Benjamin Gilman: “my amendment places Congress on record in support of the men and women in our Armed Forces as they proceed to dismantle…”

“my amendment places Congress on record in support of the men and women in our Armed Forces as they proceed to dismantle the Taliban rule in Afghanistan and to restore peace and stability and security to that part of the world. This amendment is based on a bill I introduced last month, entitled the Afghanistan Freedom Act of 2001, H.R. 3088. I was pleased to be joined in offering that measure by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman), the ranking Democratic member of the subcommittee that I chair, the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. Since we introduced that measure on October 11, we have been supported by a total of 81 cosponsors on both sides of the aisle. We have worked with the Bush administration over the past month, particularly with the Department of Defense, to refine some of the language in order to maximize its usefulness to the administration in the current war on terrorism. My amendment incorporates those refinements, and I am assured that as currently written, my amendment enjoys the strong support of the administration and, particularly, the Department of Defense.”