By a vote of 62-33, the Senate endorsed a non-binding amendment (#3096) to the fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act that seeks to expedite the transition of governance responsibility to the Afghan government by mid-2013, a full eighteen months before the current proposed full transition date of December 2014.
This amendment, while imperfect in many ways, signifies a very important step ensuring the President fulfills his promise to end the decade long U.S. war in Afghanistan. Perhaps more importantly, it puts on record the sense of the Senate—by way of around three-quarters of American public—that endless war in Afghanistan is unacceptable. The Pentagon will undoubtedly try to push the Obama administration to keep this war going, much as it did in 2009. Yet the Senate has now made clear that this would be unacceptable.
Another important aspect of this amendment is that it counters language in the House version of the FY13 NDAA, offered by House Armed Service Chairman Buck McKeon (CA), which seeks to maintain a “credible” presence in Afghanistan post 2014. An attempt to strike and replace this egregious language was not allowed by way of some shifty parliamentary procedural tricks employed by House leadership this past May. Having this language included in the Senate NDAA is now the only counterbalance to the ill-conceivedMcKeon language.
What does passage of this amendment mean going forward?
As is often the case, it depends. The House and Senate bills have to be conferenced before the President can sign them. Chairman McKeon will surely be on the Conference Committee, where he will work to keep his language. If he wins out, President Obama may sign the NDAA but issue a signing statement saying he will not honor the Afghanistan language. If Chairman McKeon is unable to keep his language, the president could sign an NDAA which holds him to his word on ending the war in Afghanistan.
It is also possible that—due to this and many other controversial aspects of the NDAA—President Obama may veto the bill as a whole. FCNL supports an administrative veto.
Ultimately, the importance of the adoption of this amendment comes down to one single factor: it changes the narrative around Afghanistan policy on the Hill. In truth, what the amendment says or does—it is non-binding, after all—is almost irrelevant. This effort—a culmination of years or work, countless hours and emails, and many a long nights—will, in the long run, be remembered as the time the Senate voted to expedite the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. That is how people will talk about this vote in coming months and that is the line the President can use to fend off those who would extend this war indefinitely.
For now, we will celebrate this small victory. But not for long, as there is still much work to be done.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
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In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $110,000 in one-time donations and to add 1350 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
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