Feingold Statement On Reports of Grim Milestone for U.S. Troops in Afghanistan

Statement

"Our nation marked a grim milestone this week when the 1,000th American service member died as a result of service in and around Afghanistan. My thoughts are with all our brave men and women in uniform and their families for the sacrifices they have made on behalf of our country. After nearly nine years in Afghanistan, we continue to risk further loss of American lives to sustain a massive, open-ended military presence that undermines our ability to tackle al Qaeda's global network. It is long past time that we set a flexible timetable for withdrawing our forces from Afghanistan so we are better able to pursue a global strategy to combat al Qaeda. I plan to offer an amendment that would require the president to provide such a timetable when the Senate considers a war funding bill in the coming days."

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold has introduced legislation along with Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) requiring the president to set a flexible timetable to draw down U.S. troops in Afghanistan, in order to enhance our national security and reduce the burden on our Armed Forces and taxpayers.

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