JONES CALLS FOR GREATER TRANSPARENCY ON AFGHAN WAR

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) encouraged House leaders to help provide greater transparency on the War in Afghanistan.  In a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner and Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi, Jones and a bipartisan group of colleagues called for congressional hearings to examine the most recent National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Afghanistan, as well as the assessment of Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis.   

“Members of Congress should have the opportunity to get a full spectrum perspective on the War in Afghanistan,” said Congressman Jones.  “There is too much at stake in terms of the lives and limbs of Americans serving in Afghanistan, and in terms of the $10+ billion that Americans are borrowing every month to spend on that war, for Congress to accept something less.” 

Last month, Congressman Jones also joined in sending a bipartisan letter to President Obama requesting that the president authorize the declassification and release of the 2011 NIE on Afghanistan.  Jones and his colleagues believe it is important for the American public and its elected officials to have a full understanding of the situation in Afghanistan and the outlook as understood by the government.