Brian Jones: “I am again on the floor to talk about a waste of life, a waste of money in Afghanistan. We have been there 16 years, and…”

“I am again on the floor to talk about a waste of life, a waste of money in Afghanistan. We have been there 16 years, and nothing has changed. Many of my colleagues agree with me that it is time to debate our country's longest war. In response, I, along with John Garamendi from California, have introduced H.R. 1666 in hopes of forcing that discussion. I am not asking for Members or leadership to agree with the bill itself or even vote for it, but I am asking that we be able to bring to the floor of the House the bill for the purpose of a debate. We have not debated our role in Afghanistan since 2001. Members can either vote for or against the bill; just give the House a debate after 16 years. Afghanistan is a failed policy. I would like to share a few sentences of an email I received this week from a great American, my friend and unofficial adviser, the 31st Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, General Chuck Krulak, regarding his thoughts on Afghanistan: ``Sixteen years we have been involved in Afghanistan . . . 16 years fighting in a country that has really never seen peace. Sixteen years with fluctuating troop strength--100,000 to 5,000--with no definition to who we are fighting--al-Qaida, Taliban or ISIS . . .…”