National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016

Floor Speech

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I thank the chairman for the efforts put forth by himself and the committee on necessary legislation that, indeed, should pass.

Mr. Chairman, America has given 14 years, nearly $1 trillion, and thousands of lives to help build a stable Afghanistan. While most of our troops have come home, Congress has still obligated billions of dollars to be spent on reconstruction efforts.

As we transfer oversight authority to Afghan officials, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has identified serious deficiencies in our ability to ensure the proper use of these American taxpayer dollars, as the Afghan Ministries currently lack the capacity to effectively manage and account for U.S.-funded assistance.

My amendment would require SIGAR to certify it has sufficient access to Afghan accounts to guarantee effective audits. We must ensure that every dollar is spent effectively. I appreciate that this amendment has been added en bloc, and I ask my colleagues to support this legislation and this amendment.

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