WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the statement below following the release of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction’s (SIGAR) report that flawed reconstruction projects in Afghanistan may have resulted in the death or injury of U.S. Armed Forces members serving in Afghanistan:
“It is unacceptable that our men and women in uniform in Afghanistan are dying and being maimed as a result of inadequate oversight,” said Menendez. “The U.S. military has made tremendous inroads in Afghanistan. Our troops should not have to fear that expensive programs authorized by the Defense Department meant to deter roadside bombs were never completed or even worse, were nonexistent. Before Congress approves additional funding for Afghanistan, I call on the Administration to implement real oversight reforms as recommended by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. With billions of taxpayer dollars at stake and American lives hanging in the balance, we owe it to our service members and their families to do everything in our power to protect them while serving in harm’s way.”
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