Today, Rep. Yvette D. Clarke voted against the H.R. 2219, FY2012 Defense Department Appropriations Bill which allocates funds to the Department of Defense for the Fiscal Year 2012.  She released the following statement:

“This bill would provide $119 billion in FY 2012 Contingency Funds for the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  It is clear that these wars have cost this nation to much in tax payers’ dollars and our troops’ lives.  While I am glad that the U.S. will begin to bring the war in Afghanistan to an end, it is important that we quickly and safely bring all our war engagements to an end.  At a time when we are rebuilding our nation, it is important to ensure that we focus our resources on the many domestic issues that we have to deal with.  While I fully support our troops and their families, as the representative of the 11th Congressional District of New York, it is clear that we can no longer utilize our resources for military conflicts overseas, when we need them so desperately at home.”

###