National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027

Floor Speech

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Mr. CROW. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

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Mr. CROW. Mr. Chair, I understand my colleague's eagerness to conclude the Afghanistan War Commission's work and to have a full accounting of our Nation's longest war, a war that spanned 20 years, trillions of dollars, millions of combat tours, thousands of American lives lost, tens of thousands of American lives and families forever altered.

I do not want a half measure. I do not want an accounting that is not full and complete. When this body, when this Congress, and the Armed Services Committee created the Afghanistan War Commission years ago on a bipartisan basis, we structured this to be a full and complete accounting. Both sides appointed their Members. We have a Republican co-chair and a Democratic co-chair.

The work of this commission has been impressive so far: over 350 interviews, tens of thousands of documents reviewed, and field hearings across this Nation.

The work is not yet complete. Both the Republicans on the commission and the Democrats on the commission say as much. They need another year to make sure that it presents a clear picture of the things we did right and the things we did wrong so that we are not condemned to repeat the same mistakes from the past, as the saying goes.

Yes, I want a timely result. The thousands of Americans who gave their lives and the tens of thousands who stepped up to serve deserve a full and complete accounting of what happened and, ultimately, what went wrong.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment and make sure that we have the time necessary to have the complete story so we can fix it, do it better, and ensure that this never happens again.

Mr. Chair, I implore my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. CROW. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers), the chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

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Mr. CROW. Mr. Chair, once again, the work of this commission has been incredible. We are not asking for 20 years. We are not asking for 2 years. We are asking for a 1-year extension so that the Republicans and the Democrats who have dedicated their time to a full and thorough accounting of our Nation's longest war can do so on a professional and bipartisan basis.

We have heard from the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee whose leadership helped establish this commission, as well. We need to do this right. The men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice and their families deserve all the answers and all the accountability. An additional 1-year extension is necessary to complete that.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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