Congresswoman Barbara Lee Leads Bipartisan Letter Urging President Obama to leave no U.S. troops in Afghanistan After 2014

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) was joined by Reps. James McGovern (D-MA), Walter Jones (R-NC), John Conyers (D-MI), and Keith Ellison (D-MN) in sending a bipartisan letter to President Obama urging him to lay out a specific plan for withdrawing all U.S. troops by the end of 2014. The letter was written in response to recent media reports that the negotiations with President Karzai over a long-term security deal have been deteriorating.

"Simply put, the failed military-first strategy in Afghanistan is not working. In all of our negations, we must keep all options on the table, and that includes leaving no troops behind; it is far past time to end this war," said Congresswoman Lee. "It is time to focus on bringing home our brave men and women in uniform and transition to full Afghan control. After almost 12 years and $778 billion invested in an unstable country, it is time to bring our troops and tax dollars home."

The letter reads, "The American people understand that there is no military solution in Afghanistan, and extending U.S. troop presence will not serve vital U.S. security goals. Now is the time to commit to an accelerated withdrawal of all U.S. troops and military contractors out of Afghanistan with no permanent bases left behind. While we support the current policy to maintain a strong diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, we want to underscore that any long-term commitment of U.S. troops beyond 2014 must have congressional authorization."

The Congresswoman's letter comes on the heels of a growing bipartisan sentiment in Congress and across the country for an expedited end of military activities in Afghanistan as demonstrated by the overwhelming bipartisan support for the McGovern-Jones-Smith (WA)-Lee (CA)-Garamendi Amendment to the Fiscal Year 2014 National Defense Authorization Act, adopted on June 13, 2013.

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