Eshoo Statement on President Trump's Remarks on Afghanistan
“When the President spoke to the American people this week, he had the opportunity to articulate a clear path forward in Afghanistan to a war weary public. Instead, he merely outlined the basic goals past presidents have supported -- stability and security to the region and ensuring the country will not be a safe-haven for terrorists. The war in Afghanistan is the longest engagement in U.S. history, with more than 2,400 American lives lost and billions of taxpayer dollars spent. The President further doubled down on this open-ended conflict by refusing to say how many additional troops he plans to put in harm’s way or giving a timeline for withdrawal.
“By failing to even mention the word ‘Congress’ in his speech, the President believes he can move forward with a blank check for Afghanistan without Congress passing a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF). We owe it to the thousands of servicemembers still fighting in Afghanistan to have this debate sixteen years after Congress first authorized military operations in Afghanistan after the September 11th attacks."
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