[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7030]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                SUPPORT THE TROOPS BY BRINGING THEM HOME

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Woolsey) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, the successful raid on Osama bin Laden's 
hideaway 10 days ago came with an important, and somewhat ironic, 
reminder. This mission was carried out in Pakistan where we are not at 
war and have no troop presence. Meanwhile, next door in Afghanistan, we 
continue to maintain an enormous military footprint of 100,000 or more 
troops. We're still there, even though Osama bin Laden hasn't been 
there since he escaped our grasp at Tora Bora nearly 10 years ago, and 
most of the al Qaeda leadership fled long ago.
  The death of bin Laden clearly underscores the folly of our current 
policy. This is exactly the right moment to rethink our approach to 
Afghanistan and national security more generally, especially with the 
President's deadline for redeployment just 50 days from now in July.
  Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, our military leaders don't seem to be 
rising to the moment. According to yesterday's Wall Street Journal, 
officers in Afghanistan have drawn up a plan that would withdraw 5,000 
troops by July 1 and 5,000 more by the end of this year. Madam Speaker, 
that's not even close to an adequate response to the demands of the 
moment. It's not the bold move that was suggested when the July 1, 
2011, drawdown date was first announced; 10,000 fewer troops by the end 
of the year doesn't even get us to pre-surge levels.
  We owe it to the American people to do much, much more. They have 
sacrificed enough. What do we have to show for the 1,500-plus people 
we've lost and the nearly $7 billion a month we continue to throw at 
this mission? If anything, we have emboldened the terrorists instead of 
defeating them. If anything, we've undermined our national security 
interests instead of advancing them. If anything, we've weakened 
America instead of strengthening it.
  Americans see that Osama bin Laden is dead; that the military 
occupation of Afghanistan isn't accomplishing its goals; that we have 
urgent priorities right here at home. And they are quite rightly 
asking: Why do we still have boots on the ground in Afghanistan? We 
also owe it to the men and women who wear those boots to end this war. 
Our troops have served with honor and valor in Afghanistan. A deeply 
flawed and morally objectionable policy is not their fault, but they 
are bearing the untold burden that will not be easily lifted.
  Earlier this week, USA Today reported on a new military study showing 
that troop morale is at an all-time low, thanks to the punishing 
emotional and psychological strain of multiple deployments and intense 
combat. The percentage of Army soldiers reporting acute stress has 
nearly tripled since the year 2005. Even if the war ended tomorrow, 
Madam Speaker, the anxiety and trauma plaguing so many of our troops 
won't go away anytime soon, if ever; but it's time to let the physical 
and mental health healing begin. It's time to stop sending our best and 
our bravest into this grinder.
  We have asked enough of them. Madam Speaker, I can think of no better 
way to support our troops than to bring them home immediately.

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