Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today the Republicans held a conference--the Democrats do the same thing during the week, talk about issues--and I had a couple of minutes to remind our Speaker of the House, John Boehner, whom I like, think the world of him, that as he was talking about the domestic policies of the President and how many of them seem to be failed policies, I said, well, how about the failed policy in Afghanistan?

I had written the Speaker back in November asking him to please take just a few minutes to talk to a retired marine general who has been my adviser on Afghanistan for 3 years. He agrees with me, the general does, that we're not going to win anything there; we just let our precious resources, our children, go there and lose their legs and lives, for what, we don't know.

I asked the Speaker--we did it in a bipartisan way. In fact, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), who will be speaking shortly after me, we did a bipartisan letter, three Democrats and three Republicans, asking Mr. Boehner and also Ms. Pelosi to go read the National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan that came out in December.

If they would read it, they would be better informed and better understand those of us who want to get out.

I had emailed the commandant of the Marine Corps who has been my adviser. He is retired now. Right before the burning of the Koran in Afghanistan--what I'm going to share for the record is an email that happened before the burning of the Koran. I quote the general:

Attempting to find a true military and political answer to

the problems in Afghanistan would take decades, not years,

and drain our Nation of precious resources--with the most

precious being our sons and daughters.

Simply put, the United States cannot solve the Afghan problem, no matter how brave and determined our troops are. We need to bring our people home and prepare for the real danger that is growing in the Pacific.

Mr. Speaker, I read that today in the conference. As you know, Mr. Speaker, we only have 1 minute and a lot of Members want to speak on different subjects. In addition, I did get time to read from a VSO team leader. The VSO team leader happens to be a young marine officer. VSO means village stability operation. This young marine, this team leader, emailed a friend of mine who emailed to me:

If you ask me if it's worth a single American life to build

governance here in Afghanistan, I would have to say no.

Sometimes it is very perplexing to me in terms of just where is the outrage in this country. I've seen so many wounded from my district of Camp Lejeune, of marines and soldiers who have lost legs and arms. I have even seen four young men that have no body parts below their waist. They are living and they will live, but they have nothing below their waist.

I don't know where the Congress is, quite frankly. We're going to be there until 2014 unless we get out sooner. I've got a feeling we'll probably be there a little bit longer than 2015, knowing the way both parties feel about this. There's nothing we're going to change. Karzai half the time doesn't like us; the other half he does. It is all about the $10 billion a month. He wants that money to buy some roads and fur caps and stick some money in foreign countries so when his administration collapses in Afghanistan, he's got some money to fall back on.

Mr. Speaker, I'm just going to take another minute and then I'm going to close.

In Marine Times recently there was an article called: ``TriCare Costs Would Jump in Budget Plan.'' If we forget our veterans of yesterday and our veterans of today, I think God will punish America. These young men and women and now the older veterans are older men and women and did so much for America to make it the greatest Nation in the world because they were willing to sacrifice and give of themselves. But if we're going to continue to borrow money from China to send $10 billion a month to Karzai, $120 billion a year, that to me is a sin, quite frankly.

We need to wake up in this country and figure out if we're going to fix our problems. We should start right here in America and fix our problems before we worry about the world's problems. Seventy-two of our servicepeople have been killed by the trainees in Afghanistan that they were trying to train to be policemen or soldiers. Seventy-two have been shot or killed by the people they were training. Where in the world does that make any sense? It doesn't make any sense. It is time for America to wake up and demand that Congress get our troops out now, not in 2014.

Before I close, as I always do, I ask God to please bless our men and women in uniform. I ask God to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. I ask God in His loving arms to hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. I ask God to bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for His people here in the United States of America. I ask God to please bless the President of the United States, that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for God's people here in the United States.

And I close three times: God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Congress of the United States,

Washington, DC, February 10, 2012.

Hon. John Boehner,

Speaker, House of Representatives, U.S. Capitol, Washington,

Mr. Speaker, I wish all of the Members of the House could take the time to read the National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan. It's classified, but I think they would benefit greatly as both parties continue to try to bring our troops home from Afghanistan sooner than 2013.

I do want to compliment the Secretary of Defense, Mr. Panetta. I did yesterday, in a hearing, and thanked him for saying that he would start bringing the combat troops home by 2013.

Mr. Speaker, I've been advised on Afghanistan by a military marine general for the last 3 years. I have great respect for him. He is a man of faith, and he has served our country at the highest rank in this particular type of service. I can't say his name because he asked me not to use his name publicly, but this marine general has been my adviser for 3 years. We exchanged emails last week, and I'd like to share for the House a couple of his thoughts on the email that he sent to me last week:

Attempting to find a true military and political answer to

the problems in Afghanistan would take decades, not years,

and drain our Nation of precious resources--with the most

precious being our sons and daughters.

Simply put, the United States cannot solve the Afghan

problem no matter how brave and determined our troops are.

We need to bring our people home and prepare for the real

danger that is growing in the Pacific.

Again, I have the utmost respect for this man, and I think the American people would if I could say his name.

One of our marines who is serving as a Village Stability Operations team leader in Afghanistan--they're known as VSOs--emailed a friend of his recently, and the friend shared the email with me: ``If you ask me if it is worth a single American life to build governance here in Afghanistan, I would have to say no.'' This man is over there trying to help the Afghan people, but obviously he has no faith. He basically said--and I'm paraphrasing now--that he has absolutely no confidence in the Afghans being able to have a functional, successful military or police force.

I thank him for his thoughts, and I've shared them with the House today.

There is Lieutenant Colonel Danny Davis, who some in both parties have met with. He spent 9 months in Afghanistan, and 3 weeks ago, he came out publicly. He is an active duty Army colonel, saying that it's time to get our troops out and that there is nothing we're going to change in Afghanistan.

I want to say that I respect the colonel for trying to tell the American people the truth and for telling Congress the truth, which is that we're spending $10 billion a month to prop up a corrupt leader, and nothing is going to change. That's why I shared the thoughts of the team leader and also of the retired marine general.

In a long Wall Street Journal article of February 10, titled, ``Roads to Nowhere: Program to Win over Afghans Fails,'' I will quote one paragraph:

Three years and nearly $270 million later, less than 100

miles of gravel road have been completed, according to

American officials. More than 125 people were killed and 250

others were wounded in insurgent attacks aimed at derailing

the project, USAID said. The agency shut down the road-

building effort in December.

