House Approves Schakowsky Amendments to Defense Authorization Bill

HOUSE APPROVES SCHAKOWSKY AMENDMENTS TO DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL

Washington, D.C.–The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved an amendment offered by U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) to prohibit private security contractors from performing inherently governmental functions in combat zones. The approved amendment was included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, which passed the House last night by a vote of 384 to 23. Schakowsky also cosponsored another amendment to require the Department of Defense to videotape detainee interrogations. The amendment passed the House by a vote of 218 to 192 before being included in the House-passed version of the Defense Authorization bill.

Congresswoman Schakowsky delivered the following statement on the House floor last night in support of her amendment to prohibit private security contractors from performing inherently governmental functions.

"I'd like to thank Chairman Skelton for working with me on my amendment to prohibit private security contractors from performing inherently governmental functions in combat areas and for offering his support.

We've all heard about the violent incidents involving private security contractors injuring and killing civilians in Iraq and elsewhere. This is a systemic problem that exists because private employees are currently being tasked with extremely sensitive jobs like gathering intelligence and providing armed security.

And it is a systematic problem that private contractors do not wear the badge of the United States, are clearly not part of the chain of command, are not subject to the same accountability that those who are employed with the badge of the United States and that those contractors have often damaged the credibility of our military and harmed our relationship with the Iraqi government.

It is vital that we show the American people and the Iraqis that there are inherently governmental functions that should only be performed by people in the U.S. military or who are U.S. government personnel.

I urge support for this amendment....