[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15159]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      ACCELERATE THE TIMETABLE: BRING THE TROOPS HOME BEFORE 2014

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Woolsey) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, since the House last convened in late 
September, about 30 more Americans have given their lives in the war in 
Afghanistan. The total number of fatalities has now passed 2,000. And 
as of October 7, we've been at war in Afghanistan for a staggering 11 
years. There are more than 2,000 families that will have an empty chair 
this Thanksgiving, more than 2,000 families with a void that can't 
possibly be filled--husbands and wives who will have to go on without 
their life partner, children missing a parent, parents who are 
suffering the terrible grief of losing a child.
  The human cost has become too steep for our Nation to bear. We can't 
ask our troops and their families to endure any more sacrifice for a 
military occupation--now more than a decade old--which has not 
accomplished its goals and is undermining our national security as 
well.
  And of course, the fiscal burden is one that rests on the shoulders 
of every single taxpaying American. The Afghanistan pricetag would be 
high even for a successful, well-executed policy that was actually 
making America stronger. But to waste the people's money to the tune of 
$10 billion a month on this failure is a national scandal.
  To every one of my colleagues who has spoken on this floor about 
excessive government spending, it's time to look at the cost of foreign 
wars before we start cutting domestic programs that our very own people 
need to survive.
  It's not just progressives like me who believe we need a change in 
policy, Mr. Speaker. There is a clear consensus among the American 
people. They agree that this military occupation is bad for America, 
bad for Afghanistan, and bad for the cause of peace and stability 
around the world. I think it was pretty telling that, during the recent 
campaign, even the Republican candidate for President ended up 
supporting a withdrawal of troops by 2014. But in my opinion, that's 
not nearly soon enough.
  Now that the Presidential campaign is over, we must accelerate that 
timetable and end this war as soon as is safely possible because every 
remaining day that we have troops on the ground is another day that 
gives strength to the very extremists that we're trying to defeat.
  The time has come to invest in Afghanistan the right way, with 
humanitarian aid and civilian support rather than military force. It's 
time for a SMART Security approach that puts development and diplomacy 
first--not just in Afghanistan but throughout the developing world and 
in other nations where terrorism poses a threat. It's not only the 
right thing to do, Mr. Speaker; it's the most cost-effective way as 
well. It's pennies on the dollar to invest in humanitarian support for 
nations rather than military involvement.
  On Sunday, many of us took part in Veterans Day parades back in our 
home districts. In doing so, we heard expressed that our Nation is so 
grateful for the service of these men and women, those who left their 
families and their communities to serve their country. I bow to no one 
in my respect for our veterans and those currently deployed overseas. 
But I believe the best way for us to support them right now and the 
best way to honor American values is to end the war in Afghanistan and 
bring our troops home.

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