Published on
Thursday, July 02, 2020
byCommon Dreams
Here Are the 16 Democrats Who Voted With GOP to Kill Amendment to Withdraw
All US Troops, End Afghan War
"After nearly 19 years, over 147,000 casualties and total costs over a
trillion dollars, it's long past time to bring troops home and invest in
political, diplomatic, and development tools."
byJake Johnson, staff writer
Members of the anti-war group Veterans for Peace carry mock coffins for the
more than 2,200 American military personnel killed so far in the war in Iraq
at the 21st annual Kingdom Day Parade on Martin Luther King Day January 16,
2006 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: David McNew/Getty Images)
A bipartisan Senate amendment to withdraw the remaining 8,600 U.S. troops
from Afghanistan-ending a bloody war that has dragged on for nearly two
decades-failed Wednesday after 16 Democrats joined 44 Republicans in voting
to table the measure, effectively guaranteeing it will not be included in
the chamber's $740.5 billion National Defense Authorization Act.
Paul Kawika Martin, senior director for policy and political affairs at
Peace Action, applauded Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) in a
statement for forcing senators to go on the record with their amendment,
which would have required the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan
within a year and brought an end to the 19-year war-the longest in American
history.
"The pandemic clearly shows that expensive endless wars that cost $6
trillion from taxpayers make Americans less safe as they take funds from
critical needs like healthcare," said Martin.
Below are the 16 members of the Senate Democratic caucus who voted with
nearly every Republican to table the Afghanistan amendment:
Richard Blumenthal (Conn.)
Tom Carper (Del.)
Chris Coons (Del.)
Dianne Feinstein (Calif.)
Maggie Hassan (N.H.)
Doug Jones (Ala.)
Angus King (Maine)
Joe Manchin (W.Va.)
Bob Menendez (N.J.)
Chris Murphy (Conn.)
Jack Reed (R.I.)
Jacky Rosen (Nev.)
Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.)
Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz)
Mark Warner (Va.)
Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.)
The Paul-Udall amendment would also have repealed the 2001 Authorization for
Use of Military Force, Congress' sweeping legal green light for the
deployment of U.S. troops to Afghanistan that was subsequently used by the
Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations to justify military action in Libya,
Yemen, Somalia, and other nations as part of the so-called "war on terror."
"American voters agree we must end endless wars," said Martin. "After nearly
19 years, over 147,000 casualties and total costs over a trillion dollars,
it's long past time to bring troops home and invest in political,
diplomatic, and development tools. Yet, the Senate voted against debating to
end the wars."
