Providing for Consideration of H.R. John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendment to H.R. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; and Providing for Adoption of S. Con. Res. Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year and for Other Purposes
Floor Speech
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Mr. ELLZEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to urge defeat of the previous question so that we can immediately consider H.R. 5071.
Operations Enduring Freedom and Freedom's Sentinel are coming to a conclusion in a way that no American should be willing to tolerate nor accept. This conflict began nearly 20 years ago. There have been 2,443 U.S. military killed in action, 3,800 contractor and DOD civilians killed in action, 1,144 allied troops killed in action, and over 30,000 veteran suicides since 9/11; the victims of their internal and unseen wounds.
In Texas District 6, we lost Staff Sergeant Jeremy S. on April 6, 2011, and Private First Class Joel R. on April 16, 2011. Brothers in arms, killed 10 days apart.
In Texas, we have lost 193 of our sons and daughters, all of whom, like Luke Bushatz would say: ``Not one ounce of sweat or blood in the defense of others is a waste.'' But last week, this administration handed over 600,000 weapons, 75,000 vehicles, and 200 aircraft to the enemy.
What we have now is September 10, 2001, with a well-armed enemy.
For those who have stood the watch and those who have died standing that watch, duty, honor, and country is not an academic study; it is a way of life and sometimes death.
So I call on our Commander in Chief, Madam Speaker, to take those words as seriously as we do and to do his duty to honor our servicemembers and their families by informing this body, and the Americans we represent, every day on what is happening on the ground in Afghanistan and what this administration is doing to bring American citizens, and the Afghans who helped us, to safety.
Infrastructure needs did not leave 10,000 to 15,000 Americans stranded. Climate change did not cause this catastrophe. Combat is a not a PowerPoint briefing. American lives are at stake. Get our countrymen out of Afghanistan. The mission is only complete when they are out, not one minute before.
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