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Richardson Campaign Press Release - Governor Bill Richardson Praises New Mexico Memorial Urging Congressional funding for U.S. Military Equipment and Armor

March 07, 2007

SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said he fully supports a memorial passed today by the New Mexico Legislature that urges Congress and the President to support the necessary funding for basic life-saving armor and equipment that protects U.S. troops serving in Iraq.

The House of Representatives amended House Joint Memorial 65 to make it apply to the President and the Governor, urging them to support this funding by Congress for U.S. troops.

"We in New Mexico recognize what policy-makers in Washington D.C. have failed to accept – our troops deserve every resource, including body armor and the proper equipment, to help protect them as they fight this war," Governor Bill Richardson said. "The President unnecessarily put thousands of American soldiers in harm's way by inserting them into the heart of the war in Iraq. As the violence continues to soar, we must properly equip our troops while they are there. At the same time, I continue to call for a phased withdrawal of our troops before the year's end."

Governor Richardson has also called on the federal government to properly equip and train National Guard units. Half of the troops in Iraq are guardsmen or reservists. And since 9/11 more than 400,000 reservists have been called on for active duty -- the largest overseas deployment of the National Guard since World War II.

"Our military must always have the best equipment," Governor Richardson said. "It's understood that harsh operating conditions in Iraq are reducing the equipment available for our soldiers. But to properly train and to win the fight, Washington must provide adequate equipment for every man and woman in uniform—regular, reserve or National Guard."

Bill Richardson, Richardson Campaign Press Release - Governor Bill Richardson Praises New Mexico Memorial Urging Congressional funding for U.S. Military Equipment and Armor Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/294994

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