On the recordFebruary 2, 2012
Today I've heard Ms. Woolsey and Mr. McClintock talk about the war in Afghanistan, and it kind of reminds me this morning about 8 o'clock I did a call-in show down in my district, Jacksonville, North Carolina, the home of Camp Lejeune Marine base. The topic of the call-in show was proposed budget cuts to our military. The emcee of the show said to me: I'm coming around to your thinking. It is time to get out of Afghanistan. We are spending $10 billion a month in Afghanistan. Let's say that we start bringing them home this year in 2012, at least start the process of bringing them home. The host said: I guess if we did that, we would save at least probably $240 billion in a 2-year period of time. If they are proposing cuts of $490 billion in next year's budget for the Department of Defense and we save $240 billion, then we are almost cutting in half what we are going to require of the military. I said, You're exactly right. Not only did I hear this from a talk-show host, but I hear it throughout the eastern part of the State that I have the privilege to represent. I hope that Mr. Panetta, who I have a lot of respect for, will keep to that 2013 timeframe. I share with Ms. Woolsey that I don't trust it, and it has nothing to do with the person. I want to make that clear. He is an honorable man, but there are too many factors that are planned into this issue of staying in Afghanistan. There are too many people that sadly are making money on war.…