Mr. Speaker, this is what both parties are trying to say: We keep spending money we don't have. We're cutting programs for children and senior citizens. We can't help with infrastructure, but we can find $10 billion a month to prop up a corrupt leader.

Does that make any sense? I think not. The American people have said it makes no sense at all.

I have a photograph--well, a poster, actually, Mr. Speaker. This is a beautiful little girl who is 3 years old. Her mother is in tears, and her grandmother is patting the mother on the shoulder. The little girl is looking at a marine officer, who is presenting a folded flag to the mother.

All I can think about as to that little girl is, one day, she will say to her mother, Tell me about my father.

Her mother will say, Well, your father was a wonderful man, and he gave his life in Afghanistan.

Then the little girl will go to school, and she will read the books about the war in Afghanistan. She'll ask, Why did my father die?

He died for nothing. He died for a corrupt leader, and history has said Afghanistan will never, never change.

So I want to thank my colleagues on the Democratic side who have joined me and the few Republicans who have joined me on the Republican side. Let's bring our troops home. Let's spend the money here in America, and let's save the lives of our soldiers and marines and of all those who serve in the military.

Mr. Speaker, I ask God to please bless our men and women in uniform. I ask God, in his loving arms, to hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. I ask God to please bless the House and Senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of God. I ask God to please bless the President that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for the American people.

And three times, I will say, God please, God please, God please continue to bless America.

Mr. Speaker, I join my friend from California who just spoke, and my friend from Massachusetts who spoke before him, Mr. Garamendi and Mr. McGovern.

I joined in that meeting with Lieutenant Colonel Davis. He is a very brave man. In fact, if any of my colleagues would like to read the article in The New York Times on Monday, the title is: ``In Afghan War, Officer Becomes a Whistle-Blower,'' with a subtitle of ``A Solo Campaign to Tell the Truth.'' And as my two friends who have just spoken said, the truth does matter. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ spoke the truth, and it's time that we in Congress demand the truth on this war in Afghanistan.

I think Colonel Davis is doing this country a tremendous favor by trying to say: Congress, ask the right questions. Stop listening to those who keep telling you that training the Afghan soldiers and the Afghan to be policemen is going well. I'm on the Armed Services Committee, and I've been hearing that for 10 years. You can teach a monkey to ride a bicycle sooner than 10 years. How many more young men and women have to give their legs and their arms?

Last week, I had a Marine general in my office and a Navy admiral. After we talked about the issues impacting eastern North Carolina where we have three bases, we got into this war on Afghanistan. I was telling them that the broken bodies I've seen at Walter Reed and Bethesda-- which now have been consolidated to Walter Reed at Bethesda, and I'll be there next Tuesday--I was telling them about seeing four young men that have no body parts below their waist. They're living. They would have died in Vietnam.

Medical technology has advanced to the point that a young man or young woman can live with half a body, nothing below their waist. The admiral told me of seeing a young man that he visited that has no arms or legs, no arms or legs and he's living. Uncle Sam, you've got a tremendous responsibility to take care of these heroes for the next 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 years; and this Congress can't even balance the budget. No veteran from these two wars should ever be told that your check did not come in this month because Uncle Sam cannot pay his bills.

Mr. Speaker, before closing, these two little girls beside me on this poster, their father, Sergeant Balduff from Camp Lejeune, was sent to Afghanistan with Colonel Palmer from Cherry Point Marine Air Station to train Afghans to be policemen. Sergeant Balduff emailed his wife, Amy, the night before he died and said, ``I don't trust them. I don't trust them. I don't trust any of them.'' The next night, a trainee stood up at a dinner and shot and killed the colonel and the sergeant.

To my friends who have spoken and my friends who are speaking after me, we must demand that this Congress awaken from its sleep on Afghanistan.

The American people are ready to bring our troops home. We don't need to wait till 2013, 2014, or 2015. We need to say to the President, Start the process this fall. It will take a year to bring them home. If you announce that you're going to bring them home this year, it will take a year before they come home.

These two little girls are standing at their father's grave at Arlington Cemetery. How many children have cried, and how many children have felt pain, and how many babies will never know their father or their mother?

To my colleagues on the other side and my colleagues on this side, let's come together. Let's end the war in Afghanistan. Karzai is a crook. Afghanistan's history said no great nation will ever conquer Afghanistan.

So, as I close, Mr. Speaker, as always, I ask God to please bless our men and women in uniform. I ask God to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. I ask God, in His loving arms, to hold the families who've given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. I ask God to bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for the American people. And I ask God to please bless the President, that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for the American people.

And I close by asking three times, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for the time. To the ranking member, thank you for your comments as well.

As has already been stated, H.R. 306 would provide for a new public- private management plan for the free roaming Corolla wild horses of North Carolina's Outer Banks--at no cost to our taxpayers.

The Corolla wild horses are Colonial Spanish Mustangs that can be traced back to the Spanish explorers on the Outer Banks in the 16th century. They've survived in the wild for over 400 years and roam across 7,500 acres of public and private land in coastal Currituck County, North Carolina.

Under the existing management agreement between the Interior Department, the State of North Carolina, Currituck County, and the nonprofit Corolla Wild Horse Fund, the maximum number of horses allowed in the herd is 60. Equine genetic scientists believe the number of 60 threatens the herd's existence due to high levels of inbreeding and low levels of genetic diversity.

To address this issue, H.R. 306 would require a new management plan to allow a herd of no less than 110 horses and no more than 130 horses. 110 is the minimum number that leading equine genetic scientist Dr. Gus Cothran of Texas A&M University has found to be necessary to maintain the herd's genetic viability. It is important to note that these numbers are well within the carrying capacity of the land these horses call home. To improve the herd's genetics, the bill would allow for the limited introduction of wild horses from the related herd at Cape Lookout National Seashore.

I would like to emphasize that H.R. 306 requires the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, not the Federal Government, to pay for managing the horses. The fund is a thriving nonprofit with an annual budget of over $400,000 that is growing each and every year. They already pay the costs of managing the horses, and they will continue to do so under this bill. Confirming this point, the CBO score on H.R. 306 found ``the Federal Government would incur no significant additional costs to manage or mitigate the effects of horses on the refuge.''

