Mr. Speaker, I join with several of my colleagues today as an original cosponsor in the introduction of H.R. 5015, legislation that would require the President to submit to Congress a plan and a…
Mr. Speaker, I join with several of my colleagues today as an original cosponsor in the introduction of H.R. 5015, legislation that would require the President to submit to Congress a plan and a timeline for the safe, orderly, and expeditious deployment of United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan, including military and security-related contractors.
This legislation would also implement greater oversight and planning measures to reduce our reliance on contractors in Afghanistan and to curb waste, fraud, and abuse in contracting practices which continues to breed corruption at the expense of the Afghan people.
I would like to thank Representatives McGovern, Jones, and Senator Feingold for their leadership and for their hard work and collaboration on this very vital legislation.
Also, I would like to commend Congresswoman Woolsey for her stand and her work for global peace and security. Tonight I understand is her 350th time coming to this floor sounding the alarm against these wars, and I would just like to congratulate her for her steadfastness. She actually introduced the very first resolution calling for the redeployment of our young men and women out of Iraq.
It has been nearly a decade now since I voted against the authorization for the use of force, and this was on September 14, 2001. This was an authorization, mind you, that I knew then was a blank check to wage war anytime, anywhere, and for any length. That was a resolution that really authorized wars without end. H.R. 5015 provides the President and the Congress the opportunity now to change the trajectory of United States foreign policy from one of open-ended military conflict towards a strategy which counters terrorism and extremism around the globe in a sustainable and more effective manner.
I continue to believe United States economic and national security as well as our values are undermined by a military first strategy that many of us fear may lead us down a path of unending war in Afghanistan.
In September, 2009, General McCrystal stated very clearly, ``If the people are against us, we cannot be successful. If the people view us as occupiers and the enemy, we can't be successful.''
Top military officials and experts agree that winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people should be the focal point of the United States mission in Afghanistan. Yet I remain convinced that this will not be accomplished at the barrel of a gun. With every death, with each increase in troop deployment, and with every additional military contractor airlifted into Afghanistan, we provide a rallying point for al Qaeda, whose propaganda depends on the perception that America's aim is foreign occupation.
It is our stated policy, and President Obama has said this many times, the United States does not seek a permanent military presence in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, or elsewhere. We have already sent more than $1 trillion to the Pentagon for the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the administration has yet to provide an estimate for the long-term costs of the United States military operations in Afghanistan.
It has been estimated that roughly one-third, mind you, one-third of every tax dollar paid by the American people in 2009 went to the Pentagon and military related expenditures. The fact is we cannot even begin to talk about reducing the budget deficit without talking about reducing our military spending, and this legislation sets us down that path by ending a policy of open-ended war in Afghanistan that has ultimately made America less safe.
I have been clear in my conviction that the situation in Afghanistan will not be resolved with a military solution, and I think many agree with that. That's why last October I introduced H.R. 3699, which would prohibit any funding for increasing troop levels in Afghanistan beyond current levels.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee and as Congress considers the President's $33 billion supplemental funding request for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, I will be working to ensure that Congress is provided an opportunity to go on record regarding this grim prospect, mind you, of continued military escalation. Rather than increasing our
military footprint in Afghanistan, setting a timeline for the redeployment of our troops and military contractors is the single greatest step we can take to empower the Afghan people and their government while stripping al Qaeda of our indefinite foreign military presence used to justify the insurgency and the acts of international terrorism.
So I hope we pass this legislation. It puts us on the right path to getting out of Afghanistan and to ensuring our national security.
