“We are sending money to rebuild Iraq, but we are turning our back on a judicial decision that was achieved under laws this body created. We are turning our backs on the torture inflicted upon these 17 veterans who were taken as prisoners of war while serving their country. Mr. President, the costs of war do not end at the borders of Iraq; veterans will continue to pay them for years to come. I urge my colleagues to join us in this effort to see that this injustice is rectified.” Senator Bob Graham, November 2003.
Since 2003, supporters in Congress have spoken out about the unfairness of the United States' treatment of its own POWs. To name a few, Senators Reid, Allen, Murray, Harkin, Graham, and Collins, and Representatives Meeks, Conyers, Berman, and Goode have all let their support for the POWs and their families be known.
We deeply appreciate their support and that of the other Members of Congress who have co-sponsored legislation asking the administration to meet with the POWs to resolve this issue in a way that serves both the rebuilding goals of the U.S., and the vital policy goals served by holding Iraq accountable.
Please write or call your own representatives in Washington and urge their support. You can get their addresses and telephone numbers by calling the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
I. POW Protection Act of 2003, H.R. 2224 (May 22, 2003)
Legislation offered by Representatives Capito and Goode, calling for war criminals to be tried before U.S. courts.
It also ensures that any judgment in the Acree case be paid out of Iraqi assets, and stating that the U.S. as a matter of forward-looking policy will support the efforts of POWs tortured or executed in the future in holding the perpetrators accountable - rather than fighting them as they are doing with the Gulf War POWs.
II. POWPA Dear Colleague Letter (June 3, 2003)
Dear Colleague letter sent by Reps. Capito and Goode urging support for the Prisoner of War Protection Act of 2003.
III. Senator Allen Letter (August 4, 2003)
Letter from Senator Allen to Treasury Secretary John Snow in support of the POWs and in protest of the Administration's position following the blocking of Iraq's assets.
IV. Rep. Sherman Letter (August 4, 2003)
Letter to President George W. Bush from Rep. Sherman in support of the POWs.
V. Senator Reid's Letter to Colin Powell (August 5, 2003)
Letter written by Senator Reid to Secretary of State Colin Powell in support of the POWs and in protest of the Administration's position following the blocking of Iraq's assets.
VI. Senator Reid Amendment, S. Amdt. 1836 (Oct. 14, 2003)
Senator Reid offered an amendment to the $87 billion reconstruction financing package urging the Administration to meet with the POWs. The amendment was struck by Rep. Frank Wolf.
VII. Reid-Graham Amendment, S. Amdt. 2194 (Nov. 17, 2003)
Excerpt from Congressional Record, including statements of Senators Reid and Bob Graham supporting the POWs’ cause. This document also contains the language of the Reid-Graham amendment.
VIII. Resolution Offered by Rep. Meeks, H. Con. Res. 344 (Nov. 21, 2003)
13 co-sponsors joined Rep. Meeks in expressing the sense of the Congress that American prisoners of war during the 1991 Gulf War and their immediate family members should be adequately compensated, without delay, for their suffering and injury.
IX. Reid Amendment, S. Amdt. 3307 (June 7, 2004)
In the wake of Abu Ghraib, Sen. Reid reacting to the unfairness of compensating Iraqi detainees while denying U.S. POWs offered an amendment requiring that any plan for compensation also provide for former POWs held by the Hussein regime.
X. Rep. Strickland Bill, H.R. 4998 (July 22, 2004)
Rep. Strickland offered a bill to make funds available to pay U.S. POWs.
XI. Rep. Meeks' Dear Colleague Letter (Dec. 22, 2004)
Rep. Meeks stepped up to assist the group in gathering support for the amicus brief written by the Washington Legal Foundation on behalf of Members of Congress. Ultimately 17 Representatives answered the call.
XII. Resolution Offered by Rep. Reyes, H. Con. Res. 93 (March 10, 2005)
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Department of Justice should halt efforts to block compensation for torture inflicted by the Government of Iraq on American prisoners of war during the 1991 Gulf War.