[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5526-5527]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              AFGHANISTAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I join with several of my 
colleagues today as an original cosponsor in the introduction of H.R. 
5015, legislation that would require the President to submit to 
Congress a plan and a timeline for the safe, orderly, and expeditious 
deployment of United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan, including 
military and security-related contractors.
  This legislation would also implement greater oversight and planning 
measures to reduce our reliance on contractors in Afghanistan and to 
curb waste, fraud, and abuse in contracting practices which continues 
to breed corruption at the expense of the Afghan people.
  I would like to thank Representatives McGovern, Jones, and Senator 
Feingold for their leadership and for their hard work and collaboration 
on this very vital legislation.
  Also, I would like to commend Congresswoman Woolsey for her stand and 
her work for global peace and security. Tonight I understand is her 
350th time coming to this floor sounding the alarm against these wars, 
and I would just like to congratulate her for her steadfastness. She 
actually introduced the very first resolution calling for the 
redeployment of our young men and women out of Iraq.
  It has been nearly a decade now since I voted against the 
authorization for the use of force, and this was on September 14, 2001. 
This was an authorization, mind you, that I knew then was a

[[Page 5527]]

blank check to wage war anytime, anywhere, and for any length. That was 
a resolution that really authorized wars without end. H.R. 5015 
provides the President and the Congress the opportunity now to change 
the trajectory of United States foreign policy from one of open-ended 
military conflict towards a strategy which counters terrorism and 
extremism around the globe in a sustainable and more effective manner.
  I continue to believe United States economic and national security as 
well as our values are undermined by a military first strategy that 
many of us fear may lead us down a path of unending war in Afghanistan.
  In September, 2009, General McCrystal stated very clearly, ``If the 
people are against us, we cannot be successful. If the people view us 
as occupiers and the enemy, we can't be successful.''
  Top military officials and experts agree that winning the hearts and 
minds of the Afghan people should be the focal point of the United 
States mission in Afghanistan. Yet I remain convinced that this will 
not be accomplished at the barrel of a gun. With every death, with each 
increase in troop deployment, and with every additional military 
contractor airlifted into Afghanistan, we provide a rallying point for 
al Qaeda, whose propaganda depends on the perception that America's aim 
is foreign occupation.
  It is our stated policy, and President Obama has said this many 
times, the United States does not seek a permanent military presence in 
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, or elsewhere. We have already 
sent more than $1 trillion to the Pentagon for the ongoing wars in 
Afghanistan and Iraq, and the administration has yet to provide an 
estimate for the long-term costs of the United States military 
operations in Afghanistan.
  It has been estimated that roughly one-third, mind you, one-third of 
every tax dollar paid by the American people in 2009 went to the 
Pentagon and military related expenditures. The fact is we cannot even 
begin to talk about reducing the budget deficit without talking about 
reducing our military spending, and this legislation sets us down that 
path by ending a policy of open-ended war in Afghanistan that has 
ultimately made America less safe.
  I have been clear in my conviction that the situation in Afghanistan 
will not be resolved with a military solution, and I think many agree 
with that. That's why last October I introduced H.R. 3699, which would 
prohibit any funding for increasing troop levels in Afghanistan beyond 
current levels.
  As a member of the Appropriations Committee and as Congress considers 
the President's $33 billion supplemental funding request for operations 
in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, I will be working to ensure that 
Congress is provided an opportunity to go on record regarding this grim 
prospect, mind you, of continued military escalation. Rather than 
increasing our military footprint in Afghanistan, setting a timeline 
for the redeployment of our troops and military contractors is the 
single greatest step we can take to empower the Afghan people and their 
government while stripping al Qaeda of our indefinite foreign military 
presence used to justify the insurgency and the acts of international 
terrorism.
  So I hope we pass this legislation. It puts us on the right path to 
getting out of Afghanistan and to ensuring our national security.

                          ____________________