Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Afghanistan

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I have been on the floor so many times over the last year or so talking about the 16 years of war in Afghanistan and the waste of money, but, more importantly, the waste of life.

The titles that I am going to share with the House today have appeared in October and November in articles, national articles, about the failed policy in Afghanistan. I would like to share those very quickly.

``U.S. Pledges Another $800 Million to Afghanistan Despite Rampant Corruption.''

``Four Americans Die in Suicide Blast At U.S. Base in Afghanistan; 17 Others Wounded.''

These are headlines, Mr. Speaker.

``Latest Afghan Attack Raises Perplexing Questions on Security.''

Another title: ``The U.S. Spent Billions Building Roads in Afghanistan. Now Many of Them Are Beyond Repair.''

Another title: ``Inspector General: Pentagon Must Explain Afghan `Ghost Soldier' Problems. Funding for Afghan Military Wasted on Non- Existent Soldiers.''

Mr. Speaker, 200,000 Afghanistan ghosts that the taxpayers of America have been paying for their services, and they don't even exist.

When I read that, I wrote a letter to the Defense Secretary, Ash Carter, and I said to Secretary Carter: Please explain how much money did we pay to the ghosts that don't even exist? How long have we been paying the ghosts that don't exist? We are talking about 200,000 Afghan soldiers that don't even exist.

Mr. Speaker, I do not understand why the House of Representatives does not have a debate on our policy regarding Afghanistan. How much longer can a nation that is $19.8 trillion in debt--that is America, $19.8 trillion in debt--and how many more billions of dollars can we keep putting into the black hole of Afghanistan and keep losing our young men and women in a country that is never going to change? It goes back to Alexander the Great. It goes back to the British. It goes back to the Russians. Anyone who has ever gone into that country known as Afghanistan has eventually left, and they knew there was nothing they could change.
Not America, though. We have been there 16 years. We don't even debate it on the floor of the House. We will be passing a DOD funding bill pretty soon, and there will be billions of dollars going to Afghanistan and there will be very little debate on it. There are those on the Democratic side and the Republican side, Mr. Speaker, who do care about our troops, who do care about the wasted money, and who do care about a policy that has no end to it.

It is not fair to our men and women in uniform. They deserve better from this Congress. It is our constitutional duty that we debate policy that sends our young men and women to die. Yet we do not debate it. It just goes on and on.

This poster that I brought with me today, Mr. Speaker, before I close, I have signed over 11,000 letters to families and extended families who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and Iraq. Recently, we have had seven Americans killed in Afghanistan. I do not understand why we are so void of a debate. James Madison would have been very disappointed, Mr. Speaker. It was Madison who said that it is the legislative branch that will debate and vote on war, not the executive branch.

But we have abdicated our responsibility to the President and let the President decide what the foreign policy should be and how we should use our men and women in uniform. That is a sad day for America.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the House for this time. I close by asking God to please bless our men and women in uniform, to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform and hold in His loving arms those young Americans who have given their life for this country. God bless America.

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