[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 76 (Thursday, June 5, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H3550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1930
                       AMERICAN TROOPS IN BOSNIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Jones] is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the issue of United States 
troops in Bosnia, I sincerely believe enough is enough. First President 
Clinton said that America's commitment in Bosnia would only last one 
year. Then he announced the extension of our military presence in 
Bosnia until June 1998. Now, Mr. Speaker, I am extremely disappointed 
to learn that the President has indicated that American troops may be 
there even longer.
  Our troops have been in Bosnia long enough. They should not spend 
another day in Bosnia. I believe that our soldiers should not be placed 
in harm's way for a mission that is not in America's vital national 
interest.
  Our troops have been in Bosnia for 2 years and the American public 
still questions our role. Mr. Speaker, is this mission truly in our 
national interest? Have we not achieved our goal? When will we be able 
to bring our troops home?
  President Clinton stated this past weekend that progress in Bosnia 
has been slow. As we all know, the conflict in Bosnia is a regional 
conflict that resulted from centuries of hate among ethnic groups. It 
cannot be solved quickly.
  The fact is America has already fulfilled our commitment made under 
the Dayton peace accord. At present, America has dedicated more than $6 
billion to the Bosnia mission. I want to repeat that, Mr. Speaker. At 
the present time America has dedicated more than $6 billion to the 
Bosnia mission.
  Every dollar we spend on this mission is a dollar we cannot spend on 
critical military priorities, like research and development, 
procurement or troop readiness. The military budget is already being 
drained and costs like this one in Bosnia only makes it harder.
  I hate to think that we are closing military bases due to the 
shrinking defense budget and yet we continue to spend billions of 
dollars on a regional conflict in Bosnia. This is not in the best 
interests of the American people. The United States can no longer 
afford to be the world's policeman. Although we are the most powerful 
Nation in the world, the simple fact is we just cannot have American 
troops peacekeeping between every warring faction around the world.
  Although the President is the Commander-in-Chief, Congress has a 
vital role and a necessary role in determining military policy. 
President Clinton has misled us long enough about the troops in Bosnia. 
At this point there is no telling how long he plans to keep our troops 
in Bosnia.
  When the lives of American soldiers are at stake, we in Congress have 
a responsibility to make our voices heard. For too long our troops in 
Bosnia have been forgotten. I urge my colleagues to join the bipartisan 
effort to bring our troops home by the end of this year, 1997.

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