On the recordDecember 13, 2012
I have no more speakers, so I reserve the balance of my time to close. Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close. I want to thank the gentlelady for bringing this issue. I think it is something that we can totally support on our side, and I would encourage all Members of this body to support this issue. I thank all of the women who have made the trips over there to Afghanistan because they have really added to the cause. Our men and women in the military that have fought for all these many years--one of the major benefits from this war is the freedoms that these women and girls are able to enjoy right now, and it's my hope that we can leave sufficient force there to complete the mission, to guarantee the safety of these women and children, young girls, going forward. To leave precipitously without having completed that mission and put these women and girls in jeopardy, after they've seen a whole new life emerge, a whole new opportunity presented to them that they never conceived of before, would be a disaster. So I thank again the gentlelady from California (Mrs. Davis) for her efforts here, and all the women who have spoken on this issue and traveled to Afghanistan, and urge that we all support this issue. I yield back the balance of my time.





