Bipartisan Bill Would Hasten Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan

Considering President Obama’s call to bring all troops from Iraq home for the holidays, a bipartisan group of senators is now calling for an expedited troop drawdown in Afghanistan as well.

Earlier in the year, Preside Obama announced that all troops currently deployed in Iraq would return home before the new year. The president also set a similar withdrawal plan for Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Now, Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) are amending the Defense Authorization bill with a measure requiring Obama to expedite the transition in Afghanistan.

“It is time to have a clear missive from the President on how he plans to end our presence in Afghanistan,” Paul said. “We cannot continue endless nation-building efforts overseas while here at home we face expounding national debt, crumbling infrastructure and out-of-control spending in Washington.”

The effort to amend the major defense authorization bill will likely face an uphill battle considering the intensified debate over a controversial detainee provision.

The debate over the Defense Authorization bill has escalated within the Senate Armed Services Committee over language that would place future terror suspects into the custody of the United States military, something both the Pentagon and some Democrats have opposed. Despite the support the detainee provision has from Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the White House has since released a statement threatening to veto the bill as it stands.

The Administration’s threat to veto the bill puts a damper on the efforts put forth by this bipartisan group of senators. According to a statement released by the senators, American military presence in Afghanistan costs nearly $10 billion per month, an amount of money they argue is unacceptable at a time domestic economic turmoil.

“With the death of Osama Bin Laden, we have now accomplished [our] goals. It is time to end our presence in Afghanistan and refocus our attention on fighting terrorists wherever they may be,” said Merkley.  “At a time of high unemployment, a wave of foreclosures and growing debt, we need to  concentrate on nation-building here at home.”

The resolution put forth would call on Obama to expedite the transition of military responsibility to Afghanistan and would provide the Commander-in-Chief with 90 days to present a new timeframe and expected completion date for an accelerated troop withdrawal. Considering the hot water the Defense Authorization bill is simmering in with the White House’s veto threat, it’s unclear whether such a measure has much life.

Senate To Vote Tuesday On Defense Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has scheduled a vote on a defense authorization bill for Tuesday that includes, among other things, a provision to repeal the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy as well as a measure to put hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants on a pathway to citizenship.

Reid is likely aware that getting the 60 votes needed to pass either measure could be difficult, but understands the positive impact that attaching the two side-bills to the legislation may have for his party. The Nevada Democrat, who isn’t taking for granted his chances of being reelected this fall, hopes the efforts to pass immigration reform don’t go unacknowledged at the polls by the state’s voters, nearly 25% of whom are Hispanic.

Democrats, including Vice President Joe Biden, believe they are close to having the votes necessary to overcome a Republican filibuster on DADT. However, some Republicans have made it clear that they’ll vote ‘no’ if the controversial item is attached. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), an enthusiastic supporter of the military, told the Washington Times earlier this week that he believes Reid is using the defense bill to advance the ““social agenda of the liberal left.”

The DREAM Act has even less support from Republicans despite the fact that it was co-authored in 2001 by one of their own, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). The legislation, which aims to put illegal immigrants between the ages of 16-35 on a path toward citizenship, has 39 co-sponsors, all Democrats, and is supported by President Obama.

During a meeting with Hispanic lawmakers at the White House this week, Obama reportedly said he would ask the Senate to hold an up-or-down vote on the measure. According to Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), the president told the lawmakers he would “leave no stone unturned.”

Boehner Urges Pelosi To Strip Ways & Means Chairmanship From Rangel

Travis Martinez - University of New Mexico /Talk Radio News Service

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) Thursday urged Rep. Chuck Rangel (D-N.Y.) to resign from his position as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

“This is a time for Speaker Pelosi, who promised to drain the swamp, to have the most open and ethical congress in history... she has not done it yet," he said.

Boehner also commented on the Defense Authorization Bill, calling the hate crimes legislation attached to it, “radical, social policy that is being put...on the backs of our soldiers... this is an abuse of the legislative process.” Added Boehner, “I’m offended by it!”

In response to the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee’s release this week of its healthcare reform bill following what Boehner called, “a mysterious delay,” the Ohio Republican lobbied for mandatory public review of all bills. He added that he will propose a resolution to ensure that all bills that come to the floor are available to members of the public for 72 hours before they are voted on.

The Leader also called on President Barack Obama to request that Gen. Stanley McChrystal testify before Congress regarding his assessment of the situation in Afghanistan.