[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 29, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   AFGHANISTAN WAR POWERS RESOLUTION

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 17, 2011

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of swift U.S. 
troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. This decade-long war is costing our 
country tens of hundreds of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars. 
In 2010 alone, nearly 500 brave American men and women lost their 
lives, which is 63% more than the 2009 death toll. And as I speak, our 
government, which has vowed to reduce the deficit, has sent millions 
more overseas for a war with no foreseeable end. From 2008 to 2011, 
overall government spending has increased by 9%, while funding for the 
war in Afghanistan has increased by a startling 25%. As many of my 
colleagues demand $100 billion budget cuts, they need look no further 
than our reckless war spending. For the good of our troops and the 
health of our economy, this war must end.
  And this viewpoint is shared across the nation. According to a recent 
Washington Post poll, nearly two-thirds of the American people support 
an immediate withdrawal from Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, our job in this 
chamber is to represent our constituents, and they have spoken loud and 
clear. The American people are fed up with a war that has done little 
to improve our national security or bolster our international standing. 
Furthermore, after nearly ten years of fighting, it is crystal clear 
that the problem in Afghanistan cannot be solved by military means 
alone. Stabilization and reconstruction, governance, and peace-building 
activities can help to stabilize states, promote rule of law, and bring 
enduring peace at a sliver of the cost we pay for troops on the ground.
  Make no mistake about it: I firmly support our men and women in 
uniform. For this reason, we must bring them home from a battlefront 
with no real hope of military victory. I thank my colleague, Mr. 
Kucinich from Ohio, for re-introducing this Resolution. I was proud to 
cosponsor it in the last Congress, and I will firmly offer my support 
today in hopes that we can finally end this war.

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