H.R. 306 is similar to another bipartisan bill that was made reference to a while ago that I authored to create a public-private partnership to save the wild horses of Shackleford Banks in Cape Lookout National Seashore. That legislation was passed by the Republican House in 1998 and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. I want to, at this time, acknowledge for the record that his Chief of Staff, Erskine Bowles, was instrumental in that bill's becoming law.

Mr. Speaker, the Corolla wild horses are a key part of North Carolina's heritage and an important element of the Outer Banks' economy. In fact, they're the North Carolina State horse. H.R. 306 has broad bipartisan support, and I want to thank both parties for that support. Among others, it is supported by North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue, Currituck County and the local community, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, the Humane Society, the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute, and the Foundation for Shackleford Horses.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I make reference to these posters. As you can well see, these horses have their own heritage. They are absolutely wonderful, beautiful animals, and many times on the coast of North Carolina, when these horses are standing in the ocean with their foal, you will see those tourists come right up to the horse and to the foal and pet them. These horses are part of our heritage, and I thank both parties for passing this bill as I hope that we will pass this bill today.

Mr. Speaker, today I've heard Ms. Woolsey and Mr. McClintock talk about the war in Afghanistan, and it kind of reminds me this morning about 8 o'clock I did a call-in show down in my district, Jacksonville, North Carolina, the home of Camp Lejeune Marine base.

The topic of the call-in show was proposed budget cuts to our military. The emcee of the show said to me: I'm coming around to your thinking. It is time to get out of Afghanistan. We are spending $10 billion a month in Afghanistan. Let's say that we start bringing them home this year in 2012, at least start the process of bringing them home. The host said: I guess if we did that, we would save at least probably $240 billion in a 2-year period of time. If they are proposing cuts of $490 billion in next year's budget for the Department of Defense and we save $240 billion, then we are almost cutting in half what we are going to require of the military. I said, You're exactly right.

Not only did I hear this from a talk-show host, but I hear it throughout the eastern part of the State that I have the privilege to represent.

I hope that Mr. Panetta, who I have a lot of respect for, will keep to that 2013 timeframe. I share with Ms. Woolsey that I don't trust it, and it has nothing to do with the person. I want to make that clear. He is an honorable man, but there are too many factors that are planned into this issue of staying in Afghanistan. There are too many people that sadly are making money on war. I won't get into that because I don't have enough time.

As the host said to me today, if we would just spend money on the defense of America instead of building empires around the world, we probably would save a lot of money and we would have a strong defense, which we need.

That brings me to this poster. I have a book called ``The Three Trillion Dollar War'' that was written by a Nobel Prize winner in economics named Dr. Joe Stiglitz. His coauthor Linda Bilmes is an economics professor at Harvard. They testified a year ago before the Veterans Health Committee. I do not serve on that committee, but Mr. Filner at the time was chairman. Now Mr. Miller is chairman because Republicans are in the majority.

As they finished their discussion, they were saying that if they wrote the book today--this was written 5 years ago--the title would go from the ``The Three Trillion Dollar War'' to ``The Five Trillion Dollar War.'' That is what it is going to cost to take care of our young men and women.

The poster to my left is a young Army sergeant, who has lost both legs and an arm, with his wife going into a new apartment. I have seen four young men at Walter Reed that have no parts below their waist and they are living. God bless them, and I hope they have a good life. I don't know. I cannot make that judgment. I know one thing: Uncle Sam, you're going to have to spend a lot of money to take care of those young men because they earned it. They earned it because of our failed policies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is my hope that sometime this spring, in a bipartisan way, we will have an amendment on the floor that the House will pass and it will say: you need to start bringing our troops home beginning the end of 2012 because the process will take a long time.

In closing, as I always do, I have signed over 10,000 letters to families who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and Iraq because I was not strong enough to vote my conscience on the request by the Bush administration to go into Iraq. I have asked God to forgive me by signing these letters, and I think He has forgiven me.

God, please continue to bless our men and women in uniform. God, continue to bless the families of our men and women in uniform. God, in Your loving arms hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. God, please bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in Your eyes for this country. God, please continue to bless the leader of our country. Let him know that he is doing what is right in Your eyes. Three times I ask God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, I read an article by the Associated Press that the French have made a decision to fast-track their withdrawal from Afghanistan and bring troops home by the end of 2013 instead of the end of 2014. If France follows through with this accelerated drawdown, they will join other countries like Canada and the Netherlands, who have also drawn down their forces in recent years.

I believe these countries are on the right track.

The Department of Defense has recently been asked to find over $490 billion in cuts. We are currently spending $10 billion a month, which equates to $120 billion a year, in Afghanistan. By bringing our troops home now, we would be saving hundreds of billions of dollars, which would prevent the Department of Defense from cutting other military programs. It simply is common sense to bring our troops home now and not wait.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote from a January 20, 2012, New York Times article by Matthew Rosenberg, titled, ``Afghanistan's Soldiers Step Up Killings of Allied Forces'':

``American and other coalition forces here are being killed in increasing numbers by the very Afghan soldiers they fight alongside and train, in attacks motivated by deep-seated animosity between the supposedly allied forces, according to American and Afghan officers and a classified coalition report obtained by The New York Times.''

Mr. Rosenberg further states in his article, ``A decade into the war in Afghanistan, the report makes clear that these killings have become the most visible symptom of a far deeper ailment plaguing the war effort: the contempt each side holds for the other, never mind the Taliban. The ill will and mistrust run deep among civilians and militaries on both sides, raising questions about what future role the U.S. and its allies can expect to play in Afghanistan.''

Mr. Speaker, more important than the money are the young men and women who are sacrificing their lives, limbs, and families by serving in a corrupt nation led by a corrupt leader.

Beside me, Mr. Speaker, is a poster that I have been bringing to the floor from time to time of a young soldier from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, who is sitting in a wheelchair with both legs gone and an arm gone, with his lovely wife standing beside his wheelchair showing him their new apartment.

