Members considered a resolution on the immediate withdrawal of military forces from Iraq. The resolution was brought to the floor by Representative Hunter to clarify the House’s position on troop deployment in Iraq. The previous day Representative Murtha had called for an end to the deployment and criticized the Bush administration and fellow Republicans for characterizing opposition to further military operations in Iraq as unpatriotic. In often contentious debate, Democratic members accused Representative Hunter of constructing a misleading ploy to win political favor for Republican members opposed to Representative Murtha’s sentiments. The resolution for immediate withdrawal failed by a vote of 3-403-6 with 22 not voting.

In this portion Representative Murtha spoke on the House floor about his call for withdrawal the previous day, current operations in Iraq, and his views about the best way to end the deployment of U.S. forces in Iraq. 

During votes on the resolution and procedural matters telephone lines were open for viewer comment.