Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Bipartisan Group of House Members Call on President Obama to Meaningfully Fulfill Promise of Military Drawdown in Afghanistan
Media Contact: Joel Payne, (202) 225-2661
Washington, DC – Today, Representative Barbara Lee led a bipartisan group of 80 Members of Congress in sending a letter to President Obama calling for a significant and sizeable reduction in U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan beginning no later than July of this year.
Below is a statement from Representative Lee:
“Our service men and women have performed with incredible courage and commitment in Afghanistan. But they have been put in an impossible situation where there is no military solution.
“Twice, President Obama has doubled down on a counterproductive military-first strategy in Afghanistan based upon the perpetual recommendation of the Pentagon for more troops, more time, and more resources. This letter sends a clear signal to the President that the redeployment of a minimal number of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in July will not meet the expectations of Congress or the American people, and further that we will strongly support a shift toward ending this war and bringing all of our troops home.
“The American people overwhelmingly favor action to speed up U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. It is time to end this war and to refocus our efforts on job creation and strengthening our economy.”
Last month, Representative Lee introduced The Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act, legislation that would limit funding in Afghanistan for the safe and orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops and military contractors. A bipartisan group of 56 House members have joined Representative Lee in supporting that legislation.
The text of the letter and list of co-signers follows:
March 16, 2011
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
We write to you to express our utmost support for your planned drawdown of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan beginning no later than July of this year. We, the undersigned members of Congress, believe the forthcoming reduction in U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan must be significant and sizeable, and executed in an orderly fashion.
Our nation’s economic and national security interests are not served by a policy of open-ended war in Afghanistan. At a time of severe economic distress, the war in Afghanistan is costing the United States more than $100 billion per year, excluding the long-term costs of care for returning military servicemembers. At the same time, military and intelligence officials agree that Al Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan is diminished and that there will not be a military solution to resolve the current situation. It is simply unsustainable for our nation to maintain a costly, military-first strategy in Afghanistan.
A significant redeployment of U.S. troops from Afghanistan beginning in July 2011 will send a clear signal that the United States does not seek a permanent presence in Afghanistan. This transition will provide incentive for internal stakeholders to improve upon the political status quo, reduce corruption, and take meaningful steps toward the establishment of an effective, trustworthy, and inclusive governance structure. A meaningful start to withdrawal will also empower U.S. diplomatic engagement with regional and global stakeholders who share a common interest in the long-term stability of Afghanistan.
The majority of the American people overwhelmingly support a rapid shift toward withdrawal in Afghanistan. In fact, a Gallup Poll released on February 2, 2011 indicated that 72% of Americans favor action this year to "speed up the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.” Let us be clear. The redeployment of a minimal number of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in July will not meet the expectations of Congress or the American people.
Mr. President, as you work to finally bring an end to the war in Iraq by the end of this year, we must commit ourselves to ensuring that our nation’s military engagement in Afghanistan does not become the status quo. It is time to focus on securing a future of economic opportunity and prosperity for the American people and move swiftly to end America’s longest war in Afghanistan.
Mr. President, we look forward to working with you to make that goal a reality.
Sincerely,
Full list of co-signers:
Rep. Joe Baca
Rep. Tammy Baldwin
Rep. Karen Bass
Rep. Lois Capps
Rep. Michael E. Capuano
Rep. Andre Carson
Rep. Yvette D. Clarke
Rep. Steve Cohen
Rep. John Conyers Jr.
Rep. Jerry F. Costello
Rep. Elijah E. Cummings
Rep. Danny K. Davis (IL)
Rep. Peter A. DeFazio
Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro
Rep. Theodore E. Deutch
Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. (TN)
Rep. Donna F. Edwards
Rep. Keith Ellison
Rep. Sam Farr
Rep. Bob Filner
Rep. Barney Frank
Rep. Marcia L. Fudge
Rep. John Garamendi
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva
Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez
Rep. Alcee L. Hastings
Rep. Maurice D. Hinchey
Rep. Mazie K. Hirono
Rep. Rush D. Holt
Rep. Michael M. Honda
Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson
Rep. Hank Johnson Jr.
Rep. Timothy V. Johnson
Rep. Walter B. Jones
Rep. Barbara Lee
Rep. John B. Larson
Rep. John Lewis
Rep. Zoe Lofgren
Rep. Ben Ray Luján
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney
Rep. Edward J. Markey
Rep. Doris O. Matsui
Rep. Jim McDermott
Rep. James P. McGovern
Rep. Michael H. Michaud
Rep. George Miller
Rep. Gwen Moore
Rep. James P. Moran
Rep. Christopher S. Murphy
Rep. Grace Napolitano
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton
Rep. John W. Olver
Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr.
Rep. Ron Paul
Rep. Donald M. Payne
Rep. Chellie Pingree
Rep. Jared Polis
Rep. David E. Price
Rep. Mike Quigley
Rep, Charles B. Rangel
Rep. Laura Richardson
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard
Rep. Linda T. Sánchez
Rep. Loretta Sanchez
Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky
Rep. Bobby Scott
Rep. José E. Serrano
Rep. Albio Sires
Rep. Louise McIntosh Slaughter
Rep. Jackie Speier
Rep. Pete Stark
Rep. Mike Thompson (CA)
Rep. John F. Tierney
Rep. Edolphus Towns
Rep. Niki Tsongas
Rep. Maxine Waters
Rep. Anthony D. Weiner
Rep. Peter Welch
Rep. Lynn C. Woolsey
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