Homeland Security

On July 6, Congressman Jim McGovern, along with 10 of his colleagues, made a series of speeches and amendments on the floor of the House of Representatives in a stand against a continued course in Afghanistan. McGovern's floor speech is below. Read more »

Last night the President outlined his strategy for Afghanistan - which included a drawdown of 10,000 troops by the end of this year and an additional 23,000 by the end of next year. I believe this is insufficient and I fear that it means more of the same for the next 18 months. The same strategy means the same costs - and I'm sad to say, even more casualties. More American soldiers… Read more »

-The drawdown of American forces that the President announced tonight is insufficient. The President is right that we need to shift our strategy in Afghanistan. But a counter-terrorism strategy doesn't need 70,000 boots on the ground, any more than it needed 100,000 boots on the ground. What the president needs to tell us is how - and when - he's going to bring all the troops home.… Read more »

"A token drawdown of a few thousand troops is not acceptable. The American people - and, increasingly, the Congress - are demanding more fundamental change in our policy," said Congressman Jim McGovern. "We will continue to make the point that instead of nation-building in Afghanistan, we need to do some more nation-building right here at home." Read more »

"Today's strong bipartisan vote represents a huge step forward in the effort to bring the war in Afghanistan to a close. I hope the President recognizes that there is a growing consensus in Congress and the country that our policy needs to change. Last year, I offered a similar amendment that got 162 votes - in a Democratic House." View House Clerk's vote totals… Read more »

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Jim McGovern offered an Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 calling for a plan and timeframe on the accelerated transition of military operations to Afghan authorities. His remarks, as prepared, are below. Read more »

Jim McGovern (D-MA), today introduced new, bipartisan legislation to require the Obama Administration to present an exit strategy for U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Read more »

"Like all Americans, I felt great relief and a sense of gratitude as I listened to the President's announcement about the death of Osama bin Laden. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the men and women in our intelligence and military operations who have labored for a decade to carry out this mission. Let us remember those who lost their lives on 9/11. My thoughts… Read more »

Dear Chairman King: We are writing regarding the Homeland Security Committee's upcoming hearings, which you have stated will focus exclusively on radicalization among Muslim Americans and homegrown terrorism. We agree that Congress and all levels of government have a duty to protect America from terrorism, whether from abroad or homegrown. We are, however, deeply concerned that the… Read more »

Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Walter Jones(R-NC) copenned an OpEd in this morning's Washington Post, calling for an end to the ongoing war in Afghanistan. Read more »