[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 331 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 331

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President 
 should immediately reassess the United States mission in Afghanistan 
 and redirect funding to strengthen homeland security, to create jobs, 
              and to reduce the Federal deficit and debt.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 24, 2011

Mr. Clarke of Michigan (for himself, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. 
 Neal, Mr. Welch, Ms. Lee of California, and Mr. Honda) submitted the 
  following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed 
 Services, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President 
 should immediately reassess the United States mission in Afghanistan 
 and redirect funding to strengthen homeland security, to create jobs, 
              and to reduce the Federal deficit and debt.

Whereas on December 1, 2009, President Barack Obama stood before the cadets 
        assembled at West Point's Eisenhower Hall and made a solemn promise to 
        deploy additional members of the United States Armed Forces to 
        Afghanistan only in exchange for a phased withdrawal beginning in the 
        summer of 2011;
Whereas individuals as diverse as former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, 
        Former United States Senator Sam Nunn, and conservative commentator 
        George Will have called for a reassessment of the United States mission 
        in Afghanistan;
Whereas in particular, as former Reagan Administration Assistant Secretary of 
        Defense Bing West has said, the nation-building as a counterinsurgency 
        strategy is a failure and is burning billions of dollars unnecessarily;
Whereas the United States Government is spending vast amounts of money in 
        Afghanistan, the biggest recipient of United States aid, with nearly $19 
        billion spent from 2002 to 2010;
Whereas the Department of Defense spends nearly $10 billion each month for 
        military operations, while the Department of State and the United States 
        Agency for International Development (USAID) spend about $320 million a 
        month in Afghanistan;
Whereas military aid in Afghanistan, through the Afghan Security Forces Fund, is 
        used for training and equipping the Afghan military and police forces;
Whereas President Obama requested $12.8 billion for this fund in FY12, $5.7 
        billion of which is directed to the Afghan National Police;
Whereas this amount is nearly twice as much as is requested for all first 
        responders in the United States;
Whereas USAID's Office of Economic Growth is engaged in nearly $1 billion of 
        ongoing economic and business development activities in Afghanistan;
Whereas under the President's budget request, the Department of Defense's 
        Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) would receive $1 billion 
        for economic development projects, much of it without oversight;
Whereas in contrast, the entire Small Business Administration budget request is 
        less than $1 billion for the United States;
Whereas the United States Government spent approximately $450 million on roads 
        and power development in Afghanistan in FY10, while shortchanging the 
        need for infrastructure investment at home;
Whereas the American Society of Civil Engineers consistently gives the United 
        States' infrastructure a failing grade, which is unsurprising when 
        infrastructure spending has not increased in real terms in the past 40 
        years, despite the economy tripling;
Whereas according to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee report, much of the 
        money spent on aid in Afghanistan is not advancing United States goals;
Whereas the staff report notes that aid may even be fueling corruption, 
        instability, and insecurity;
Whereas in a ``Case Study'', the report notes that the Performance-Based 
        Governors Fund, which is authorized to distribute up to $100,000 a month 
        in United States funds to individual provincial leaders for use on local 
        expenses and development projects, ``may not be `achievable' or 
        `sustainable''' because this ``tidal wave of funding . . . could hamper 
        the ability of local officials to spend the money wisely.'';
Whereas the United States' current commitment to Afghanistan in troops and in 
        dollars is neither proportional to its interest nor sustainable;
Whereas the United States faces a growing budget deficit, which requires cuts in 
        spending and difficult choices in how taxpayer money is allocated;
Whereas State and local officials in the United States have demonstrated a 
        consistent need for funding, and an ability to spend the money that they 
        receive wisely;
Whereas investments in infrastructure are particularly good investments;
Whereas the Department of Transportation estimates that, for every $1 billion 
        invested in Federal highways, more than $6.2 billion in economic 
        activity is generated;
Whereas Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com, has calculated that 
        every dollar of increased infrastructure spending would generate a $1.59 
        increase in gross domestic product; and
Whereas cuts in FY11 funding for homeland security grants and proposed cuts for 
        FY12 put local communities at risk, and may result in much greater costs 
        in human lives, community devastation, and first responder safety down 
        the road: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the members of the United States Armed Forces have 
        served honorably in Afghanistan and should be commended for 
        their efforts, including the work to successfully bring Osama 
        Bin Laden to justice;
            (2) President Barack Obama, in consultation with his 
        military, intelligence, and foreign affairs advisors, should 
        immediately reassess the mission in Afghanistan, clearly 
        articulate the United States' goals and national interest, and 
        develop a plan to swiftly and safely bring the members of the 
        United States Armed Forces home and reduce United States 
        investments in Afghan nation-building; and
            (3) savings from this phased withdrawal and reassessment of 
        civilian assistance in Afghanistan should be redirected to 
        priorities and nation-building in the United States by 
        investing in critical homeland security needs including funding 
        for first responders and by creating jobs and rebuilding the 
        economy through infrastructure redevelopment, support for 
        entrepreneurs, and efforts to reduce the Federal deficit and 
        debt.
                                 <all>