[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5296]
[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. Madam Speaker, last week in a hearing of the Armed 
Services Committee, we listened to the concerns of Army Secretary John 
McHugh and Chief of Staff of the Army, General Ray Odierno.
  They appeared before the committee to tell us about the serious 
problems facing the United States Army, specifically, the difficult 
budget situation the Army is currently facing.
  It was my intention to ask the following question regarding the 
funding that is being cut from the Army: Why are we continuing to spend 
billions of dollars in Afghanistan when the money could be going to 
support our servicemembers?
  As I did last week, I would like to read a short paragraph from the 
World Affairs Journal entitled, ``Money Pit: The Monstrous Failure of 
U.S. Aid to Afghanistan.'' The article states that, in 2012, the United 
States budgeted $11.2 billion for Afghan military training, with 
another $5.8 billion for 2013.
  The article goes on to say:

       In Afghanistan, a big problem is illiteracy. Almost 3 years 
     ago, when Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell IV, took 
     command of the NATO training mission, he noted that ``overall 
     literacy'' among Afghan military and police stood ``at about 
     14 percent.'' How can an illiterate policeman read a license 
     plate, the General asked, how can a soldier fill out a form, 
     read an equipment manual?
       Now, even though these concerns have been on the table for 
     years, the special inspector general for Afghan 
     reconstruction said in last summer's report: The literacy 
     rate of Afghan security forces as a whole is 11 percent.

  Again, I want to repeat that, in 2012, the United States budgeted 
$11.2 billion for Afghan military training, with another $5.8 billion 
for 2013.
  Madam Speaker, for the United States to continue funding these Afghan 
security forces would be a mistake. It would put our servicemembers' 
lives in danger, and it would waste the American people's hard-earned 
tax dollars.
  Why are we, in Congress, not putting a stop to this abuse, especially 
considering this money flows freely overseas with little to no 
accountability?
  Last Friday, I had the privilege of speaking to around 100 people at 
an event in my district, and truly, almost everyone agreed with me that 
spending money we do not have in Afghanistan is a waste.
  Every nation that has tried to govern Afghanistan has failed, and 
this is no exception. It is my hope, along with my colleague, Jim 
McGovern, who has continuously worked with me on this issue, that the 
House leadership will allow debate on this failed policy in Afghanistan 
this spring or summer.
  We need to take the money that we are spending overseas, and we need 
it to benefit our own security forces and the problems facing the 
American people here at home.
  When I look at the bridges and the potholes and education and other 
needs in America and we are cutting those programs, why do we continue 
to borrow billions of dollars from foreign governments to prop up the 
Afghan leadership? It is nothing but a failed policy.
  In closing, I ask God to please bless our men and women in uniform, 
to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform, and I 
continue to ask God to continue to bless America.

                          ____________________