Maloney Statement on War and Domestic Supplemental Funding

WASHINGTON, DC -- Rep. Carolyn Maloney last night made the following statement on funding for the war in Afghanistan:

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of Rep. Barbara Lee’s amendment to prevent an escalation and limit funding to the safe and orderly withdrawal of our troops and military contractors from Afghanistan.  After 9 years of war, the time has come to bring our troops home.

I will also vote in favor of the McGovern-Obey amendment that would
require the president to provide Congress with a plan for the
expeditious redeployment of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and a timeline
for completion of the redeployment.  

I would like to thank Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic Leadership for
bringing this bill to the floor today in a manner that allows clear up
or down votes on funding for the war and other domestic priorities.

The challenges in Afghanistan are great.  As the violence and attacks on
our troops continue to increase, we still do not have a clear path
forward or a way to measure progress there.

We cannot afford to sustain an open-ended commitment with no clear
definition of success.

Reports of corruption abound in Afghanistan, and without a true partner
in the Karzai government, our prospects for making real progress have
grown dim.

Our troops have fought with honor and professionalism in the face of
great challenges, and at great cost - I am truly humbled by their
service and sacrifice.  These brave men and women in uniform deserve our
full support and commitment to return them home safely to their
families and loved ones.

President Obama did not start this war, and I was among those who have
spoken out in support of allowing for the time necessary for a new
strategy in Afghanistan to turn the tide. 

But after years of war that has strained our military, their families,
and the country, I am unable to continue to support what increasingly
looks like an intractable situation in Afghanistan. 

That is why I vote in favor of these amendments today.

Despite my opposition to our continued military presence in Afghanistan,
the bill does include critical domestic funding that I will support. 
These include saving teachers’ jobs, Pell Grants, emergency food
assistance for hungry Americans, and disaster aid to respond to the Gulf
oil spill catastrophe. 

For example, today we are providing $10 billion for an Education Jobs
Fund to provide additional emergency support to local school districts
to prevent impending layoffs.  Estimates suggest that this fund will
help keep 140,000 school employees on the job next year.
 
Moreover, when we invest in education, we save jobs in other sectors and
spur economic recovery. According to the Economic Policy Institute, for
every 100,000 education jobs lost, another 30,000 jobs are lost in
other sectors due to reduced consumer spending and tax revenues. 

The list of important programs this bill funds is both extensive and
impressive:
Among other priorities, we are providing $304 million for the Gulf Coast
oil spill; $50 million for the Emergency Food Assistance Program for
food purchases to distribute through local emergency food providers;
$13.377 billion for the payment of benefits to Vietnam veterans and
their survivors for exposure to Agent Orange, which has been linked with
Parkinson’s disease, ischemic heart disease, and hairy cell/B cell
leukemia; and $2.93 billion for Haiti. 

These are extremely important priorities which are fully paid for and
which I support.