I thank the gentlewoman for her courageous lead on this issue. This $35 billion for Afghanistan is roughly equivalent to the amount in the Recovery Act for highways and transit. If instead of Afghanistan these funds were invested at home, we could do the equivalent of what we did in the Recovery Act, 35,000 lane-miles of highway improved; 1,262 bridges; 12,000 transit buses and rail passenger cars; 5,000 transit stations improved; and 1.3 million jobs that we've documented on our portion of the Recovery Act. But this is a conflict with no exit, no end, no offset; and we should not provide more money for it.
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