House Speaker John Boehner promised lawmakers will “closely review” President Obama’s decision to leave troops in Afghanistan beyond the planned withdrawal next year and warned the “status quo” won’t lead to success in the region.
Boehner has long been a critic of Obama’s decision to remove troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, arguing that it has led to destabilization of the region and the advancement of Islamic State terrorists. Obama announced Thursday he’ll keep American troops in the country beyond the end of his presidency, which is much longer than he originally planned.
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Boehner on Thursday called on Obama to go beyond leaving troops in Afghanistan and to devise a new strategic plan for the region. The president’s latest plan would leave 9,800 troops in Afghanistan until October 2016 and reduce the number to 5,500 troops by early 2017.
Boehner also criticized Obama for threatening to veto a bill authorizing defense spending for fiscal 2016. Obama opposes the measure because he wants to lift federal spending caps left in place by the GOP.
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“The president’s half-measures and failed leadership have emboldened our enemies and allowed for ISIL’s rise.” Boehner said. “It’s time for a change. Instead of threatening to veto a troop funding bill while punting this crisis to the next administration, President Obama needs to finally lay out the broad, overarching strategy needed to defeat our terrorist enemies and protect the United States.”
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., long an advocate of ending U.S. troop involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, didn’t fully endorse Obama’s decision to postpone the withdrawal.
But she said she believed the president made the decision “to keep American ground troops in harm’s way with the utmost caution and solemnity.” Pelosi added that she is awaiting “a high-level briefing on the necessity of these steps when Congress returns to session.”
