Iraq

Congressman Carson strongly believes that the War in Iraq has unnecessarily diverted attention from the War on Terror and tax dollars from needy Americans. Since his election to Congress, Representative Carson has remained devoted to initiatives that prevent terrorism, improve our economy and seek to redeploy our troops out of harm’s way.

REDEPLOYING OUR TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ >> Since the commencement of the War in Iraq on March 20, 2003 almost 30,000 Americans soldiers have been injured and over 4,100 have lost their lives. Thousands more are facing their fourth and fifth tours in Iraq which often include extended deployments in Iraq’s most dangerous provinces. Accordingly, Congressman Carson strongly supports proposals which call for the redeployment of U.S. combat troops out of Iraq.

REDUCING THE COST TO TAXPAYERS >> In these difficult economic times, Americans are struggling to make ends meet. Yet, despite their cries for help, our government has spent an estimated $653 billion in Iraq since 2003. This equals over $2,000 for every man, woman and child that could have been used to prevent foreclosures, create jobs and improve our nation’s sagging economy. Meanwhile, the Iraqi government is collecting over $40 billion in oil revenues every year, little of which has been designated to rebuilding or protecting their country.

In light of our deepening economic crisis, Congressman Carson believes that the financial cost of the War in Iraq is unacceptable. By forcing the Iraqi government to support their own peace and reconstruction efforts, the United States can provide health insurance to millions of American children, extend unemployment protection to millions of U.S. workers, and rebuild our nation’s aging transportation infrastructure.

RETURNING FOCUS TO THE WAR ON TERROR >> Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, it became clear that the Untied States needed to pursue al Qaeda and their Taliban supporters in order to prevent future violence against Americans. Yet, with the start of the War in Iraq and the redeployment of troops from Afghanistan, American efforts to capture and kill al Qaeda terrorists have greatly diminished.

As of August 2008, only 18,000 American troops were stationed in Afghanistan, the War on Terror’s primary and most critical front. Comparatively, over 37,000 police officers currently protect and maintain order in New York City, a city with less than 1/10 th the population of Afghanistan and 1/500 th the geographic size.

Congressman Carson believes that al Qaeda and the Taliban still pose a significant and imminent threat to the security interests of the United States. Devoting more resources to the dismantling of al Qaeda’s terror network remains one of Congressman Carson’s top national security priorities.