Legislation Congress Wants After Bin Laden's Death

Reuters
Elspeth Reeve 6,533 Views May 2, 2011

Osama bin Laden might be dead, but that doesn't mean the wars are over. Representative John Conyers thinks, though, that it should mean exactly that. Conyers called for President Obama "to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq," the Democrat wrote in a statement. "With the death of Osama bin Laden, the Long War that began on 9/11 is finally over. It's time to bring our troops home, refocus our resources, reward the resiliancy of the American people, and rededicate ourselves to rebuilding our nation." Other members of Congress are using the news to push for shifts in public policy in different ways.

So far, no lawmakers have echoed the call made by Conyers, pictured above. But Senator Frank Lautenberg says the location of bin Laden's hideout--30 miles outside Islamabad--"raises serious questions about Pakistan’s commitment to that effort," Politico's Meredith Shiner reports. "The ability of Osama bin Laden to live in a compound so close to Pakistan's capital is astounding--and we need to understand who knew his location, when they knew it, and whether Pakistani officials were helping to protect him." Lautenberg, a Democrat, serves on congressional committees that direct money to foreign operations; Obama asked for $3 billion in aide to Pakistan in his budget for 2012. "Before we send another dime," Lautenberg said, "we need to know whether Pakistan truly stands with us in the fight against terrorism."

Republican Senator Susan Collins also called for there to be more "strings attached" to money sent to Pakistan, saying that the country appears to be playing both sides.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid insisted that there would be no changes to the timeline for withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan, The Hill's Daniel Strauss reports. Standing with Senate Armed Services committee chair Carl Levin, Reid told reporters that Obama "has indicated that he's going to stick with [the time table]. I think that's appropriate."

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at ereeve at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.

Sources

Related Articles   More by Elspeth Reeve

Pundits Skeptical Obama's Bin Laden Bounce Will Last Until 2012

Photos: Obama, National Security Team React to Bin Laden Raid

Trumpdate: A Single Advertiser Fires The Donald

 

The Problem with Pundits Thinking They Could Have Stopped Adam Lanza

Maybe Boehner's Plan B Stands for 'Backfire'

Elsewhere on the Web

User Comments

Please type your comment and click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be prompted to log in or register

  • The Atlantic Wire on Twitter
  • The Atlantic Wire RSS Feed
  • The Atlantic Wire iPhone App