Congressman Blake Farenthold on the Joint Session with President Ghani

On March 25, the President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, spoke before a joint session of Congress to provide an update on the progress of his nation. The purpose of his visit highlighted the need to reflect on the mistakes made in Iraq by withdrawing U.S. troops too quickly. President Ghani reinforced his commitment to place Afghanistan on solid footing and remove the influence of terrorist organizations in his country.

His speech could not have come at a more appropriate time. Bad foreign policy by the Obama administration has arguably led to the rise of ISIS. With recent unrest in Yemen as well as nuclear negotiations with Iran by the Administration that are likely to be a bad deal, the U.S. needs strong allies in the Middle East.

On the same day, the House passed a budget resolution that proposes $96 billion for military spending and $73.5 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations to combat ISIS.

In February, President Obama sent draft language to Congress asking for authorization for use of military force against ISIS. The President’s draft language places undue restrictions on our military, and to win, Congress must pass an authorization that allows our military to do whatever it takes to defeat these terrorists. Ultimately, it is my prayer that we are able to stop ISIS without taking America into a prolonged ground war and that airstrikes and military action by our allies in the region will be successful.