[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9920]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  A MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR AFGHANISTAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Woolsey) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, like many Americans, I was profoundly 
disappointed in President Obama's announcement last night. I had hoped 
that he would offer an Afghanistan troop drawdown that was significant, 
swift, and sizable. Sadly, the proposal failed on all three counts. Now 
is the time for bold action and decision-making to bring our Nation's 
Afghanistan policy in line with what the American people want, while 
recognizing the deep and grave toll this war has taken on our global 
credibility and our national security. Instead, the administration's 
choice was to largely stay the course. Instead, President Obama chose 
to perpetuate a war that is not only bankrupting us morally but 
fiscally as well. The loss of blood and treasure cannot be 
underestimated.
  The American people have been enormously patient, Mr. Speaker. They 
have endured great sacrifice. But after nearly a decade of war, they're 
weary of losing their bravest men and women and their hard-earned tax 
dollars to a policy that simply has not achieved its goals.
  We are not more secure. The Afghanistan leadership wants us out and 
their people do not appreciate our sacrifice. This is not a partisan 
issue. When asked, the majority of Americans want our troops to come 
home. And not several years into the future. No, they want our troops 
to come home now.
  Abandoning this military policy does not mean that we will abandon 
the people of Afghanistan. A smart security plan would provide for 
development and reconciliation. It would bring the international 
community together and help the Afghan people move towards a 
sustainable future through economic and domestic support, among other 
means.
  Mr. Speaker, more than 1,600 lives have been lost. Where will it end? 
When will our sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, friends and 
people we know in the community come home from Afghanistan? How many 
empty chairs are there at the dinner table tonight? When will the 
heartbreak end?
  Let's talk about the economic cost. My colleagues on the other side 
of the aisle like to talk about dollars and cents, about how this and 
other actions we take are costing us too much money. Well, while we 
stand here, money is flying out of our Treasury to support this war. 
Try $10 billion a month. Imagine what we could do with $10 billion a 
month. Just last week, this House voted to take food from the mouths of 
pregnant women and their children. We're supposed to pinch pennies on 
important investments like our children and other American projects 
while we waste huge sums on a failed war. This boggles the mind and it 
shortchanges the needs we have right here at home.
  It is long past time, Mr. Speaker, that we put an end to this 
madness. It is time to bring our troops home--all of our troops--safely 
home.

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