On Thursday, August 2nd, Grand Rapids area congressperson Vern Ehlers voted against a bill in the House of Representatives designed to limit how quickly soldiers can be sent back to Iraq after returning home. The bill passed by a vote of 229 to 194, with all but six Republicans in the House voting to oppose the bill. Holland area Representative Pete Hoekstra also voted against the measure.

The bill--known as the "Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability Deployment Act"--would require that members of the regular military and the reserve forces be granted an extended "rest" period before being sent back to Iraq. For the regular active duty military, units would be required to have a rest period equal to or longer than their most recent deployment before being sent back to Iraq. For reserve and National Guard units, units would be required to have a break three times as long as their most recent deployment. The bill also includes an option that would allow the President to waive the requirements if there is "a threat to national security interests."

According to media reports, the bill has a limited chance of passing given Republican opposition to the bill on the grounds that it would be Congressional "meddling" in military affairs. The bill is part of an overall strategy by Democrats to force votes on the Iraq War, although this most recent proposal--like others offered recently--have a limited chance of passing and would essentially do nothing to bring the war closer to an end.