Bill Description

This amendment, offered by Rep. Coffman (R-CO), Rep. Garamendi (D-CA), Rep. Murphy (D-FL), and Rep. Cohen (D-TN), would decrease the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund by $553.8 million and apply the savings to deficit reduction. The savings were accomplished by stopping the purchase of 30 Russian Mi-17 helicopters for the Afghan forces.

Liberty for All's Position

This amendment accomplished three key objectives - it continued to wind down the war in Afghanistan, reduced foreign aid, and began the process of necessary spending cuts to balance the budget. Liberty For All supports an end to the war in Afghanistan and recognizes that forcibly intervening in the affairs of foreign nations has a high human and economic cost. Our aggressive and violent foreign policy does not adequately account for the value of human life, puts our citizens lives at risk, and sows animosity thereby creating potential threats in the future. The Coffman amendment pursued a more peaceful and non-interventionist policy while providing the added benefit of reducing wasteful spending without jeopardizing U.S. national defense.