Congressman Ruben Gallego issues statement in response to President Trump's speech on Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, DC – Last night, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), a Marine Corps combat veteran and Member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement in response to President Trump's speech on Afghanistan:
"President Trump's remarks did not allay my grave concerns about the future direction of the war in Afghanistan. Brave young Americans have fought and died in large numbers in that country for almost 16 years. Though the time has come for a plan to bring our troops home, the President's proposal represents an open-ended commitment with no obvious end in sight. We're repeating the mistakes of previous administrations.
"Tonight, the American people should have heard a detailed, realistic strategy with achievable objectives and measurable benchmarks. Instead, we got only vague promises and wishful thinking. A plan that took this dysfunctional administration 7 months to finalize is surprisingly short on new thinking and new ideas and will serve only to perpetuate a dangerous status quo.
"Specifically, given the fact that US forces in Afghanistan numbered more than 60,000 just five years ago, I am highly skeptical that the relatively minor augmentation of US forces that the President announced will make a meaningful difference. I agree with the testimony of Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, who stated earlier this year that, ‘…the political and security situation in Afghanistan will almost certainly deteriorate through 2018, even with a modest increase in military assistance by the United States and its partners.'
"Additionally, the President's unwillingness to adequately staff or fund the State Department will hobble our efforts to secure a political solution and work cooperatively with our allies, like Pakistan, our partners, like India, and our adversaries, like Iran -- all of whom have cards to play in Afghanistan.
"Moving forward, I expect Secretary Mattis to fully brief the House Armed Services Committee on the crucial details of the proposal that the President neglected to provide this evening. We can't afford to continue the confused bumbling that got us to this point. More broadly, on behalf of the people of the 7th District of Arizona and the wider United States, I will continue to insist that permanent, perpetual war is no longer acceptable. Congress and the general public must do the same."
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