Afghanistan War Powers Resolution

Floor Speech

Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the effort by my colleague from Ohio to draw our collective attention, both in this Congress and throughout the Nation, to bringing our troops home from Afghanistan.

In September, 2001, following the al Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., Congress approved a resolution authorizing then-President Bush to ``use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.''

I voted in favor of that resolution and to continue to support all efforts focused on achieving that limited and specific mission. That resolution led to our military action in Afghanistan because at the time al Qaeda was using Afghanistan as a safe haven for its terrorist training camps, and the Taliban government in Afghanistan was supporting al Qaeda's presence within its borders.

As a result of the U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan, the Taliban was driven from power, many al Qaeda operatives were killed, and others fled to nearby Pakistan or other more distant countries. National and local democratic elections have been held, a constitution has been written and ratified by the people, and attempts have been made to establish stability and the rule of law in Afghanistan. Yet, after more than 8 years at war, there is evidence that the democratically elected government has little control outside the city of Kabul. Many parts of the country are ungoverned or lawless, opium production is increasing, and the al Qaeda terrorists whom we seek to kill or capture are no longer present in Afghanistan.

I am deeply concerned that our brave men and women in harm's way in Afghanistan are now expected to perform functions not authorized in the September 2001 authorization of military force. And President Obama's strategy for moving forward in Afghanistan places insufficient emphasis on political, diplomatic, and development initiatives, contains no real exit strategy, and ignores the clear fact of mission creep.

Nobody can question the bravery of our men and women in harm's way in Afghanistan. Their service is courageous and admirable, bringing peace, stability, health, and well-being to a country that has suffered throughout years of conflict and war. But we can question whether these efforts extend beyond the very limited and specific mission articulated in the authorization of use of military force.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman's time has expired.

Mr. KUCINICH. I yield the gentlewoman 1 additional minute.

Ms. BALDWIN. I remain deeply committed to keeping America and American interests abroad safe from acts of terrorism, but we cannot afford to have tens of thousands of troops remain in a country where al Qaeda no longer operates. At a time when our Nation is facing such extraordinary challenges at home, I believe we should focus on rebuilding our own Nation and on putting our people back to work.

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