How many more young men and women have to die? How many more young men and women have to lose their legs, their arms? And the sad part about it is that, as history has shown, no great nation in the history of the world has ever changed Afghanistan; and we're not going to change it either. History has proven that fact time and time again. It is time to bring our troops home from Afghanistan.

Before closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to tell the story of my visit to Walter Reed, which is in Bethesda, Maryland. A young Marine corporal from Camp Lejeune, which I have the privilege to represent, said to me, with his mom in the room: Why don't we come home, Congressman? Why don't we come home?

It is time that this administration and this Congress say to the American people: We're not going to wait until 2014 to bring our troops home. We're going to start bringing them home in 2013.

And with that, Mr. Speaker, in closing, I ask God to please bless our men and women in uniform. I ask God to please bless the families who have given a loved one dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. And I will close by asking God three times: God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Mr. Speaker, on January 12, CBS Evening News did a segment on just how impossible is the situation in Afghanistan. This is something I have been speaking out on for months and months and months, and I think CBS illustrated beautifully just how dire of a situation it is in Afghanistan. I will read excerpts from the report containing examples of just how inept the Afghan Army is.

``CBS News correspondent Clarissa Ward found one reason in the Pech Valley. Americans lost their lives there building a base called Nangalam. When they tried to hand over their gains to the Afghan Army, the base went to ruin.

``Army Major Guillermo Guillen, from southern California, is frustrated. `You're relying on us to do all of your security for you. You need to be participating,' Guillen told an Afghan counterpart.

``On a recent patrol, some Afghan soldiers were not wearing helmets. One chatted on his cell phone.

``The United States military left Nangalam base last February, handing over to Afghan forces. But within weeks, things went badly wrong.''

Remember, Mr. Speaker, this is a CBS national report.

``Enemy forces returned to roam freely through the valley. The Afghan commander deserted. Hundreds of his soldiers followed.

``The Afghan forces that remained ransacked their own base. All the electric wires have been pulled out. Anything of any value was taken. You can see the wire hanging out of the light.''

Mr. Speaker, ``A new Afghan Army unit has been brought in with a new commander, Colonel Turab. U.S. officers have nicknamed him `Honest Abe.' And he was honest to a fault about the prospects of the Afghan Army.''

Mr. Speaker, listen very carefully: `` `It will take about 30 years' for the Afghan Army to be ready, Turab said through a translator. `And if they are reformed and the corruption is removed,' '' it will take about 10 years.

How many $10 billion a month do we have to spend? How many young men and women have to die for a failed policy? History has proven you will never, never change Afghanistan no matter what you do.

This poster beside me is a wife in tears whose husband was killed in Afghanistan, and the little girl, as you can see, Mr. Speaker, is looking at the flag. She has no idea that her daddy is dead. She will know one day that her father died to prop up a corrupt leader named Karzai and a corrupt government, and then she will learn from the history books as she gets into high school that no nation has ever conquered Afghanistan and no nation will ever conquer Afghanistan.

As we listen to the President tonight and he talks about the state of affairs, I hope he will mention that he intends to bring our troops home now, not in 2014. In 2014, I do not know how many young men and women have to lose their legs, their arms, and die. So I hope both parties will come together this spring and talk about bringing our troops home now, not 2014.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I will ask God to please bless our men and women in uniform and their families, to bless the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq, and ask God to please continue to bless America.

[From cbsnews.com, Jan. 12, 2012]

Nangalam: A Symbol of the Afghan War's Troubles

(By Clarissa Ward)

Most Americans in Afghanistan are doing their best in a war

that's now in its 11th year. Why has it taken this long?

CBS News correspondent Clarissa Ward found one reason in

the Pech Valley. Americans lost their lives there building a

base called Nangalam. When they tried to hand over their

gains to the Afghan army, the base went to ruin.

This is one part of Afghanistan that America thought it

could finally leave. But U.S. troops are back, trying once

again to train their Afghan allies.

Army Major Guillermo Guillen, from Southern California, is

frustrated.

``You're relying on us to do all your security for you. You

need to be participating,'' Guillen told an Afghan

counterpart.

On a recent patrol, some Afghan soldiers were not wearing

helmets. One chatted on his cell phone.

``We're not going to be here forever, you need to take care

of yourself,'' Guillen said.

The U.S. military left Nangalam base last February, handing

over to Afghan forces. But within weeks, things went badly

wrong.

Enemy forces returned to roam freely through the valley.

The Afghan commander deserted. Hundreds of his soldiers

followed.

``I believe there was some of (feeling of abandonment)

amongst the (Afghan) soldiers. It's probably what led to some

of their leadership leaving,'' Guillen said.

The Afghan forces that remained ransacked their own base.

All the electric wires have been pulled out. Anything of

any value was taken. You can see the wiring hanging out of

the light.

Just about everything else that could be moved was sold for

cash.

Without American support, the Afghan army refused to

resupply the base. The soldiers were living in filth.

For the U.S. military, it was an embarrassing example of

what might happen when security is handed over to Afghan

forces across the country, and so four months after leaving,

a small group of U.S. troops was sent back in.

Today, American contractors are back on the base repairing

the damage, with U.S. taxpayers footing the bill, again.

A new Afghan army unit has been brought in, with a new

commander, Colonel Turab. U.S. officers have nicknamed him

``Honest Abe.''

And he was honest to a fault about the prospects for the

Afghan army.

``It will take about 30 years'' for the Afghan army to be

ready, Turab said through a translator. ``And if they are

reformed and the corruption is removed, ten years.''

``They understand what they're doing. They understand

what's required. It's just getting them to do it without

coalition support,'' Guillen said.

The U.S. exit strategy depends on them doing it without

support. Not in 30 years, and not in ten. They have just two

years before the vast majority of American forces are

scheduled to leave the Pech Valley--and all of Afghanistan--

for good.

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much.

During the Christmas break, I wrote a letter to President Obama expressing outrage over the fact that Afghan President Karzai again snubbed our country and our men and women in uniform by signing an oil contract with China. How much more do the American people have to sacrifice with their young men and women? How many more young men and women have to walk the countryside of Afghanistan and have a leg or arm blown off, or killed, so Mr. Karzai can continue to say to Uncle Sam: We don't need you, but you've got to stay here so I can cut all these deals with these foreign countries.

