New Mexico’s Heinrich: Bring the troops home

Created: April 29, 2011 15:46 | Last updated: July 31, 2020 00:00

Rep. Martin Heinrich sent a letter to President Barack Obama Thursday asking him to being a troop withdrawal in July of this year. “We have a responsibility to leave Afghanistan in a responsible way,” Heinrich wrote, “and I believe it is time to begin this progress.”

Heinrich called on Obama to “follow through on the pledge we made to the American people to begin the drawdown of U.S. forces from Afghanistan this summer.”

There are currently 100,000 American troops stationed in Afghanistan.

Heinrich cited the cost and length of the war in Afghanistan in his letter:

We have spent over $450 billion in Afghanistan since the start of this war. Our youngest soldiers were just eight years old when our nation was attacked on September 11, 2001. It is time we start bringing our troops home.

He also mentioned that he visited Kandahar City in May of 2010 and saw “firsthand that progress is being made.”

Obama said earlier this month that the drawdown this summer “will be significant” and “is not not just a token gesture.”

He said he would have to speak with Gen. David Petraeus before discussing any specific numbers.

Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Obama administration had not yet decided how many troops will come home in July.