Judy Chu: “I am opposed to the underlying bill because it does not do enough to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan. Earlier this…”

“I am opposed to the underlying bill because it does not do enough to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan. Earlier this month, the President made an important announcement. He plans to withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan in the next 6 months and another 20,000 by next summer. This is a step in the right direction, and I commend the President for following through with the drawdown plan. But the American people are crying for a significant and sizable drawdown, and we are still too far from that. Even after these troops come home, which won't be for another year and a half, we will still be exactly where we were in 2009. Seventy thousand American soldiers will still be serving in Afghanistan, and I can't help but wonder why. The ongoing financial and human costs of this war are now indefensible. We spend $2 billion a week on the war effort in Afghanistan. And what's worse is that our own money is working against us. Last year, I was outraged to learn that taxpayers are spending $2.16 billion on private contractors in Afghanistan. These contractors use part of the money to pay off local warlords, which then ends up in the Taliban's hand. So, in effect, we are funding both sides of the same war. This corruption and waste of hard-earned American dollars is the direct result of unreliable counsel and a lack of perspective, and it's costing us a whopping $100 billion a year.…”