[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 1663-1664]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              AFGHANISTAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Jones) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, thank you very much.
  Like most of my colleagues last week when we were home, I took as 
many opportunities as possible to speak at civic clubs, meet with 
groups of people, and talk about a range of issues. But I also always 
brought up the fact that we continue to fund a failed policy in 
Afghanistan. I was pleased and also humbled by the response from these 
groups as they agreed with me totally; and many of these groups, Mr. 
Speaker, were actually veterans. I represent the Third Congressional 
District of North Carolina, the home of Camp Lejeune, Cherry Point 
Marine Air Station, and we have over 60,000 retired military.
  Those who were in the military who are now retired said, You're 
absolutely

[[Page 1664]]

right; why doesn't Congress wake up? There's nothing we're going to 
change in Afghanistan. Stop wasting lives and spending money.
  Mr. Speaker, that brings me to this. On Monday, an AP article:

       Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday ordered all U.S. 
     special forces to leave Wardak within 2 weeks and requested 
     that their operations there cease immediately. The restive 
     province, which neighbors Kabul province and is viewed as a 
     gateway to the capital, has been the focus of 
     counterinsurgency efforts in recent years.

  Why do we fund a man that doesn't even like us? I don't understand 
that at all. How in the world can the Congress in its wisdom not speak 
out and say, Listen, you're talking about a 10-year agreement after 
2014? How can a country that's financially broke commit to 10 more 
years after 2014? I do not understand that.
  In fact, I have introduced, with Rosa DeLauro, H.R. 125, the 
Congressional Oversight of Afghanistan Agreement Act of 2013, which is 
a bipartisan bill introduced by us, and we are reaching out to our 
other colleagues to say, Congress, let's get on the floor. Let's debate 
whether we should stay there 10 years after 2014 or not.
  Mr. Speaker, I sincerely believe that the American people would back 
this legislation because the American people have seen the total chaos 
right here this week, last week, and the next couple weeks to come 
talking about sequestration. But I don't think the leader of 
Afghanistan is worried about sequestration because we're going to send 
him all of the money he wants while we tell the American people, We're 
going to cut your jobs; we're going to cut your programs. That, to me, 
is absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable.

                              {time}  1010

  Mr. Speaker, it is time for the American people to say to Congress, 
let's start rebuilding America and stop rebuilding the rest of the 
world.
  Mr. Speaker, beside me is a poster of a young Army officer who lost 
both legs and an arm. We fail to realize here in Congress, maybe not 
all of us, but some of us, that we're still at war. Young men and women 
are still getting their legs blown off, they're losing their lives many 
times--not as often as in the past. But let's wake up, Congress. Let's 
start debating what we're going to do to rebuild our country and stop 
trying to rebuild the rest of the world.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I will ask God to please not let the 
American people and not let Congress forget that we have young men and 
women in Afghanistan. And I will close by asking God to please bless 
the United States of America and let us never, never forget the 
sacrifice of war.

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