Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), my colleague on the Budget Committee who introduced that bill — H.R. 359 — estimated that it would save $617 million over 10 years. That’s roughly the same savings we would realize in two days from ending our involvement in an endless war in Afghanistan. Every day we stay in Afghanistan, we add more than $325 million to our debt.
In the coming months, we will have a number of serious debates over the budget, the deficit, the debt limit and our national priorities. We owe it to the American people to place all options on the table and to respond to what the voters want, rather than twist their wishes to match our own partisan agenda. As a member of both the Budget and Appropriations committees, I look forward to working with my colleagues to put our fiscal house in order and point our economy in the right direction for the 21st century.
Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) serves on the Appropriations and Budget committees.
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