WASHINGTON, DC - Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), issued the following statement today, announcing the introduction of a bill to oppose the interruption or restriction of funding for America’s troops who are in a combat zone:

“Recently on the House floor, Congressman Sam Johnson spoke about being a prisoner of war when Congress cut off funding for the war in Vietnam. He told the House what it felt like to be a prisoner in a foreign land while this country seemingly was abandoning him and his comrades.

“The purpose of this legislation is to assure our men and women in Iraq that Congress and America support them. As a nation, we are debating the future of our involvement in Iraq; this debate is necessary and good. However, our troops and the dollars that fund them should not be used to play politics during that debate. Playing politics with our nation’s purse strings will only hurt our troops and encourage the terrorists who want to harm them.

“We must not forget that we are at war with an irreconcilable wing of Islam and it is imperative for the security of the Middle East and America that we succeed against the terrorists.”

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