Pelosi's Office Responds To GOP Letter

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office questioned the motives of Republican congressional leaders Monday after they sent the speaker a letter urging her to cut the Easter recess short so Congress could move a spending bill to fund the war in Iraq.

Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly issued the following statement:

"Coming from the Republicans, who ran the ‘do-nothing’ Congress, this letter is a cheap political stunt. 

"The American people overwhelmingly support the Democratic plan for change in Iraq, yet the President has threatened to veto legislation that contains his own benchmarks for success in Iraq, ensures our troops have the training they need, and supports our veterans.

"The President and Republican leaders want a blank check to continue the war without end, while Democrats and the American people want accountability and a safe and responsible end to the war.

"The only reason a supplemental is needed is the President's failure to request funds for the war in his budget. Despite the overblown rhetoric of the Republicans in their letter, a recent report from the Congressional Research Service concludes that the Army could maintain its wartime operations well into July with funds the Army has already been provided.  

"House and Senate leaders have been hard at work over this district work period working to identify differences and points of consensus on the Iraq Accountability Act. The House and Senate will soon pass a conference report giving the President every penny he requested for our troops, but it will also require accountability, for the first time since the Iraq war began.”