Date: 2010-03-10
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

When we send them into battle. we have the obligation of saying there is a beginning and an end. World War I. World War II. wars that we may have liked or disliked. but we knew as they went into battle that there was an ending. And how brave they were. As we saluted the women who participated in the Air Army Corps for Women. the WASPs today. some hundreds of them. we know that there is no doubt that they are brave. But I would say to you. end this war with Afghanistan and end this partnership with Pakistan. There are ways to be able to support the structure of both governments without our soldiers losing their lives on and on and on. This resolution says that if the President finds it necessary to extend. he can do so. But we are asking for the troops to be out by the end of this year. So many of us have spoken to that over and over again. Madam Speaker. this is not something unusual. This is not a cause of the fearful. This is not a cause of those who are nonpatriotic. This is a cause for people who believe in the red. white. and blue. who stand here today loving their country and believe that our soldiers are owed this respect to bring them home as heroes. We ask that you support this resolution. Madam Speaker. I rise in solemn opposition to a war that has cost too many American lives and too many American dollars. To date. over 1.000 Americans have lost their lives in the Afghan theatre. including 70 in 2010. In 2009. 316 Americans lost their lives. The war in Afghanistan should end as safely and quickly as possible. and our troops should be brought home with honor and a national day of celebration. I strongly believe that this can and must be done by the end of the year. This stance is borne from my deeply held belief that we must commend our military for their exemplary performance and success in Afghanistan. As lawmakers continue to debate U.S. policy in Afghanistan. our heroic young men and women continue to willingly sacrifice life and limb on the battlefield. Our troops in Afghanistan did everything we asked them to do. We sent them overseas to destroy the roots of terror and protect our homeland. they are now caught in the midst of an insurgent civil war and continuing political upheaval. Throughout the discussion of the administrations proposed surge. I expressed my concern for the cost of sending additional troops. as well as the effect that a larger presence in Afghanistan will have on troop morale. The White House estimates that it will cost $1 million per year for each additional soldier deployed. and I believe that $30 billion would be better spent on developing new jobs and fixing our broken healthcare system. Many leaders in our armed forces. including Secretary Gates. have said that it is optimal for troops to have two years between overseas deployments. yet. today. our troops have only a year at home between deployments. Expanding the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan by 30.000 will negatively impact troop morale and will bring us further away from the conditions necessary to maintain a strong. allvolunteer military. This is not President Obamas war and I applaud his thoughtful leadershipthe Congress now needs to give counsel to have a time certain for the troops to come home. I very strongly believe that our nation has a moral obligation to ensure that our veterans are treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve. One reason that we are the greatest nation in the world is because of the brave young men and women fighting for us in Iraq and Afghanistan. They deserve honor. they deserve dignity. and they deserve to know that a grateful nation cares about them. Whether or not my colleagues agree that the time has come to withdraw our American forces from Afghanistan. I believe that all of us in Congress should be of one accord that our troops deserve our sincere thanks and congratulations. It is because I respect our troops that I am voting to bring them home from a war that has strayed far beyond its original mandate. The United States will not and should not permanently prop up the Afghan government and military. To date. almost $27 billionmore than half of all reconstruction dollarshave been apportioned to build the Afghan National Security Forces. The focus should be on strengthening the civilian government for it to lead. And we should continue to chase the real terrorists that are now lodged in Pakistan. We must support governments with a diplomatic surgemore resources for schools. hospitals. and government reform. U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan will come to an end. and when U.S. forces leave. the responsibility for securing their nation will fall to the people and government of Afghanistan. Governance is more than winning elections. it is about upholding human rights. especially the rights of women. it requires fighting corruption. Governance requires fighting corruption. Governance requires providing for the freedom to worship. Governance requires establishing schools that provide education from early childhood through higher education. Yet. Afghanistan has largely failed to institute the internal reforms necessary to justify Americas continued involvement. The recent elections did not reflect the will of the people. and the government has consistently failed to gain the trust of the people of Afghanistan. The troubling reports about the elections that were held on August 20. 