10.21.11

Cantwell Statement on President’s Announcement of U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Iraq

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released the following statement after President Barack Obama announced that American troops will be out of Iraq by the end of 2011.

“I welcome President Obama’s decision to get all troops out of Iraq by December 31. It’s past time for the Iraqi people to stand up and take responsibility for their nation.

“As we mark the final chapter in Iraq, we thank the many servicemen and women who served our country – including thousands from Washington state. We remember the 4,400 Americans who lost their lives and the thousands of others who still carry wounds from the battlefields of Iraq. We need to make sure the men and women who served our country are getting the care they need and that thousands more are being retrained and reskilled to help us build America’s economy.”

###