Senate Proceeding on Oct 1st, 2009 :: 5:52:45 to 6:00:50
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5:52:41 to 5:53:02( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: briefly and to take this important bill for this record today. thank you, madam president, and i yield the a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia is recognized. mr. chaim chambliss: madam president, i'd first like to commend the senator from louisiana for her great work on this issue of adoption. mr. chambliss: she has been very

5:52:45 to 6:00:50( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Saxby Chambliss

5:53:03 to 5:53:24( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: diligent over the years in promoting the issue of adoption of needy children acro america, and i'm very pleased to be a part of that caucus and commend her her great work there. madam president, status of the business before

5:53:25 to 5:53:46( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: e senate? the presiding officer: the last offered amendment is the coburn amendment it's mr. chambliss: i would ask consent that that amendment be set aside and that i be allowed to call up 2608, please. the presiding officer: is t objection? without objection, so ordered.

5:53:47 to 5:54:07( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: the clerk will the clerk: the senator from georgia, mr. kyl, proposes an amendment numbered 2608. at the appropriate the following. section: the amount appropriated by title 9 under the heading "afghanistan security forces fu $900 million. mr. chambliss: madam president,

5:54:08 to 5:54:28( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: very quickly, what this amendment does is it restores the amount of money for the training of the afghan security police and military back to the level that was requested both by the president in his budget submitted to this body as well as r approved in the defense

5:54:29 to 5:54:49( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: authoriz previously been voted on by this body and is now in conference the defense -- the fy 2010 defense appropriation bill takes $00 million million from the president's request for afghan security forces at a point in time when our trps are in the trenches

5:54:50 to 5:55:10( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: fighting and defending us, defending the both the tall ban and issue out there right now than training both the afghan military and the afghan security police.

5:55:11 to 5:55:31( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: we've just received general mcchrystal's assessment and let me quote from that assessment we are states as follows: "fail tour provide adequate re -- failure to provide adequate resources also risks a longer conflict, greater casualties, hire overall costs and ultimately a critical loss of political support. any of these risks, in likely to result in mission failure."

5:55:32 to 5:55:53( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: general mcchrystal's number-one issue is the traing of the afghan military and the afghan security police because of the fact that if we are ever going to achieve success over there, we have got to once weapon root out the bad guys, once we take out the taliban and al qaeda, that we can turn that country over

5:55:54 to 5:56:14( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: the afghans like we're doing in iraq today, and we can remove our troops out of there with confidence that the afghan military and the police are going to be able to maintain security within that country as well as to protect the afghan people from external sources. but the only way be able to do that is to train

5:56:15 to 5:56:36( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: the military as well as to train the security police. now, the president's budget that came over for this particular issue requested $.5 billion. that's a lot of money, a lot of money for any issue but certainly a lot of money for training. but it's obviously absolutely necessary if we're going to comple the job.

5:56:37 to 5:56:58( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: we're in a very -- at a very critical cross afghanistan right now. the president has under consideration the issue of whether or not to call for additional troops to be sent into afghanistan. he's obviously weighing that and while he should, i would hope that he's going to make a very quick decision on that particular issue.

5:56:59 to 5:57:19( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: but whatever the decision is and whenever he makes it, we know for a fact that the afghan military and the afghan security police have got to continue to receive the training that our troops are providing for them today. let me just give you a couple of other statements from other very high-profile individuals who are

5:57:20 to 5:57:40( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: very knowledgeable and -- and very thorough in their assessment of the situation with respect to the afghan military and the afghan security police. first of all, admiral mullin, during testimony before the senate armed services committee on september the 159, said as follows -- september the 159, said as follows, in response to

5:57:41 to 5:58:01( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: chairman levin, "i share your view that larger and more capable afghan security forces remain vital to that nation's viability. we must rapidly build the afghan army and police." senator levin, chairman of the senate armed services committee, at that same hearing stated, "we basically need a much larger afghan army much quicker.

5:58:02 to 5:58:22( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: that's the bottom line. that's the winning strategy." senator lieberman said in july that the commitment to expansion of afghan forces -- and i quote -- "is a decision that we have avoided making for far too long. every day we continue to drag our feet and fail to commit to the indigenous security forces

5:58:23 to 5:58:43( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: hinders the fight against extremists and delays the pull-out of u.s. troops in afghanistan. lastly, outgoing supreme allied commander for europe, or saucer, general john crattic said during his sass testimony this summer, "i don't think the intent there is to ever occupy and stay. the key, as has been pointed

5:58:44 to 5:59:06( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: out, is the enabling of development of of the national security forces. as the saucer for the last 2 1/2 years, i repeatedly told nato nations the very first thing we need are more trainers for the army and police, particularly the police." now, madam president

5:59:07 to 5:59:29( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: amendment does is, it adds $900,000 basically back to the top line. the reason we can do that is, is that under the appropriation bill as has been passed, as compared to the president's budget and the budget passed here, this bill is about $3.5 billion under the budget. so there's room there to add

5:59:30 to 5:59:52( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: this $900 million back in to make sure that we are giving the afghan people the able to protect themselves from forces as well as the ability to protect themselves from dangers within their own country.and lastly, let me say that the president has been very critical of the

5:59:53 to 6:00:13( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: million in the statement of administration policy or the sapp, that was put out on the 25th of sevment here's what the president "the administration option the reduction of $9 million for asff sustainment. accelerating the growth in size and capability of the afghanistan national security

6:00:14 to 6:00:34( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: forces is a key component of the u.s. strategy in afghanistan. the president's full request reflects his commander's plan for afghan forces to assume a greater share for security as quickly as possible." madam president, system snraited, it is critically -- simply

6:00:35 to 6:00:50( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: important that this traing proceed at a very rapid pace and in order to do that, we have got to resource the traing that our troops are doingoday and wwill need to continue to do over the next fiscal year. i would ask that this amendment