Rep. Hahn: “It is long past time we bring out troops home”

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Janice Hahn today announced that she will vote against H.R. 5856, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2013, which includes $88.5 billion in funding for the war in Afghanistan and continued operations in Iraq.

“Visiting Walter Reed twice this year has brought into stronger focus the toll the war is having on our young men and women,” said Rep. Hahn. “There you are reminded of the battles our men and women must continue to fight far away from the battlefield. There you are reminded of the struggles shared by the families of these veterans. It is long past time we bring our troops home.”

To date 2,041 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan with over 12,000 being wounded. The war has also cost the United States $635 billion dollars since 2001.

“The human toll is accompanied by a tremendous expenditure of taxpayer money,” said Rep. Hahn. “The money we are spending per week in Afghanistan is enough to hire 45,000 construction workers to help repair and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. For what this war costs each month, we could hire over 250,000 new teachers – nearly enough to hire back all the teachers who lost their jobs during the Great Recession.”

You can watch Congresswoman Hahn discuss the war on the House floor online here.

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