2009 were the first in a series of very worrisome developments. The electoral process is at the heart of democracy. and the disdain for that process that was displayed in the Afghanistan elections gives me great pause. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction recently released his quarterly report which detailed our nations efforts to work with contractors and the Afghanistan government to prevent fraud and enhance transparency. This is the 8th report by the Special Inspector General. but as a recent series in the Washington Post showed. we are unable to stem the flow of corruption and waste within Afghanistan. despite our efforts at reforming our own contracting procedures. This money likely comes from the opium trade and U.S. assistance and. the Washington Post estimates. totals over one billion dollars each year. The task of establishing legitimate governing practices remains formidable. A November 17. 2009 report from Transparency International listed Afghanistan as the second most corrupt country in the world. continuing its second straight year of declining in the corruption index. Such news is disparaging and provides an important dynamic to how we consider our strategy with regards to Afghanistan going forward. In January. a U.N. survey found that an overwhelming 59 percent of Afghans view public dishonesty as a bigger concern than insecurity (54 percent) and unemployment (52 percent). This is telling for a country with widespread violence and an unemployment rate of 40 percent. As cochair of the Congressional U.S.-Afghanistan Caucus. I have called for policies that allow the United States to provide benefits to the people of Afghanistan. Our effort must enhance our efforts at building both hard and soft infrastructure in Afghanistan. Change in Afghanistan is going to come through schools and roads. through health care and economic opportunity. and through increased trade and exchange. The Afghan people need our help to achieve these objectives. but I am not convinced that our military is the solution. If the Government of Afghanistan can demonstrate a responsible and noncorrupt commitment to its people. I believe that America should respond with appropriate and targeted foreign assistance. I am also concerned that the United States is shouldering too much of the burden in Afghanistan. Although the terror attacks on American soil prompted NATO to respond with collective military action. no nation is immune from the threat of terrorism. Although the troops and resources provided by our allies have been invaluable to date. especially regarding development for the people of Afghanistan. questions must be raised about how long other nations will remain involved in Afghanistan. France and Germany. for example have already questioned whether or not to send additional troops. NATO resources must continue to focus on improving the livelihoods of the Afghan people. but if the support of these governments wavers. American troops and Afghan citizens will suffer the consequences. I agree with our President that a stable Afghanistan is in the best interest of the international community. and I was pleased to see President Obamas outreach to our allies for additional troops. Currently. 41 NATO and other allied countries contribute nearly 36.000 troops. That number is expected to increase by nearly 6.000 with at least 5.000 additional troops coming from NATO member countries. Multilateralism is vital to ensuring that our operations in Afghanistan succeed. Madam Speaker. today. we face difficult realities on the ground. The Taliban attacks our forces whenever and wherever they can. Agents of the Taliban seek to turn the people of Afghanistan against us as we attempt to provide them with help in every way we can. This situation is unsustainable. Afghanistans history has earned it the nickname. "The Graveyard of Empires." and I believe that we should not take this grim history lightly. By including a timetable for our operations in Afghanistan. we focus our mission and place it in a longterm context. Although development to improve the lives of the Afghan people is important. defeating alQaeda and the threat they pose to America and our allies is the most important objective of our operations. To that end. I believe that Pakistan. not Afghanistan. is now the key to success and stability in the region. Over the past eight years. coalition forces have successfully pushed most of alQaeda out of Afghanistan and into Pakistan. This has not only put them outside the mandate of our forces. but has also forced Pakistan to address an enlarged terrorist threat. During his State of the Union Address. President Obama spoke of the importance of Pakistan when he noted "America will remain a strong supporter of Pakistans security and prosperity long after the guns have fallen silent. so that the great potential of its people can be unleashed." As the cochair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus. I know. firsthand. of the great potential of the Pakistani people. and I strongly believe that the recently approved assistance package to Pakistan will work to this end. U.S. foreign assistance to Pakistan will improve Pakistans capacity to address terrorist networks within its own borders. but I worry that a troop increase will cause even more refugees and insurgents to cross into Pakistan. Ultimately. we in Congress must decide what is in the best interest of the American people. Fighting alQaeda was in the best interest of the American people in 2001. as it continues to be today. Yet. we are now fighting an insurgencynot alQaedain Afghanistan. This should not be their mission. and we must bring our troops home.