WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator John Sununu (R-NH) today (3/29) issued the following statement on H.R. 1591, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, which passed the United States Senate on Thursday by a vote of 51-47. Sununu opposed the bill, which President Bush is expected to veto when it reaches his desk because it contains troop withdrawal language and funds lawmakers’ pet projects back home. “Traveling in Iraq two weeks ago, New Hampshire soldiers I spoke with sent a message: ‘We need that funding.’ Unfortunately, the Democratic leaders in Congress are trying to score partisan political points, and have inserted provisions in this security bill that they know will stall its passage. “Telling members of al Qaeda, militias, or insurgent groups the date we will begin and end troop withdrawals is irresponsible. That is why I voted to eliminate language regarding troop pullout from the emergency war supplemental. Our military should not remain in Iraq a single day longer than is absolutely necessary, but the timetable for bringing them home should be driven by security conditions, not partisan posturing.” “Moreover, legislation to provide resources to our men and women in uniform should do just that – not serve as a springboard for lawmakers’ pet projects and other extraneous initiatives. Funding for sugar beets, livestock, dairy, and spinach farmers, and other non-security items has no place in a security bill. These programs should not be attached to spending that is critical to our men and women overseas.”