Brian Jones: “We have already spent more in Afghanistan than it cost to rebuild Europe after World War II. In fact, last week I asked…”

“We have already spent more in Afghanistan than it cost to rebuild Europe after World War II. In fact, last week I asked my staff to draft a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan. In the letter, I asked the Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, to meet with John Sopko, who is the Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, and listen to this absolute waste that is going on in Afghanistan. Yet, sometime soon we will mark up the NDAA, National Defense Authorization Act, and I will guarantee you there will be billions of dollars in OCO funds going to Afghanistan. There will be those of us on both sides of the aisle that would like to take that money out or significantly reduce the money. Last year it was over $43 billion in OCO funds, which is nothing but a slush fund. Madam Speaker, there is a famous line about Afghanistan. It says that Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires. I predict today--but I hope I am wrong--if we continue to spend and waste billions of dollars in Afghanistan, there will be a headstone in that graveyard that says: USA. I hope that does not happen. But we had better wake up, as Members of Congress, and stop supporting programs like money for Afghanistan that are a total waste of the taxpayers' money. Madam Speaker, I will ask God to continue to bless our men and women in uniform and ask God to continue to bless America. ____________________”