In the wake of President Obama’s plan to keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan at high levels through at least 2016, U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), released a statement supporting the move.
Previously, Obama had made it clear that he intended to draw down troop levels in Afghanistan to a much smaller, “embassy-size” presence by January 2017.
“Our enemies, such as the Taliban and Al Qaeda, along with the growing emergence of ISIS, all present unprecedented security challenges in Afghanistan,” Shuster, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, said. “The premature drawdown of U.S. forces that President Obama has previously proposed would pull the rug out from under Afghanistan and would greatly destabilize the region, erasing the gains we have made. This is why I sent a letter to the president expressing my concerns about the danger of a premature withdrawal of American forces and asked that he maintain current troop levels through 2016.”
Earlier this month, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016 was passed by both the House and Senate, but President Obama is currently threatening to veto the annual defense spending bill – an action that legislators feel could have a devastating impact on the U.S. military.
“President Obama’s announcement that he will reverse course at least heeds our concern, but he has still not produced a comprehensive plan for the region,” Shuster said. “Furthermore, at the same time the president is discussing troop levels in Afghanistan, he is threatening to veto the very defense bill that will provide for their safety, support, pay, benefits and the authorities to execute their mission. That is outrageous, and I call on the president to suspend his veto threat and sign the NDAA so we can support our soldiers as they carry out this important mission.”