Issue Position: Afghanistan

Issue Position

Congresswoman DeLauro understands that properly addressing the challenges we face in Afghanistan and the surrounding region is vital to our national security. She knows how critical it is to dismantle, disrupt and defeat al Qaeda for our own security, as well as the need to build a better future for the Afghan people. Nevertheless, she remains deeply concerned about the increase in the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan holding doubts over whether the credible Afghan partner needed to successfully implement a counterinsurgency strategy exists in the Karzai Government, as well as whether continuing to strain an already overextended military and to spend approximately $100 billion a year on the conflict is in the our nation's best interest.

The U.S. military has been conducting operations in Afghanistan for over nine years and, while the Bush Administration failed to properly resource our operations in the fight against those that perpetrated the 9/11 attacks, instead choosing to wage a misguided war in Iraq, there is no long-term military solution to this security challenge. Congresswoman DeLauro believes that it is in our national security interest to recognize that the terrorist threat is transnational in nature and to pursue a strategy that lessens our military footprint in Afghanistan, conducting only targeted operations against terrorist cells that deter further attacks on the U.S. homeland from the region, while further pursuing diplomatic, political and economic policies that help meet the myriad of challenges in the region. Such an approach will help the Afghan people take responsibility for their own country while keeping the United States safe with less cost in blood and resources. DeLauro only supports further war funding for Afghanistan if it is for the protection and safe and orderly withdrawal of our troops.

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