Brian Jones: “After 16 years, $800 billion, over 2,000 Americans killed, and 20,000 Americans severely wounded in Afghanistan, it is…”

“After 16 years, $800 billion, over 2,000 Americans killed, and 20,000 Americans severely wounded in Afghanistan, it is time that the House of Representatives has a debate on our future involvement in Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, let me remind you again: We have been there 16 years, and nothing has changed at all. H.R. 1666 is a bill introduced by John Garamendi from California and me. All this bill does is to say that the House of Representatives, after 16 years, will have a debate on the future involvement of our country in Afghanistan. Obviously, Members of Congress can vote for this bill or against this bill. We are just saying that, after 16 years, it is time for the Congress to meet its constitutional responsibility and to have a debate on the future of America. We owe this to our military. We owe it to the taxpayers of this country. Mr. Speaker, we have 300 Members of Congress today that were not here in 2001. 2001 was the last time we had a debate on this floor of the House, a meaningful debate, on the future of Afghanistan. In fact, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Kulack, now retired, has been one of the biggest supporters of mine in saying that it is time for the American people to put pressure on their Member of Congress to say debate the future of Afghanistan and maybe to put pressure on our Congress to say it is time to come home from Afghanistan.…”