Today, twenty-seven Senators sent President Obama a letter demanding “a sizable and sustained reduction of U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, beginning in July 2011.”
President Obama is expected to make a decision on troop levels in coming days.
The letter, circulated by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Tom Udall (D-NM), marks a significant increase in Senate opposition to a long-term American military presence in Afghanistan.
Last year, only 18 Senators voted for a Feingold (D-WI) amendment demanding a timetable for withdrawal.
It follows on the heels of a 204-215 House vote on May 26 against the amendment offered by Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Walter Jones (R-NC) requiring the President to establish a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan. While this effort lost, the amendment produced the most votes thus far to end the war in Afghanistan.
If your Senator is on the list of signers below, please write a letter to your local newspaper thanking them for their actions:
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)
Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM)
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Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN)
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MI)
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Sen. Stabenow (D-MI)
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Thank you for all your work.
