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WASHINGTON, DC- After voting in favor of an amendment to require that troops are given a minimum amount of time at home between tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement:

“I am disappointed that procedural tactics were used to act as a rubberstamp for President Bush and to obstruct action to give troops more time at home between deployments.  This amendment had the bipartisan support of 56 U.S. Senators.

“After more than four years at war in Iraq and almost six years in Afghanistan, our troops have served multiple tours that have kept them away from their families and hurt our long-term military readiness.

“We cannot state enough the effect that having a loved one deployed on what is often multiple tours has on a family or a community.  Children are growing up seldom seeing their mothers or fathers.  And by giving our troops less time to rest and train between deployments, our military readiness is undermined.”

The amendment offered by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) would require that active duty troops are stationed at home for at least as long as their last overseas deployment.

 

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