Dennis Kucinich: No Federal Funds For Libya Military Operations

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
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A day after suggesting President Obama should be impeached for committing the U.S. to military intervention in Libya without consulting Congress, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) announced that he will introduce an amendment to prohibit federal funds from being used in the military operation.

In a letter sent to fellow members of Congress, Kucinich accused Obama of dragging the United States into “another war we cannot afford.”

“According to the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, the initial costs of a no-fly zone could cost the U.S. between $400 and $800 million, or $30 to $100 million per week,” Kucinich wrote. “We have already spent trillions of dollars on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, both of which descended into unwinnable quagmires.”

Kucinich also criticized the Obama Administration’s timeline for the operation.

“While the Administration assures us that that the U.S. will hand-off its lead role to coalition partners within days, we have not been notified of long-term plans or goals following initial air strikes in the country,” he wrote. “The timeline the President gave to Congress was summarized with one word: ‘limited.'”

According to Kucinich’s office, the amendment will be offered to the next funding measure considered by Congress.

Kucinich is not alone in his vocal opposition to military intervention in Libya. A number of Democratic and Republican lawmakers have aired concerns about the operation.

Read Kucinich’s whole letter:

Dear Colleague:

A few days ago, the United States and our allies began conducting United Nations-sanctioned, U.S.-led military operations against Libya. The establishment of a no-fly zone by the U.S. and our allies, billed as an act to protect civilians in Libya, is an act of war. Yet the President committed the U.S. to military intervention without consulting Congress, in clear subversion of Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, which gives only Congress the power to declare war.

According to the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, the initial costs of a no-fly zone could cost the U.S. between $400 and $800 million, or $30 to $100 million per week. We have already spent trillions of dollars on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, both of which descended into unwinnable quagmires. Now, the President is plunging the United States into yet another war we cannot afford. While the Administration assures us that that the U.S. will hand-off its lead role to coalition partners within days, we have not been notified of long-term plans or goals following initial air strikes in the country. The timeline the President gave to Congress was summarized with one word: “limited.”

I intend to offer an amendment to the forthcoming Continuing Resolution or Omnibus Appropriations bill that would prohibit funding for U.S. involvement in military operations in Libya. I urge you to support this amendment.

Sincerely,

/s/

Dennis J. Kucinich

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