Afghanistan 20 Years Later: Another Costly Quagmire
As Congress debates the massive investment in American infrastructure, President Biden announces the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
April 25, 2021 •
(Shutterstock)
You can listen to the companion audio version of this and other essays in the series using the player below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or Audible.
What can you buy with a trillion dollars, let alone four or five trillion? It’s not that government expenditure is a zero-sum game (guns
or butter), and we all understand that national security and national defense are among the most essential expenditures of any sovereign nation. Still, had the United States not invaded Afghanistan and Iraq or prolonged our incursions there, that same national treasure might have been spent to address domestic needs, including the repair of America’s endangered infrastructure, with a shining new airport in each of America’s major cities.
House Measure Would Waive Citizenship Fees for Families of Purple Heart Recipients
Sgt. 1st Class Javier J. Gutierrez, 28, of San Antonio, Texas, died Feb. 8 2020 from wounds sustained during an insider attack in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. (Dept. of Defense)
25 Feb 2021
A new measure introduced in the House Thursday would waive fees for family members of Purple Heart recipients seeking to become American citizens, saving them hundreds of dollars.
The Sergeant First Class Javier Gutierrez Purple Heart Survivor Naturalization Fee Relief Act of 2021 introduced by Florida Republican Rep. Michael Waltz and California Democrat Rep. Salud Carbajal would eliminate processing fees for parents, spouses and children of service members who were awarded the Purple Heart.
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File photo of a Special Forces sniper
The Biden administration has some big decisions to make regarding our troops in the Middle East. According to the peace deal that the Trump administration signed in Doha last February with the Taliban, the United States must withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by May of this year.
It is a sticky situation as there is not an easy answer. The troop level is down to just 2,500 in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The Taliban have kept one part of the agreement: they have not attacked U.S. troops since the peace deal was signed. There have been no combat deaths in Afghanistan since two Green Berets, SFC Javier J. Gutierrez and SFC Antonio R. Rodriguez, from Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) from 3rd Bn., 7th Special Forces Group (7thSFG) were ambushed in Afghanistan by a rogue Afghan policeman in the Sherzad district of Nangarhar Province last February.