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March 20, 2008--Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-35) sent a letter to President Bush expressing deep concern over the plight of displaced Iraqis. The letter was led by Rep. Maxine Waters, Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton, Foreign Affairs Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee Chairman Gary Ackerman, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe Chairman Alcee Hastings, Representatives Barbara Lee and Lynn Woolsey, and was signed by 83 other Members of Congress from both political parties. 
Rep. Waters said, “This letter sends a strong message that Congress is committed to addressing the humanitarian crisis confronting Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons. The displacement crisis will get worse if ignored and we look forward to the President’s support as we work to address this issue.”
The text of the letter is as follows:
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing to express our deep concern over the plight of displaced Iraqis. Rarely does confronting a crisis align our moral and national security interests as closely as does providing assistance to the Iraqis displaced by violence. There are few more important tests of our foreign policy than our leadership in response to the growing crisis confronting the displaced population of Iraq.
Recent reports suggest that upwards of 14% of the population of Iraq is displaced; 2.4 million Iraqis are internally displaced, while nearly that many refugees have fled to neighboring countries. Their conditions are increasingly desperate as they lack access to employment, health care, or schools. Experts suggest that if the international community does not step in to help, the role of “protector and provider” may be provided by sectarian actors in the pattern of Hamas or Hezbollah.
As you know, failure to adequately confront the humanitarian crisis radiating from Iraq may spell disaster for the region. An aggressive effort to develop sustainable, long-term strategies to address the displaced population is badly needed. We commend your recent appointment of Ambassador James Foley as the Senior Coordinator for Iraqi Refugee and Internally Displaced Persons as an indication of your commitment to this issue.
As such, we welcome your response to the following pressing questions related to the future of the displaced Iraqi population, and request a briefing on the subject from a relevant Administration official:
The non-partisan Congressional Research Service said “The impact of this level of displacement— which is the largest in the Middle East since 1948— cannot be underestimated in terms of its impact on regional stability and the potential for humanitarian suffering.” We look forward to working with you in the coming months to ensure the world’s utmost attention to the problems facing the Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons. Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Maxine Waters, Ike Skelton, Gary L. Ackerman, Alcee L. Hastings, Barbara Lee, Lynn C. Woolsey, Brian Baird, Tammy Baldwin, Shelley Berkley, Howard L. Berman, Sen. Bernard Sanders, Timothy H. Bishop, Earl Blumenauer, G. K. Butterfield, Madeleine Z. Bordallo,Leonard L. Boswell, Lois Capps, Michael E. Capuano, Wm. Lacy Clay, John Conyers, Jr., Joseph Crowley, Joe Courtney, Elijah E. Cummings, Danny K. Davis, Susan A. Davis, Jim McDermott, Peter A. DeFazio, William D. Delahunt, Rosa L. DeLauro, Lloyd Doggett, Michael F. Doyle, Keith Ellison, Sam Farr, Chaka Fattah, Bob Filner, Barney Frank, Trent Franks, Raúl M. Grijalva, Maurice D. Hinchey, Mazie K. Hirono, Rush D. Holt, Chris Van Hollen, Michael M. Honda, Steve Israel, Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., Sheila Jackson Lee, William J. Jefferson, Henry C. Johnson, Carolyn C. Kilpatrick, Dennis J. Kucinich, James R. Langevin, John B. Larson, John Lewis, Zoe Lofgren, Steven F. Lynch, Carolyn B. Maloney, Edward J. Markey, James P. McGovern, Gwen Moore, James P. Moran, Jerrold Nadler, Grace F. Napolitano, Eleanor Holmes Norton, John W. Olver, James L. Oberstar, Ed Pastor, Donald M. Payne, Ed Perlmutter, Joseph R. Pitts, Carol Shea-Porter, David E. Price, David G. Reichert, Silvestre Reyes, Steven R. Rothman, Bobby L. Rush, Linda T. Sánchez, Janice D. Schakowsky, John P. Sarbanes, Robert C. Scott, Christopher Shays, Albio Sires, Adam Smith, Fortney “Pete” Stark, Betty Sutton, Ellen O. Tauscher, Edolphus Towns, Peter Welch, Robert Wexler, Albert Russell Wynn
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