WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s address on Afghanistan:
“While I’m encouraged that the President laid out clear goals and a responsible timeline for completion, I remain skeptical about a commitment of 30,000 of our service men and women.
“The plan relies on the stability and the legitimacy of the Afghanistan and Pakistan governments. The Afghan government is riddled with corruption and Pakistan continues to harbor forces that we are trying to defeat.
“I am willing to listen to the President and his advisors and give them a chance to make their case. But I continue to remain skeptical. I do not want a long commitment of troops in the region and I am concerned with the dramatic costs to human life and to military families. Before we commit more troops and more taxpayer dollars, there must be a clear path to stabilizing the country that does not amount to an open-ended commitment of troops.
“I visited Afghanistan as part of the first Congressional delegation trip to the region following the country’s August elections. While I believe our troops are the best in the world, I will continue to urge the administration to reconsider its decision to send more service members to Afghanistan.”
In August, Brown traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan as part of the first congressional delegation trip to the region following Afghanistan's Aug. 20 election. While in Afghanistan, the delegation met with troops, military leaders, organizations monitoring the election, government officials, and non-governmental organizations involved in efforts to stabilize the region.
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