Press Releases

Votes for Amendment to Force the President to Give Congress a Plan and Timeframe for Accelerated Transition

Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement after voting for an amendment to force the President to give Congress a plan and a timeframe for redeploying troops from Afghanistan. This amendment would require the President to provide a plan and timeframe for an accelerated transition of Afghan military operations from U.S. troops to Afghan troops, would require the President to provide a plan for negotiating with the Afghan government and interest parties a political settlement of internal conflict, and would require the Director of National Intelligence to provide an Intelligence Estimate on the leadership, locations and capabilities of al Qaeda and its affiliates.

Two and a half years ago, I stated that the U.S. needed a substantial and sustained commitment in Afghanistan. I still believe that to be true, but the nature of that commitment must now change.

It is clear from my conversations with folks in Northwest Washington that the American public is ready to have our troops on the ground in Afghanistan return home, and they are concerned with the level of spending to maintain our military presence. As of March 2011, the United States has devoted $444 billion dollars to military operations in Afghanistan, an amount that will continue to grow. And we have 100,000 service members in Afghanistan.

Our military efforts have largely driven Al-Qaeda from that country, and while some Taliban forces remain, they are largely being defeated and the Afghan government is taking control over security in 3 provinces and 4 cities.

It is time for us to move forward in our relationship with Afghanistan. It is time to start a responsible transition from troops to trade; in other words, the nature of the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan will remain strong, yet it should change.

For this reason, I will support the bipartisan McGovern-Jones Amendment to the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment requires a plan and timeframe for an accelerated transition of military operations to Afghan authorities. It requires a plan and timeframe on negotiations leading to a political solution and reconciliation in Afghanistan.

Importantly, the amendment does not prohibit the President from attacking Al Qaeda forces wherever they are located, from gathering, providing, or sharing intelligence with U.S. allies operating in Afghanistan or Pakistan, or from modifying US military operations during redeployment. Our goal still ought to be to deter, disrupt and defeat Al Qaeda.

I further urge one more step: to show the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan, the U.S. should immediately open negotiations with the Afghan government on a new strategic framework that provides structure to the long term relationship our two countries ought to have. It is time to move from a relationship based on the number of US troops in Afghanistan to one based on the amount of trade we should have.

We have established diplomatic and economic relations with most countries in the world. Afghanistan should not be different. To simply remove our troops without regard for the Afghan future would be to abandon our ally. The U.S. does not abandon countries that have stood with it.

The President will soon announce his recommendations for moving forward in Afghanistan. These recommendations will presumably include an outline of the number of troops he will redeploy. The McGovern-Jones amendment provides clear guidance to the President about what the American people now expect: a plan and a timeframe for an accelerated transition in Afghanistan.”

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