Blumenauer Votes Against War Funding

Two weeks ago, Blumenauer voted against the war funding and for domestic priority provisions in the 2010 Supplemental Appropriations Act. Among other things, this funding would have included $117 million to preserve about 1,600 jobs for Oregon educators. Unfortunately, the Senate voted to strip this and other key provisions from the bill, including:

• $10 billion for an Education Jobs Fund for states to retain or hire teachers
• $4.95 billion for the Pell Grant Program
• $1 billion for a Labor Department summer jobs program
• $4.5 billion for the settlement of two class-action suits against the federal government by Native Americans and African American farmers

Following is a statement from Rep. Blumenauer on today's vote:

"As a nation, we face challenges ranging from education shortfalls and growing energy needs to a slowly recovering job market. We cannot afford to escalate the Afghan war with a credit card. The mounting loss of life and widespread corruption gives no indication that more money and more boots on the ground will achieve success in Afghanistan.

"We need success at home. I cannot support a bill that spends $37 billion in Afghanistan while denying $10 billion for teacher jobs, $1 billion for summer youth employment, $5 billion for Pell grants, and $701 million for border security.

"Across Oregon, our priorities are helping small businesses, creating jobs, and supporting our schools.

"We need to start making the right choices. This means drawing down from a costly war that Americans and Afghans want to end, and investing in a better, more productive future for our country."