Issue Position: Iraq & Afghanistan

Issue Position

Like many Americans, I believe that it is time to bring our troops home from Iraq and to create a definitive plan to end the war in Afghanistan. Our courageous men and women in uniform have served this country with valor, honor, and distinction and it is our responsibility to devise and execute a timely redeployment strategy that returns our armed forces home safely without compromising the security of the United States.

In our efforts to plan for the future of U.S. involvement, we must recognize that military action alone will not help bring peace to Afghanistan. We must utilize a multifaceted approach that focuses on improving the welfare of the Afghan people, including educational reforms and economic assistance. This strategy will allow Afghanistan to become self-sufficient, reducing their need for our assistance.

As your Representative, I am committed to working towards a plan to fulfill our objectives in Afghanistan. It is critical that we avoid an open-ended military commitment in Afghanistan that could further destabilize the region and take focus away from pressing domestic needs. With this in mind, I recently co-sponsored H.R. 5015 which gives the President 90 days to submit to Congress an exit strategy for U.S. military forces in Afghanistan.

On August 19th, the final American combat brigade left Iraq, keeping President Obama's promise to drawdown U.S. forces and transition to a civilian-led mission in 2010. While I applaud President Obama's effort to follow through on that, there is much more to be done. To address this, I commit to work with the Administration and with my colleagues in Congress to develop a comprehensive approach that stabilizes Iraq and Afghanistan and expedites the return our all of our men and women in uniform.

I created this page to keep you up-to-date on what we are doing in Congress on this issue, and help you to stay informed on the latest events, reports and actions I have taken on the war and our continued efforts to bring our troops hope safely and expeditiously. As always, I encourage you to keep in touch with me on this critical issue. The situation in Iraq and Afghanistan is one of the most critical challenges facing our nation today, and hearing from my constituents is one of my most important responsibilities as your Representative in Congress.

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