In a December 8, 2010, Washington Post article, while meeting with General Petraeus and former Ambassador Eikenberry, President Karzai said: I have three main enemies--the Taliban, the United States, and the international community. Karzai further stated: If I had to choose sides today, I'd choose the Taliban.

Yes, young men and women in uniform, thank you for what you're doing; but it's time to bring you home.

In a November 14, 2010, interview with the Washington Post, Karzai said that he wanted American troops off the roads and out of Afghan homes and that the long-term presence of so many foreign soldiers would only worsen the war.

Very seldom do I say: Thank you, Mr. Karzai, you're exactly right.

March 12, 2011, New York Times: ``I request that NATO and American soldiers should stop these operations on our soil. This war is not on our soil. If this war is against terror, then this war is not here. Terror is not here.'' Mr. Karzai, president of Afghanistan.

In October of 2011 during a television interview, President Karzai stated: `` If ever there is a war between Pakistan and America, Afghanistan will side with the Pakistanis.''

Why are we still there spending $10 billion a month and saying to the American people: We're going to cut your school programs; we're going to cut your bridge programs; we're going to cut your road programs? American people, we don't have the money, but somehow, we have $10 billion a month to send to Mr. Karzai.

This little boy beside me is named Tyler Jordan. In 2003, his father, Gunny Sergeant Phillip Jordan, was killed in Iraq. I've spoken to his mom, Amanda. She lives in Connecticut. I've asked her about Tyler. I've had this picture since 2003. She says he still misses his daddy. He will always miss his father.

Bin Laden is dead. Al Qaeda has been dispersed all over the world. I hope the American people will call their Members of Congress in both parties and say: Get our troops out of Afghanistan. Do not wait until 2014, 2015. I don't know how many more will have to die for a corrupt leader named Karzai.

We have won. Bin Laden is dead. We have won. Declare victory and bring them home.

God, continue to bless our men and women in uniform. Bless the families who've given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. And God, please continue to bless America. We're in great need of Your guidance, dear God. God bless America.

Over this past weekend, a published article in a North Carolina paper was titled, ``U.S. Envoy: Troops could stay in Afghanistan,'' subtitled, ``The White House echoed that 2014 is not a deadline for total withdrawal.'' I would like to submit the article for the Record, Mr. Speaker.

I will read the last sentence of the article:

``At a conference in Bonn, Germany, last week, President Hamid Karzai and other Afghan officials called for political and military support for at least another decade.''

This is coming from a man who, according to CNN, told a group of tribal elders last month, ``America is powerful, has more money, but we are lions here. Lions have the habit of not liking strangers getting into their house.'' President Karzai continued by saying, ``We want to say that Iran is our brother. During the years of jihad, Iran has been one of the best countries for hospitality for Afghans. They are our brother.''

Mr. Speaker, it just amazes me that he keeps saying that he doesn't even like us, but when he needs us, then he likes us. Our young men and women in the military are over there, losing their legs, their arms-- and dying. How in the world can we continue to spend $10 billion a month when this man says that Iran is its friend--``they are our brother''?

The American people are sick and tired, quite frankly, of being in Afghanistan. Recently, when I spoke on the floor, I received a letter shortly thereafter from Jean Bonney Smith in Idaho regarding a recent floor speech that I gave. I want to quote a couple of comments. Then I would like to submit her letter for the Record, Mr. Speaker.

``Everything you said made perfect sense. These are things I've been thinking for 2 or 3 years, too. Karzai's most recent remarks were just the last slap in the face of the American people. How can you convince your fellow Republicans of these truths? We can't just stay on this `War, Inc.' course, waiting for the next election. It is criminal to our troops.''

There are so many people across this Nation who just wonder why we continue to support a corrupt leader in a country that will never, never change.

I hope, as we get into the new year, that those of us in both parties can find legislation, as I have worked with Representative McGovern before, which we can submit in the House so that we can get this House behind getting our troops out, because, believe me, we'll be there for 5 to 10 more years. It's not fair and it's not right.

Beside me is a picture from the Greensboro News-Record. It was taken a few months ago, but this tells it all. The title reads, ``Get Out,'' and there are soldiers taking a flag-draped transfer case off the plane.

It is time to bring our troops home from Afghanistan. It is time to fix the problems here in America, to create jobs in America. We can certainly use that $10 billion a month that we are sending to Afghanistan and spend it right here on the American people and do what's right to get America back on its feet.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I will close as I always do:

From the bottom of my heart, God, please bless our men and women in uniform. God, please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. God, please hold in Your arms the families who have given a child, dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mr. Speaker, I ask God to bless the House and Senate that we will do what's right in the eyes of God. I ask God to give strength, wisdom, and courage to President Obama.

And three times I will ask: God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

[From the News & Observer, Dec. 2011]

U.S. Envoy: Troops Could Stay in Afghanistan

(By Rod Nordland)

Kabul, Afghanistan.--The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan on

Saturday raised the possibility that U.S. combat troops could

stay in the country beyond the 2014 deadline that the White

House had set for their withdrawal.

Ambassador Ryan Crocker, speaking with a small group of

journalists, said that is the Afghan government wanted U.S.

troops to stay longer, the withdrawal could be slowed.

``They would have to ask for it,'' he said. ``I could

certainly see us saying, `Yeah, makes sense.' ''

He emphasized, however, that no such decision had been

made.

White House officials said that Crocker's comments were

consistent with it previously stated position.

``The president never excluded the possibility that there

would be some U.S. forces here, but he stressed that security

would be under Afghan lead by 2014,'' said Eileen O'Connor,

the embassy spokeswoman.

Crocker's comments came as the administration is engaged in

discussions with the Afghan government on what arrangements

should be after 2014. At a conference in Bonn, Germany, last

week, President Hamid Karzai and other Afghan officials

called for political and military support for at least

another decade.

U.S. Deaths

The Department of Defense recently confirmed the deaths of

these American military personnel:

Sgt. 1st Class Clark A. Corley Jr., 35, of Oxnard, Calif.,

Spc. Ryan M. Lumley, 21, of Lakeland, Fla., and Spc. Thomas

J. Mayberry, 21, of Springville, Calif., died Dec. 3, in

Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wound suffered when enemy

forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive

device. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry

Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Sgt. Ryan D. Sharp, 28, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, died Dec. 3,

at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of

wounds suffered Nov. 21 at Kandahar province, when insurgents

attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was

assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st

Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 886) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the 225th anniversary of the establishment of the Nation's first Federal law enforcement agency, the United States Marshals Service, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit an exchange of letters with the Ways and Means Committee regarding this bill.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Ways and Means,

Washington, DC, December 13, 2011.

