Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 114 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 114 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 161 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 No. 49 House of Representatives The House met at 9 a.m. and was AFGHANISTAN: THE GRAVEYARD The National Priorities Project says called to order by the Speaker pro tem- OF EMPIRES ‘‘$753.3 billion has been allocated for the war pore (Ms. FOXX). in Afghanistan since 2001, including $89.1 bil- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The lion in fiscal year 2014.’’ f Chair recognizes the gentleman from President Obama hopes to reduce U.S. North Carolina (Mr. JONES) for 5 min- DESIGNATION OF THE SPEAKER forces in Afghanistan to just 9,800 troops PRO TEMPORE utes. next year. But the money spigot will not be Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, last week turned off. The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- in the House Armed Services Com- Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries fore the House the following commu- mittee, we had a hearing on the budget nication from the Speaker: in the world. In Asia, only Bangladesh is for fiscal year 2016. Secretary of De- poorer. According to the World Food Pro- WASHINGTON, DC, fense Ashton Carter and Chairman of gramme, half the population lives below the March 24, 2015. the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mar- poverty line; Afghanistan has one of the I hereby appoint the Honorable VIRGINIA tin Dempsey, both testified before the highest infant mortality rates in the world; FOXX to act as Speaker pro tempore on this and more than half the children under 5 day. committee, and I have great respect for years old are chronically malnourished. JOHN A. BOEHNER, both of them. I asked them if, after a Speaker of the House of Representatives. decade in Afghanistan, keeping troops Yet at one thing Afghanistan succeeds su- perbly: Afghanistan illegally produces and f in Afghanistan for 9 more years would even make a difference. exports opium, morphine and heroin in such RECESS Last year in his Politico article, quantities that, according to the United Na- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- ‘‘Down the Opium Rathole,’’ Roger tions Office on Drugs and Crime, Afghani- Simon argues, ‘‘If you spent 13 years stan is ‘‘practically the exclusive supplier of ant to clause 12(a) of rule I, the Chair the world’s deadliest drug [93% of the global declares the House in recess until 10 pounding money down a rathole with opiates market]. Leaving aside 19th-century a.m. today. little to show for it, you might wake China, that had a population at that time 15 Accordingly (at 9 o’clock and 1 up one morning and say: ‘Hey, I’m times larger than today’s Afghanistan, no minute a.m.), the House stood in re- going to stop pounding money down other country in the world has ever produced cess. this rathole.’ . Unfortunately, the narcotics on such a deadly scale.’’ f U.S. Government does not think this The United States has spent billions trying way. Even though our combat troops to stop this trade, but it has failed utterly. b 1000 are leaving Afghanistan, our money In fact, under U.S. occupation, drug produc- AFTER RECESS will continue to flow there, billion tion has increased. after billion.’’ The recess having expired, the House Opiates come from opium poppies, which Mr. Speaker, I submit this Politico are planted in profusion in Afghanistan. was called to order by the Speaker pro article for the RECORD. More than eight years ago, we decided to tempore (Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana) at [From Politico, Oct. 29, 2014] spray the poppy fields with herbicides, but 10 a.m. this was unpopular with the Afghan govern- DOWN THE OPIUM RATHOLE f ment, which didn’t want its illegal drug prof- (By Roger Simon) its to stop. And even some counterinsur- MORNING-HOUR DEBATE If you spent 13 years pounding money down gency experts feared that killing the opium The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- a rathole with little to show for it, you poppies would drive angry poppy farmers ant to the order of the House of Janu- might wake up one morning and say: ‘‘Hey, into the arms of the Taliban. I’m going to stop pounding money down this ary 6, 2015, the Chair will now recog- rathole.’’ Lots of people get confused between coun- nize Members from lists submitted by Unfortunately, the U.S. government does terinsurgency and counterterrorism, by the the majority and minority leaders for not think this way. way. A military expert once explained it to morning-hour debate. The U.S. government wakes up every me this way: The Chair will alternate recognition morning and says: ‘‘The rathole is looking a Counterinsurgency is when you try to win between the parties, with each party little empty today. Let’s pound a few more the hearts and minds of the people. billion dollars down there.’’ limited to 1 hour and each Member Counterterrorism is when you kill the peo- And when that rathole is Afghanistan, the ple and then try to win their hearts and other than the majority and minority billions are essentially without end. leaders and the minority whip limited Even though our combat troops are leaving minds. to 5 minutes, but in no event shall de- Afghanistan, our money will continue to The United States has tried both policies bate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. flow there, billion after billion. in Afghanistan for years. b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H1851 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:58 Mar 25, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A24MR7.000 H24MRPT1 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H1852 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE March 24, 2015 And while the Taliban has become adept at ing on U.S. policy in Afghanistan, be widely condemned the more clearly fighting counterterrorism, the Afghan gov- where I asked General John Campbell, people understand it. ernment has become adept at exploiting U.S. Army, commander of the Inter- We are back to the Medicare voucher, counterinsurgency. Take narcotics. How does a country that national Security Assistance Force and which may have a different name but is has few and terrible roads, like Afghanistan, United States Forces in Afghanistan, if still toxic. A measure of their under- get 93 percent of the world’s opiates out of he will ever have a successor who will standing of its unpopularity is their re- its country? be honest with Congress and the Amer- fusal to put it into effect for seniors One way is by air. And in January 2013, the ican people about the fact that we have now. Instead they would have people U.S. government said it would no longer done as much as we can do in Afghani- approaching retirement age in their grant contracts to a private Afghanistan air- stan. He did not give me a direct an- mid-fifties who will be able to enjoy line because the U.S. military’s anti-corrup- the benefits and uncertainty of a tion unit said the airline ‘‘was involved in swer, but his response was this: ‘‘For bulk opium smuggling.’’ very little continued investment, we vouchered Medicare program. But the Afghan government howled, and can make this a shining light of cen- It is silent on the transportation cri- the U.S. lifted its ban. tral Asia.’’ sis that is already upon us. The latest There are other examples, but only one Mr. Speaker, if I had had more time, transportation extension expires May conclusion. As Michael Lumpkin, assistant I would have asked General Campbell 31. Resources are not going to be avail- secretary of defense for special operations/ what his definition of ‘‘very little con- able to get us through this fiscal year, low-intensity conflict, said in a letter on let alone the next fiscal year that they Oct. 7: ‘‘In our opinion, the failure to reduce tinued investment’’ is when we have al- poppy cultivation and increase eradication is ready spent billions and billions of dol- would budget for. And if the budget due to the lack of Afghan government sup- lars and spilled blood in Afghanistan. that they have foreseen would some- port for the effort.’’ There are bridges, roads, educational how be enacted as written, the next fis- But over 12 years, the U.S. government needs, and veterans benefits to provide cal year would see massive cuts for pounded $7.6 billion down the drug eradi- here in the United States. Let’s focus every single State across the country cation rathole in Afghanistan. on their needs rather than on chasing for transportation. In a report last week, John Sopko, the U.S. It continues to chip away at the abil- special inspector general for Afghanistan re- something that will never happen. His- construction, said: ‘‘By every conceivable tory has proven Afghanistan will never ity of the Federal Government to hire metric, we’ve failed. Production and cultiva- change. It is a graveyard of empires. and maintain the skilled workforce tion are up, interdiction and eradication are Mr. Speaker, without a debate in Americans depend upon. One of the down, financial support to the insurgency is Congress, President Obama signed a Bi- most bizarre examples is their contin- up, and addiction and abuse are at unprece- lateral Security Agreement with Af- ued attack on the ability of the IRS, dented levels in Afghanistan.’’ ghanistan to keep our United States the Internal Revenue Service, to per- To our government, the solution was clear: form the functions necessary to finance Pound more money down the rathole.