Take Action Now To Bring Our Troops Home From Afghanistan

The President just sneaked in and out of Afghanistan during the cover of night to sign an agreement that could take the U.S. down a path of having 20,000 –  30,000 troops in harms way until 2024.  With the majority of Americans wanting troops home as soon as possible, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) has organized a letter asking the President to announce at the upcoming NATO summit in Chicago a more accelerated transition.  So far she has 47 colleagues signing the letter.  You can see the letter and current signers below.

Additionally, the National Defense Authorization bill should be on the House floor on May 16-18.  A number of allies plan to offer amendments to end the war in Afghanistan sooner.

Please take a moment now and call your Representative at 202-224-3121 and ask them to sign Rep. Lee’s letter to bring the troops home from Afghanistan sooner and vote for any upcoming amendments saying the same thing.  Please comment on this blog and let us know what they said.

The Honorable Barack Obama

President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC  20500

Dear President Obama:

Last week you visited Afghanistan to sign a Strategic Partnership Agreement.  As you stated at Bagram Air Base, “this time of war began in Afghanistan, and this is where it will end.” The core of al Qaeda has been greatly reduced in size and ability to attack Americans. Our brave men and women in uniform have done everything that we have asked of them. With over 17,000 dead and wounded U.S. servicemen and women, and long term costs estimated at $4 trillion for the past decade of unfunded wars, the overwhelming majority of American people want to bring the war in Afghanistan to an expedited end.

While many of us would prefer an immediate full withdrawal from Afghanistan, there is broad, bipartisan consensus in Congress and across America that it is time to accelerate the transition from U.S. to full Afghan control.  We also remind you that any agreement committing U.S. troops to Afghanistan must have congressional approval to be binding.

Therefore, at the upcoming NATO summit in Chicago, we ask that you announce an accelerated transition of security responsibility to the Afghan government and security forces and the expedited withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan as quickly as these can be safely and responsibly accomplished.

Sincerely,

Current Co-Signers (49): Adam Smith, Baldwin, Bass, Capps, Chu, Yvette Clarke, Clay, Cohen, Conyers, Costello, John Duncan, Edwards, Ellison, Farr, Filner, Frank, Grijalva, Hahn, Alcee Hastings, Heinrich, Hinchey, Holt, Honda, Jackson Jr., Tim Johnson, Kucinich, Lewis, Lofgren, Maloney, McCollum, McGovern, Michaud, George Miller, Moore, Nadler, Olver, Pingree, Polis, Rangel, Richardson, Loretta Sanchez, Serrano, Slaughter, Stark, Mike Thompson, Tonko, Frederica Wilson, Woolsey, Yarmuth.