Hon. Spencer Bachus,

Chairman, Committee on Financial Services, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Bachus, I am writing concerning H.R. 886, the

``United States Marshals Service 225th Commemorative Coin

Act,'' which is scheduled for Floor action today.

As you know, the Committee on Ways and Means maintains jurisdiction over matters that concern raising revenue. H.R. 886 contains a provision that establishes a surcharge for the sale of commemorative coins that are minted under the bill, and this falls within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means.

However, as part of our ongoing understanding regarding commemorative coin bills and in order to expedite this bill for Floor consideration, the Committee will forgo action. This is being done with the understanding that it does not in any way prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment of conferees or its jurisdictional prerogatives on this or similar legislation in the future.

I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 886, and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during Floor consideration.

Sincerely,

Dave Camp,

Chairman.

I have no further speakers; so I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, when we were home during the Thanksgiving break, like all my colleagues, I did as much as I could to be with the people of the Third District of North Carolina. The Third District is the home of Camp Lejeune Marine Base, Cherry Point Marine Air Station, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, and over 60,000 retired veterans in the Third District.

Since coming back to Washington, I've done two town meetings by phone. What I heard while I was home during Thanksgiving and the two town meetings: Why are we still in Afghanistan?

When I hear my colleagues in both parties talking about the problems facing the American people--unemployment benefits, extending the tax cuts for middle class America--we all grapple with, both parties, how we are going to pay for it.

Well, there is a man in Afghanistan that is a crook and corrupt, who gets $10 billion a month that he doesn't have to worry about. Poor Americans are out here doing the best they can in a very difficult economy, and we can't help them, but we can help a corrupt leader in Afghanistan. It makes no sense. I hope that this Congress will come together and say to the President, let's not wait till 2014.

How many more American boys and girls will have to die and give their legs in the next 3 years for a corrupt leader? I've asked the Department of Defense, and I wrote Secretary Panetta and asked him that question. Give me your projections of how many more young men and women will have to die and lose their legs. I hope that I get that response soon.

That brings me to the point of a young marine I saw at Walter Reed/ Bethesda about 3 weeks ago. There were four marines from the Third District of North Carolina. Three have lost both legs, and the one that had lost only one leg, a corporal, mom sitting in the room, said to me, Sir, may I ask you a question? I said certainly you may. Why are we still in Afghanistan? And I looked at him and I said, I don't know why we're still there.

Mr. Speaker, it makes no sense. The American people and the people of the Third District of North Carolina are saying, we have won; bin Laden is dead; al Qaeda has been dispersed all over the world.

Mr. Speaker, it is time, as we debate these very difficult, complex issues for our Nation, that we get smart with our foreign policy. And smart means, let's don't try to police the world.

History has proven you will never change Afghanistan. It will never change, no matter what we do or any other country tries to do.

So, Mr. Speaker, beside me is a poster with a flag-draped coffin coming off the plane at Dover. And with humility I tell you today, Mr. Speaker, I've signed over 10,400 letters to families and extended families who've lost loved ones in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I thank God that He has allowed me to have a heart large enough to feel the pain of war, because I've never been to war. But when I sign those letters, I feel the pain of the families, and I lick every envelope that I send.

Mr. Speaker, with that, I want to close my comments by asking God to please bless our men and women in uniform, God to please bless the families who've lost loved ones fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. God, please bless the House and Senate that we will do what's right for the American people. Bless Mr. Obama that he will do what is right for the American people.

And three times I will say, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much.

I again will keep coming to the floor twice a week when we're in session to talk about bringing our troops out of Afghanistan. Bin Laden is dead, and we need to start thinking about, as the lady said before me, let's think about what America needs and not what Afghanistan needs. And that brings me to this point of the talk I want to give today, Mr. Speaker.

On February 16, 2011, then-Secretary of Defense Gates testified before the House Armed Services Committee, which I serve on, and I'd like to read his comments:

``By the end of this calendar year, we expect less than 100,000 troops to be deployed in both of the major post-9/11 combat theaters, virtually all of those forces being in Afghanistan. That is why we believe that, beginning in fiscal year 2015''--and that's important, Mr. Speaker. ``That is why we believe that, beginning in fiscal year 2015, the United States can, with minimal risk, begin reducing Army active duty end strength by 27,000 and the Marine Corps by somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000. These projections assume that the number of troops in Afghanistan would be significantly reduced by the end of 2014, in accordance with the President's strategy.''

Mr. Speaker, I read that because I read the same statement to the new Secretary of Defense, Mr. Panetta, whom I have great respect for, and I asked him, Do you have the authority to change those timelines? He said no, because this is what the President has agreed to.

Well, Mr. President, I'm calling on you to reconsider. Because beside me is a poster, and beside that poster is a flag-draped coffin coming off of a plane at Dover. And the headlines in the

Greensboro paper said, ``Get Out.'' It is time to bring our troops home. They've done everything they've been asked to do.

And that reminds me, a few weeks ago, I went to Walter Reed at Bethesda--it's the new consolidated military hospital here in Washington--and I saw four marines from my district, Camp Lejeune. Three of the four had lost both legs. The one that had not lost both legs was a lance corporal who asked me, with his mom in the room, Congressman, why are we still in Afghanistan? And I looked into the young man's face and I said, I don't know why we're still there. You all have won many, many battles, and it's time to bring you home. And the only thing he said, Mr. Speaker, was, Thank you.

That brings me to a letter that I received from a retired marine down in my district about a year ago. He said, ``I am writing this letter to express my concern over the current Afghanistan war. I am a retired marine officer with 31-plus years of active duty.''

Let me go down in the letter because there is another point I want to make.

``Our senior military leaders in Afghanistan continue to say that we are making progress, but at what cost to our country? This war is costing the United States billions of dollars a month to wage and we still continue to get more young Americans killed. The Afghanistan war has no end state for us. I urge you to make contact with all the current and newly elected men and women in Congress and ask them to end this war and bring our young men and women home.''

