Crocker Questioned on Iraq Programs and Policies

(WASHINGTON) – Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Chairwoman of the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, today delivered the following opening statement at the subcommittee’s hearing on U.S. policy and programs in Iraq with Ambassador Ryan Crocker:

I want to welcome Ambassador Crocker. I appreciate your making time for the Appropriations Committee during your very busy week in Washington.

Before we begin today’s hearing to review U.S. policies and programs in Iraq, let me commend you for your service to our nation. Your retirement at the end of the year will cap an impressive career—in addition to serving as Ambassador to Iraq and Pakistan, you have held other especially difficult assignments in places such as Syria and Afghanistan. Your service and sacrifice are deeply appreciated and embody the best qualities of our foreign service just as General Petraeus represents the courage, commitment and can-do attitude of our military.

However, even the most capable of our diplomats and the most skilled of our generals cannot put Iraq back together if the Iraqis don’t help themselves.

Since 2003, Congress has appropriated over $45 billion for relief and reconstruction assistance in Iraq. In the coming weeks, this Committee and the Congress will consider the Administration’s request for an additional $3.4 billion for the Department of State and USAID's efforts in Iraq. The war has already cost the American taxpayer $500 billion, nearly ten times more than the Administration initially estimated; some distinguished economists have made the case that the true cost impact of the war is $3 trillion. However, we cannot even begin to quantify the cost in American and Iraqi lives and the damage to America’s reputation globally. Indeed, I fear that our national security, the stability of the region, and the security of our world are more at risk now than before the Iraq war began.

Ambassador Crocker, you and General Petraeus have made the case to various committees this week that the surge has succeeded. With all due respect, Mr. Ambassador, the surge has not delivered what was promised. We must look beyond any short-term security gains to assess whether Iraqis are making sustainable progress on the broader political, economic and security reconciliation objectives. After all, with the best military in the world, one would expect that more U.S. troops would yield an immediate improvement on the security side.

What happens when U.S. troops are reduced? Can the Iraqi forces sustain these gains? If so, why aren’t we transferring responsibility to the Iraqis more expeditiously?

It is also worth asking how much of the success of the surge is due to factors outside of our control including the cease-fire of Muktada Al Sadr which was largely negotiated in Iran and the reduction in violence due to the sad fact that ethnic cleansing and segregation has removed minority populations from most of the mixed ethnic neighborhoods around Baghdad.

With a military that is stretched to the breaking point, more and more soldiers and their families suffering from PTSD, and a domestic economy heading into recession, — we have to consider tough questions.

Are Iraqi leaders showing sufficient political will and commitment to political reconciliation? Ambassador Crocker, I hope that you will talk with us about what is happening on the political scene in Iraq. Do the positive steps in recent months represent sufficient progress in the areas that really matter? Are we making sufficient progress to warrant continued commitment of U.S. blood and treasure? And Mr. Ambassador, is there an exit strategy?

While we have seen some legislative successes on some of the benchmarks -- such as De-Baathification and oil revenue sharing, questions remain about how and if these new laws will be enforced and implemented. Other benchmarks --such as disarming and disbanding militias – remain unmet.

The larger question that remains unanswered for many Americans is whether the conditions and the political will exist among Iraq’s leaders and its neighbors, for a unified, stable and democratic Iraq that provides a fair and equitable stake for all Iraqis in the political, economic and social framework of the country. And if not, why are we still risking American blood and treasure? Shouldn’t we instead focus on a more realistic strategy for long-term regional security?

To that end, I would like you to address two transitions that I hope are already underway.

First, a transition from a military-led reconstruction and stabilization effort to a civilian-led effort. I understand that in the initial post-combat operation days, it may have been necessary for DOD to play a larger role in reconstruction. But I don’t think it is appropriate, cost-effective, sustainable, or in our best interest for U.S. soldiers to still be collecting trash or changing light bulbs on Iraqi streets, or for that matter, providing small business microgrants. It is the role of USAID to train and help Iraqis assume responsibility for rebuilding and maintaining the political, economic and social infrastructure and institutions of the country. Have these activities been fully transitioned over to USAID?

In that light, why is there an increased funding request in the supplemental for the Commander’s Emergency Response Program? After five years in Iraq, the agency with the appropriate knowledge and authority should be managing these programs. When I asked Deputy Secretary Negroponte if there were such transition plans to transfer this responsibility to the State Department and USAID, he suggested that I ask you. So I hope you will be able to elaborate on these plans, particularly the staff and resource implications for State and USAID if there is a drawdown on troop levels.

Second, a transition from a U.S.-led to an Iraqi-led and Iraqi-financed reconstruction and stabilization effort. With oil at $105 a barrel, I don’t understand why we are still spending so much money to maintain and secure Iraqi infrastructure. Why aren’t more of these oil resources going to benefit the Iraqi population? Can you speak to reports that significant amounts of Iraq’s oil are being diverted to the black market, some fueling the insurgency?

Ambassador Crocker, we have much more to discuss including many questions from my colleagues. So let me conclude by commending the courage and commitment of you, your staff and all our brave young men and women –those who wear the uniform as well as those civilians who put themselves in harm’s way -- to pursue diplomacy, development and humanitarian assistance on behalf of the American people. We may not always agree on U.S. policy, but we are united in our gratitude for the service and sacrifice of our fellow citizens.