Bipartisan House Resolution on Afghan Pullout Expected Tomorrow

Vote Seen as Key Test for Increasingly Unpopular War

Most agree that it has virtually no chance of passing, but the House is expected to vote Thursday on an amendment pushed by Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R – UT) and Peter Welch (D – VT). The amendment would demand that President Obama end the war in Afghanistan.

Despite the pessimistic outlook toward the vote, the Pentagon and the Obama Administration are expected to keep a close eye on what is seen by many as a major test of exactly how much Congressional support remains for the increasingly unpopular war.

The bill would amend a massive defense spending bill to demand the end of the conflict. Reps. Welch and Chaffetz are expected to draw considerable bipartisan support for ending the war in the face of soaring costs. Exactly how considerable remains to be seen.

A separate amendment was successfully passed today insisting that the bill not be construed as an endorsement of the unlawful Libya War. The Obama Administration was required to secure Congressional authorization for the conflict within 60 days, something neither House nor Senate has done.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.