``If any of my comments will assist you in this effort, you are welcome to use them and my name.''

Mr. Speaker, I don't know why we are--we've got this debt crisis facing our country, and yet we've got a corrupt leader in Afghanistan named Karzai that one day likes America, and the next day he hates America; and we send him $10 billion a month, and it's borrowed money from the Chinese.

And yet we're going to say to the American people we're going to cut the programs for little children; we're going to cut the programs for senior citizens. But Mr. Karzai, you'll get your $10 billion.

And that brings me toward the end of my comments, Mr. Speaker. I contacted a marine general who's been a very dear friend of mine for a number of years, and he sends me questions to ask in committees to the Secretary of Defense and others who might be testifying.

But something that has always stuck with me is what he closes this email with--and I have many emails--``What do we say to the mother and father or the wife of the last marine killed to support a corrupt government and a corrupt leader in a war that cannot be won?''

That is the question. And I hope the American people will call on Congress, both parties, to bring our troops home before 2014.

Mr. Speaker, I close by asking God to please bless our men and women in uniform, ask God to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. I ask God, in His loving arms, to hold the families who've given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. I ask God to bless the House and Senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for His people, and I ask God to give wisdom, strength, and courage to President Obama that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for His people.

And three times I ask, God please, God please, God please continue to bless America.

Let's bring our troops home.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

It's a sad day in America when a major general in the United States Army cannot give his honest opinion about our war in Afghanistan without losing his job.

Last week Major General Peter Fuller gave an interview in which he commented on the Afghan Government and the President of Afghanistan, Mr. Karzai. And I want to quote the general, Mr. Speaker. These are his words: ``erratic and isolated from reality,'' that is the leader of Afghanistan. He continued by saying: ``Why don't you just poke me in the eye with a needle! You've got to be kidding me. I'm sorry, we just gave you $11.6 billion, and now you're telling me, `I don't really care'.''

That's what our young men and women are doing; they are dying and losing their legs for this erratic leader of Afghanistan.

Let me further state, in a December 8, 2010, Washington Post article, while meeting with General Petraeus and former Ambassador Eikenberry, President Karzai said he has three ``main enemies'': the Taliban, the United States, and the international community. ``If I had to choose sides today, I'd choose the Taliban.'' Yes, that's the erratic leader our young men and women are dying for.

Just last month during a television interview, President Karzai stated, ``If ever there's a war between Pakistan and America, Afghanistan will side with Pakistan.''

These are not the statements of a leader for whom United States servicemembers should give life and limb.

On May 12 of this year, Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Palmer and Sergeant Kevin Balduf, both from my district, Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point, were in Afghanistan, with the sole purpose to train Afghan officers, when one of the trainees opened fire and shot and killed Lieutenant Colonel Palmer and Sergeant Balduf as they sat down for lunch. They both were killed by an Afghan trainee. And, Mr. Speaker, these two little girls on this poster are the daughters of Sergeant Balduf, Eden and Stephanie. They're standing at their father's service at Arlington.

The tragedy for these little girls is not just the fact that their daddy gave his life for this country, trying to help the Afghans learn to be policemen; but the day before he was killed, Sergeant Balduf emailed his wife, Amy, and he said, ``I don't trust them. I don't trust them for anything, not for anything at all.'' The next day, he and Colonel Palmer were shot dead by the people that we're spending $10 billion a month on in Afghanistan. And we're telling the American people, We've got to cut programs for your children and our senior citizens.

I'm asking that President Obama and Congress do everything to defend the truth and encourage military leaders to be honest with the American people as to what is happening in Afghanistan, and I will submit a letter that I wrote to President Obama regarding General Fuller.

Mr. Speaker, as we move forward with this debt supercommittee that's going to be making recommendations, I hope that my colleagues in the Republican Party will join those of us, the few of us in the Republican Party, as well as some of the Democrats, and let's bring our troops home before 2014. Yes, when you read in the paper we're bringing our troops home, it's 2014. How many more little girls and little boys have to go to their father's or mother's funeral? Why doesn't America wake up and demand that Congress bring our troops home before 2014?

With that, Mr. Speaker, I will close, as I always do, from the bottom of my heart to ask God, please bless our men and women in uniform. I ask God to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. I ask God, in His loving arms, to hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. And I ask God to bless the House and the Senate, that we will do what is right in the eyes of God and God's people.

Mr. Speaker, last night on ABC, I was so touched to see Gabrielle Giffords, one of our colleagues, making such a strong effort to come back to the Congress. I wish her the very best in my heart, and I ask God to bless her and her husband.

Dear God, I ask You, please give wisdom, strength, and courage to the President of the United States, where he will do what is right in the eyes of God. And God, please continue to bless America.

November 7, 2011.

President Barack Obama,

The White House,

Washington, DC.

Dear President Obama: It was with great sadness that I

learned that a senior military officer was relieved of his

position for telling the truth. Major General Peter Fuller

should receive praise from the American people, not the scorn

of military leadership. His comments about Afghan leadership

being ``erratic'' and ungrateful for the United States'

financial assistance and military training are correct.

In a December 8, 2010 Washington Post article, while

meeting with General Petraeus and former Ambassador

Eikenberry, President Karzai said he has three ``main

enemies''--the Taliban, the United States and the

international community. ``If I had to choose sides today,

I'd choose the Taliban.'' Just last month, during a

television interview, President Karzai stated ``. . . if ever

there is a war between Pakistan and America, Afghanistan will

side with Pakistan.'' These are not the statements of a

leader for whom U.S. service members should give life and

limb.

On May 12 of this year, Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Palmer

and Sergeant Kevin Balduf, both from my district, were in

Afghanistan with the sole purpose to train Afghan officers

when one of the trainees opened fire and shot and killed Lt.

Col. Palmer and Sgt. Balduf as they sat down for lunch. In an

email to his wife shortly before he died, Sgt. Balduf said

``I don't trust them; I don't trust them for anything, not

for anything at all.'' These two families quickly learned

why.

