July 29, 2010

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

This week, Congress approved and sent to your desk the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2010.  As you are aware, this legislation includes $37.1 billion for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and $21.7 billion for urgent domestic priorities. I voted in favor of this bill, but I want to be clear that my vote should not be mistaken as support for our Afghanistan war strategy.

Our war strategy in Afghanistan has neither clearly defined objectives nor metrics for measuring progress and success. Therefore, I oppose sending more of our service men and women into harm’s way until these fundamental elements of our military strategy are established and implemented.  I ultimately supported the Supplemental Appropriations bill because it includes important funding to protect our troops and ensure they receive the care and services they deserve.  The bill also provides much-needed funding for the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund, Haiti earthquake relief, and aid to the Gulf region, as well as compensation owed to veterans suffering from Vietnam-era Agent Orange exposure.

However, I want to make my position clear. I do not support your Administration’s current Afghanistan war strategy, which I believe is misguided and short-sighted. I urge you to reevaluate our military approach in Afghanistan to establish clear objectives and metrics for measuring progress.

I appreciate your time and attention to this critical matter.

Sincerely,

John Yarmuth

Member of Congress