If Congress does not act soon to pass a war funding bill, our troops will not receive the resources they need while in harm’s way, and may not even be paid for their service. We must act now to put pressure on Congress so that they provide our military with the funding it needs.

The United States Senate passed a war supplemental funding bill shortly before Congress went on its Memorial Day recess which included $165 billion in necessary funds to continue the fight against terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the war supplemental also includes billions of dollars in additional funding for unrelated programs like unemployment insurance, low-income heating assistance, and Gulf Coast reconstruction. Conservative Democrats and Republicans in the House have indicated that they will not support the bill if these unrelated items remain attached, due to concerns about the federal deficit.

The presence of these unrelated funding items is threatening speedy enactment of the bill and is already leading to negative consequences for the military. According to a statement made by the President on June 7 th, the Pentagon’s funds are critically low, and civilian employees may face temporary layoffs if a funding bill is not passed quickly. To make matters worse, if a supplemental is not enacted by July, the Department of Defense “will no longer be able to pay our troops.” This is simply unacceptable.

We cannot allow debates over domestic policy to threaten the ability of our troops to protect themselves in the field and support their families at home. Please call your US Representative and ask that they quickly pass a war supplemental that focuses on providing our troops with the funding they need and that leaves out unrelated spending. You can reach your Representative by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking to be connected to your Representative’s office.