Congressman Buck McKeon, the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, released a statement praising the Senate’s swift confirmation of General David Petraeus as the new commander of U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan.

“General Petraeus has proven himself to be one of America’s most capable military officers,” said McKeon.

“He turned around a perilous situation in Iraq and our troops have started coming home.  With his unanimous confirmation by the Senate today, General Petraeus has been tapped for another daunting task.  The President has the right strategy in Afghanistan, and I’m confident that General Petraeus and our troops can succeed if given the resources, space, and time they need to complete their mission.

“It’s unacceptable that Congress has yet to approve funding for our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid are running out of time to pass the troop funding measure without forcing drastic measures to be undertaken at the Department of Defense.  The House should immediately consider and pass the war funding bill as approved by the Senate so there is no further delay in providing our troops with this vital funding.”