Bipartisan Bill Would Hasten Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 11:12AMConsidering 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.
Jobs Bill Sees Bipartisan Support, Say Senate Democrats
Legislation aimed at improving the sluggish employment situation in the U.S. has been met with bipartisan support and should not experience difficulty getting through the Senate, said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
Joined by Senators Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) at a press briefing Monday, the trio emphasized that the provisions in the jobs bill have seen strong support from both sides of the aisle.
“It’s a good start,” Senator Cardin said. “Leaders particularly picked those provisions that enjoy strong bipartisan support.”
Employer tax credits for new hires, the extension of the Highway Trust Fund, higher tax refunds for small businesses and the Build America Bonds program are key provisions of the bill, according to the three Senate Democrats. They added that the legislation seeks to maintain and create 1.3 million jobs for Americans.
“Each of these provisions has established bipartisan support and at this point, there is no reason beyond politics to obstruct any of these measures,” Whitehouse said.
The three agreed that these provisions serve as a first step in the right direction, but at the same time acknowledged that more needs to be done.
“[This] is a group of four ideas with broad bipartisan support, and then there will be another package a few weeks from now, and then another package,” Merkley said. “This way, we can end the paralysis that has been so deadly in the dialogue in this city.”