 2007

Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today after Senate Republicans refused to allow an up-or-down vote on the Levin-Reed amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that would have responsibly redeployed our troops in Iraq:

'Most Senate Republicans continue to obstruct Democratic efforts to force a new direction in Iraq, instead choosing to continue to stand squarely behind the failed policies of President Bush. By blocking an up-or-down vote on an amendment to responsibly end the war in Iraq, Senate Republicans have once again thwarted the will of a majority of the United States Senate, a majority of the House of Representatives, and a majority of the American people.

'After four and a half years of a failed policy in Iraq, we must not just voice our opposition, we must vote to end the war. That is why the House passed legislation last week on a bipartisan basis to responsibly redeploy our forces from Iraq. We will repeat that judgment legislatively as often as necessary.'