House Republican Policy Vice Chairman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) issued the following statement after House Democrats approved a supplemental conference report:

“Our troops deserve the best; and the Democrats provided the worst in the supplemental conference report. With the news full of inaccurate and biased stories from Iraq, I am not surprised by the Democrats’ push for a timetable to bring our troops back from Iraq.

“However, the facts speak for themselves. The two month surge in Iraq is making a difference, and I am appalled that votes this monumental in importance are being made based off of television reports.

“General Petraeus gave an honest assessment of the situation on the ground in Iraq. He admitted there have been significant challenges, especially with sectarian violence, but he nonetheless accounted for remarkable strides of progress. But, the vote on the floor to withdraw troops simply sweeps the truth under the carpet.

“I voted against the supplemental conference report. I believe it is a disgrace to place our soldiers in the field, ask them to do a job, and subsequently jeopardize their mission by giving the enemy a clear timeframe to simply sit around and wait until our departure. I can only hold out hope that the President stands by his decision and vetoes this legislation.”