[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 112 (Thursday, July 23, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H8685]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              OVER 5,000 NOW DEAD IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, five American soldiers have been killed in 
Afghanistan so far this week. That brings the death toll in July to 31, 
making this the deadliest month for our troops since the conflict in 
Afghanistan began.
  We also passed another tragic milestone this week. According to 
official Department of Defense statistics, over 5,000 American troops 
have now died in Iraq and Afghanistan, combined.
  Of course, the human tragedy is even greater than that, because the 
5,000 figure doesn't include the number of wounded American troops or 
the casualties suffered by the troops of other nations. It also doesn't 
include Iraqi civilian casualties or the military family members whose 
lives have been devastated. The human tragedy is so great, you can't 
really calculate it. And of course you must add in the Afghanistan 
civilian casualties as well.
  What has been the reaction of this, in this Congress to the 
catastrophe? Well, we have passed yet another supplemental funding bill 
to keep the fighting going. But the situation in Afghanistan is 
becoming more and more dangerous. The U.S. Command expects that 
roadside or suicide bombings against our troops will be 50 percent 
higher this year than last year. In the first week of June, alone, 
there were more than 400 attacks, the highest level since 2001. And the 
Pentagon has admitted that we are losing troops at an alarming rate.
  I voted against the supplemental funding bill because 90 percent of 
it pays for the military-only approach that has been such a failure in 
Afghanistan. Less than 10 percent of the supplemental goes to pay for 
the nonmilitary activities that can actually prevent extremism in 
Afghanistan. These include economic development, reconstruction, 
humanitarian aid, civil affairs, and diplomacy. Even National Security 
Advisor James Jones has said that nonmilitary approaches are vital and 
that they have always been lagging.
  Well, it's time for them to stop lagging, Mr. Speaker. It's time to 
put those ideas front and center. We must also launch a new regional 
diplomatic surge that engages Afghanistan's neighbors in efforts to 
help the Afghan people and strengthen the central government's ability 
to deliver services and protect the citizens.
  In addition to Afghanistan, we must also pay attention to other parts 
of the world where extremists take advantage of poverty and lack of 
opportunity to recruit new members. In these areas, America must invest 
in basic human needs like jobs, like health, education, education 
especially for girls and women who are often completely shut out of the 
classroom.

                              {time}  2015

  This is what the people want. This is what they need from America, 
not more innovations, not more occupations. This is what will bring 
real hope for the people's future, and this is what will help to avoid 
adding extremists in the first place.
  Mr. Speaker, by changing and by supporting smart power over other 
priorities and goals, we can give the people of Afghanistan help. We 
can help them build a stable and functioning state. We can save the 
lives of our troops, and we can go a long way toward defeating 
extremism and stopping those who threaten our security--oh, and it 
would save billions of dollars as well.

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