Sponsored by:
Assemblyman TIMOTHY J. EUSTACE
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblywoman CONNIE WAGNER
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblywoman CLEOPATRA G. TUCKER
District 28 (Essex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Diegnan
SYNOPSIS
Urges President and Secretary of Defense to withdraw all New Jersey National Guard troops from Afghanistan.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Joint Resolution urging the President and Secretary of Defense to withdraw all New Jersey National Guard troops from Afghanistan.
Whereas, The cost of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan exceeds $1 trillion, which amounts to more than $16,000 per each American family of four, and continues to rise; and
Whereas, The continuation of Operation Enduring Freedom, and the sacrifices that it entails, have fallen disproportionally on the men and women of the Armed forces, many of whom have served two or three tours in Afghanistan; and
Whereas, The "citizen soldiers" of the National Guard, including members of the New Jersey National Guard, have repeatedly served in Afghanistan, causing substantial upheaval in the lives of their families, and employers, who rely on these men and women and worry about their continued presence in Afghanistan; and
Whereas, The deployment may leave the citizens of the State of New Jersey vulnerable in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack as the New Jersey National Guard may not have the personnel or equipment to adequately respond to an emergency; and
Whereas, Given the sacrifices made by the citizens of the State of New Jersey who have previously served in Afghanistan, and the close proximity of the State to potential terrorist targets, it is in the public interest to urge the President and the Secretary of Defense to withdraw all New Jersey National Guard personnel serving in Afghanistan; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Governor and Legislature of the State of New Jersey respectfully urge the President and the Secretary of Defense to withdraw all New Jersey National Guard personnel from Afghanistan.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this joint resolution shall be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense and every member of the Congress of the United States elected from this State.
3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This joint resolution urges the President and the Secretary of Defense to cancel the deployments of the New Jersey National Guard and to withdraw all New Jersey National Guard personnel from Afghanistan. The cost of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan exceeds $1 trillion, which amounts to more than $16,000 for each American family of four, and continues to rise. The deployments have caused substantial difficulty for their families and their employers who rely on them and worry about their continued presence in Afghanistan. In addition, the deployments may seriously curtail the ability of the New Jersey National Guard to respond to a natural disaster or terrorist attack.