Mr. President, the day after you visited the wounded at

Walter Reed at Bethesda, I went and visited severely wounded

Marines from my district, which includes Camp Lejeune. One

Marine looked me in the eye and asked why we were still in

Afghanistan. I had to tell this Marine and his mother that I

did not know, and that I believed it was time to declare

victory and bring our troops home before 2014. As of October,

1,812 U.S. service members have died in Afghanistan. How many

more families will give a loved one for a corrupt leader?

Maj. Gen. Fuller spoke the truth and does not deserve this

fate. As Commander in Chief, I hope you will support and

demand the truth for the American people. If our military

leaders cannot tell the truth, then America is in deep

trouble. Mr. President, you can right a wrong by reinstating

Maj. Gen. Fuller to his previous position.

Sincerely,

Walter B. Jones,

Member of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, a couple weeks ago, I had the privilege and the honor to visit our wounded at Walter Reed-Bethesda. It so happened that five marines from Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in my district were there. Four of the five had lost both legs--double amputees. And the one kid that had his leg blown off by an IED, I went into his room, as I did the other four, but this one had a question for me. His mom was sitting in the room. And he said, Congressman, why are we still in Afghanistan? And I told the young lance corporal, I don't know, I cannot answer it. I don't understand why we are not pushing the President to bring our troops home before 2014.

And that leads me to a quote by Ronald Reagan from his book entitled, ``An American Life: The Autobiography,'' based on Reagan's life. And it dealt with Lebanon, and he was the President at the time. ``Perhaps we didn't appreciate fully enough the depth of the hatred and the complexity of the problems that made the Middle East such a jungle. Perhaps the idea of a suicide car bomber committing mass murder to gain instant entry to paradise was so foreign to our values and consciousness that it did not create in us the concern for the marines' safety that it should have.

``In the weeks immediately after the bombing, I believed the last thing that we should do was turn tail and leave. Yet the irrationality of Middle East politics forced us to rethink our policy there. If there would be some rethinking of policy before our men die, we would be a lot better off. If that policy had changed towards more of a neutral position and neutrality, those 241 marines would be alive today.''

I thank Mr. Reagan for his service to our Nation, and I thank him for those words. I wish both parties would listen to leaders like Ronald Reagan who understood that you're not going to change the Middle East no matter what you want to do or hope to do or pray to do. You can't do it, and you won't do it.

Mr. Speaker, beside me are two little girls, one named Eden and one named Stephanie. They are at the graveside of their father, Sergeant Kenneth Bladuf, sergeant in the United States Marine Corps.

About 2 months ago, he was sent to Afghanistan, along with a Colonel Benjamin Palmer from Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, which is in my district also.

One night, when they were having dinner with the Afghan trainees, one of the trainees pulled out a pistol and killed both of them. It is so ironic that the day before Sergeant Bladuf was killed, he had emailed his wife and he said, ``I don't trust them, I don't trust them, I don't trust any of them,'' and yet we keep spending $10 billion a month. We're going to cut programs from senior citizens and children in America. We can't balance the budget. But old Mr. Karzai, he'll get his $10 billion a month. The Congress needs to look at this and start bringing our troops home before 2014.

Mr. Speaker, also in Sunday's paper, it says: ``Suicide bomber hits NATO bus; 17 people, including 12 Americans, are killed in the deadliest attack since the war began.''

Mr. Speaker, I hope that we don't have to continue to go to Walter Reed-Bethesda and see all of these broken bodies. If we're going to be there until 2014, there are going to be a lot more broken bodies and dead young men and women. I hope the leadership of both parties will start joining those of us in both parties and bring our troops home before 2014.

Mr. Speaker, again I state to all the children like Eden and Stephanie, be proud of your moms and your dads. But for those of us who are policymakers, we have the responsibility--not the generals, but we the policymakers--of sending our young men and women to die and lose their limbs for absolutely nothing but a corrupt leader.

Mr. Speaker, I will close right now with the same closing I do all the time: God, please bless our men and women in uniform. Please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. God, in Your loving arms, hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. God, please bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in Your eyes. Please bless President Obama, that he will do what is right in Your eyes for his people. And three times I will say, God please, God please, God please continue to bless America.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank President Obama for bringing all of our troops home from Iraq by the end of this year. This was an unnecessary war that cost over $850 billion, in which over 4,400 Americans were killed and over 33,000 wounded. It is my hope that future Congresses will not accept misinformation from an administration as justification for sending our troops overseas to engage in combat.

I am reminded of a quote from Rudyard Kipling's ``Epitaphs of War'': ``If they ask you why we died, tell them it is because our fathers lied.'' I hope this lesson stays with the future leaders of this country and they do everything they can to keep our young men and women from going to war unless it is absolutely justified.

Before the district work period, I went to the new Walter Reed facility in Bethesda. I saw five marines, four of whom had lost both legs. A young lance corporal looked at me and asked, ``Why are we still in Afghanistan?'' I had to stand there, with his mother in the hospital room, and say, ``I don't know.''

My hope now is that this administration will bring our troops home before 2015. That is the timetable that Mr. Obama has agreed to. Just this weekend, President Karzai said, ``If fighting starts between Pakistan and the United States, we are beside Pakistan. If Pakistan is attacked and the people of Pakistan need Afghanistan's help, Afghanistan will be there with our friends in Pakistan.''

I don't know how much more America has to take from a corrupt leader like Karzai. Bin Laden is dead. That was the whole purpose in going to Afghanistan. Al Qaeda has dispersed all around the world, and we are spending $10 billion a month in Afghanistan to prop up a corrupt leader, $10 billion that we could be spending here in America to help our children and our senior citizens. I hope that this Congress will come together and join those of us in both parties who say that victory should be declared because bin Laden is dead.

Mr. Speaker, I bring with me to the floor a picture of a triple amputee, a young soldier and his lovely wife looking at an apartment and thinking as to how they're going to adjust their life. Both legs were amputated and his arm was amputated.

It is time for the American people to speak out to Congress and say, ``Bring our troops home'' because they have done everything that they could do and they've done it so very well.

Mr. Speaker, I will close by asking God to please bless our men and women in uniform. I ask God to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. I ask God in His loving arms to hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. I will ask God to bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for His people here in America, and I will ask God to give wisdom, strength, and courage to President Obama that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for God's people here in America. And I will close three times by saying, God please, God please, God please continue to bless America.