Wes Hickman (202) 224-5972 or Kevin Bishop (864) 250-1417

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made the following statement on the House of Representatives passage of the supplemental wartime appropriations bill. The measure passed today establishes an arbitrary date for troop withdrawal from Iraq, includes tens of billions of dollars in non-war related earmarks intended to buy votes, and puts American troops in Iraq at risk by imposing restraints on the Commander-in-Chief and the commanders on the ground. Graham said: "The vote in the House of Representatives was a disgrace. "The House put more than $20 billion in spending -- completely unrelated to the war -- in the bill. Putting pet projects into an emergency spending bill funding our troops fighting a war is one of the low points of my time in Congress. The Democratic House also put conditions on how to operate in Iraq that will undermine our efforts to secure victory. They set deadlines for withdrawal that will empower our enemies. "In the Senate, I will do everything in my power to strike the provisions of this bill that undercut our troops' ability to win this war. Congress is not the Commander-in-Chief and should not micromanage the war. It's incredibly disappointing to see House Democrats put our troops at risk for short term political gain. The Democratic leadership in the House is like the cavalry in reverse. They're coming over the hill, but instead of helping, you know they are just going to make the problem worse. "The President is right to threaten a veto of this legislation. If this bill ever makes it to his desk, he won't have a shortage of pens available to sign a presidential veto. If necessary, I will be more than happy to bring one for him to use." ####