December 6, 2011

December 6, 2011

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President,
We write to express our strong support for your recent decision to bring our troops home from Iraq by year’s end. We were relieved to learn that our service men and women will be home from Iraq for the holidays.

The ongoing war in Afghanistan, by contrast, threatens to stretch our commitment into another decade. In August you announced the gradual removal of the “surge” troops, and yet over 70,000 troops will remain in Afghanistan at this time next year. This is unsustainable and counterproductive. There is unanimous agreement that the future of Afghanistan depends on Afghans and their regional allies implementing a political solution. There is simply no military solution to the current challenges in Afghanistan and maintaining an American military presence only delays the inevitable political process while putting our brave men and women in uniform in harms’ way.

Furthermore, it is crucial that Congress plays its proper Constitutional role in any decision to leave U.S. troops in a potential combat zone. While the United States is currently scheduled to hand over full control over security and remove all combat troops by the end of 2014, a new agreement could result in an indefinite military commitment and significant financial costs, all without further Congressional approval. Dating back to 2009, eleven acts authorizing and funding troop presence in Afghanistan have included a provision specifically prohibiting the establishment of permanent bases in Afghanistan. Any agreement that obliges the U.S. to a security commitment in Afghanistan must be bound by the Constitution, and be specifically authorized by an Act of Congress, or with the advice and consent of the Senate.

While reports indicate that President Karzai plans on requiring any future strategic partnership agreement with the U.S. to be approved by the Afghan Parliament, a traditional tribal gathering, or both, there is no plan to have similar Congressional input. It is unconscionable that America could make new, lasting military commitments of tens of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of billions of dollars without express approval from Congress.

Rebuilding America must remain our top priority, and this should be reflected in our budgetary priorities. We need to end the wars and invest the savings in job creation for our future.

Sincerely,
Congressmembers Barbara Lee and Walter Jones
now with 30 other congressmember co-signers