Washington, April 15: Opposition is growing against long-term US military presence in Afghanistan as some Congressmen say Washington should withdraw its troops from the country and fix the economy instead.
A group of American lawmakers have recently spoken out on Capitol Hill against the continuing US military engagement in Afghanistan, saying the American nation does not want a government shutdown.
They said the Obama administration should stop the war in Afghanistan and save social programs at home, a Press TV correspondent in Washington reported on Friday.
“We could have education for all, or we could have war. We could have retirement security for all, or we could have war,” Republican Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) said.
Congressmen who are against funding the Afghanistan war have joined forces with veterans and anti-war advocates and formed a group called “Rethink Afghanistan.”
The group’s website has a “War Tax Calculator” just to show Americans how much they are paying for the US wars, while millions of people are out of work or struggling to pay their bills.
“They are going to spend 27 cents out of every income tax dollar that they send to the Federal Government on the war in Afghanistan and other military spending this year; and at the time in Washington we are talking about slashing critical programs,” Derrick Crowe, a political analyst from Brave New Foundation, told Media.
“Defense spending has got to be on the table and the unpopular war in Afghanistan has got to be cut.”
Some 60,000 Americans have visited War Tax Calculator since it was set up a week ago. Congress has come under pressure after hundreds of US citizens demanded full refund of income taxes used to pay for the war in Afghanistan. The Afghan war is said to cost Americans USD 13 million an hour.
“One and a half days of funding the war in Afghanistan would get us the USD 400-million cut in heeding systems for low income home owners which is vital in my state,” Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) said.
Pingree’s remarks were echoed by Congressman Walter Jones, who said, “Wake up America! Join us and get our troops out of Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, Congressman Jim McGovern says lawmakers need to show leadership and end the war.
“The President of the United States has the power to end this war, and if he is not going to do it, then those in US Congress need to pass the legislation that demands that we need to end this war,” he said.
These members of Congress and anti-war advocates say it is time the US administration got the message that Americans want wasteful Afghan war stopped.
——-Agencies