Defense

Nothing is more important than keeping Americans safe, and Senator Leahy has long fought to ensure that the brave men and women on the front lines and in our communities have the resources and support they need to do their jobs. Senator Leahy is proud of and grateful for our nation's service members and their families.

Afghanistan and Iraq

In Afghanistan, the United States has spent more than a half trillion dollars and lost over 2,000 U.S. troops with more than 18,000 wounded. What began as a mission at the core of U.S. interests following the devastating attacks of September 11th has become a costly, open-ended military development project and the longest war in U.S. history. Senator Leahy believes that we should refocus our military resources on a limited counter-terrorism strategy against international terrorist groups, and has continued to urge the Obama administration to shift to this policy through the drawdown of the U.S. presence at every available opportunity

Senator Leahy opposed the Iraq War from the beginning, and consistently voted against funding the war as an open-ended conflict. As the region continues to be unstable, he supports only limited U.S. presence in order to protect Americans serving in it and believes any further activities should be specifically authorized by Congress in a carefully limited way.

His opposition to war does not take away from his admiration and thanks for the dedication and bravery of our troops who have served and are currently serving overseas. Senator Leahy believes that we have a responsibility to care for those whose lives have been harmed as a result of these wars. Over the course of these conflicts thousands of men, women, and children have been killed, wounded or left hungry and homeless. He has worked to help innocent victims of war for over 20 years with the Leahy War Victims Fund, and he created special funds for both Iraq and Afghanistan to assist innocent victims of the military operations. You can read more about the Leahy War Victims Fund here.

Defense Spending

In addition to pushing for the conclusion of the conflict that has dominated the last decade, Senator Leahy has consistently called for reprioritizing defense spending to reflect current threats and American values. By reforming the Pentagon’s acquisition system and leveraging the savings that can be had in the Reserve Component of the Armed Forces, he believes that America can retain the world’s premier fighting forces while spending taxpayer dollars responsibly and honoring our nation’s commitments to service members and veterans. You can read more about Senator Leahy’s support of the National Guard here.

National Security

For more information on National Security issues, as they fall under the jurisdiction of the Senate Judiciary Committee, please visit this page.

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