[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8044-8045]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    MY RECENT TRAVEL TO AFGHANISTAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Alabama (Mrs. Roby) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer a report on my recent travels 
to Afghanistan, where our Armed Forces remain engaged at a critical 
front of the global war on terrorism.
  I have been a part of several congressional delegations to 
Afghanistan to survey conditions there, particularly as it concerns the 
progress being made by Afghan women and girls to attain equal rights. I 
was honored once again to lead a delegation of my colleagues to the 
region to conduct oversight of American operations and better inform 
our efforts here in Congress to fulfill our constitutional 
responsibility to fund and support our military.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been more than 15 years since American and allied 
forces invaded Afghanistan to topple the Taliban regime and stamp out 
the terrorist breeding ground it harbored. Many brave Americans have 
given their lives in the struggle to defeat the al-Qaida terrorist 
threat and protect our homeland. It is incumbent on us as a nation to 
honor their sacrifice by never allowing it to be in vain.
  So much has been given and, because of that, so much has been gained. 
There is no question in my mind that our country is safer and the world 
is

[[Page 8045]]

freer because of the work our military has done and continues to do in 
Afghanistan. That is an important truth I am reminded of in a powerful 
way each time I visit Afghanistan, and I am compelled to share it with 
my colleagues here in Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I have said for years that the test for our success in 
Afghanistan going forward is the preservation of the gains made by 
women and girls. Having observed the treatment of women and girls in 
Afghanistan over many years now, I can tell you that the progress today 
is as fragile as ever.
  There is good news. New laws criminalize violence toward women and 
offer them unprecedented legal protections. Girls are attending school 
and going to college. Women are working in government, serving in the 
military, in the police force, and even running for office. There is an 
Afghan Women's Chamber of Commerce that specifically works to see that 
women are incorporated into the nation's economic future.
  For American women like me who grew up with parents telling me I 
could achieve anything I wanted to, those kinds of things are 
commonplace. For Afghan women who grew up in a culture that has 
subjugated them to second-class citizenship or worse, these activities 
are nothing short of extraordinary. Centuries of repression are being 
reversed, and a new generation of women that expects and demands basic 
rights is taking hold.
  During our visit, our delegation was honored to meet with the Afghan 
First Lady, Mrs. Ghani, and many other women leaders. We discussed the 
opportunities now available to Afghan women that weren't conceivable 50 
years ago under the Taliban, and most importantly they explained just 
how critical these gains are to the overall stability of Afghanistan.

                              {time}  1045

  While it is certainly encouraging to listen to these remarkable 
stories of hope and progress, there exists a deep concern among Afghan 
women about seeing these important gains backslide and their rights 
erode. In fact, in some areas of the country, this is already 
happening. The Taliban's resurgence amid the drawdown of coalition 
forces presents a major threat that we must acknowledge.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow this to happen. We cannot allow the 
gains we have made in Afghanistan to fall by the wayside.
  We know all too well what can happen when radical oppressive 
ideologies are allowed to fester in hostile nations. Make no mistake: 
because freedom and fairness for Afghan women is essential to the 
security of our Nation, it is also crucial to our own.
  That is why I am pleased that President Trump is reviewing our 
strategy in Afghanistan, including a reevaluation of troop levels and 
our rules of engagement.
  Simply put, if we are going to be in Afghanistan, we need to be 
willing to do what it takes to succeed. Of course, the Afghan people 
must take the reins of their country's future, but the United States 
will play a key role in ensuring a lasting peace.
  Right now I fear we have tied the hands of our military through 
reduced force strength and limited rules of engagement. We should never 
send our military men and women into harm's way without the tools and 
resources they need to get the job done. Reevaluating our force 
strength and rules of engagement is the right decision, and I look 
forward to hearing from President Trump and Secretary Mattis as the 
NATO summit approaches.
  Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased that Congress was able to deliver a 
comprehensive appropriations bill that properly funds our military. 
Funding the government by short-term extensions takes away the 
Pentagon's ability to plan for the future. With everything going on in 
the world right now, including the situation in Afghanistan, we cannot 
hinder our commanders with financial uncertainties.
  One of the reasons I was so eager to serve on defense appropriations 
was having the opportunity to reverse military cuts that made no sense. 
For the last several years, we have been in constant tension with the 
Obama administration, whose sequestration policy threatened to hollow 
out our military. But not anymore.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues who joined me on the delegation.

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