Over the past two weeks, a number of members of Congress have spoken out about the war in Afghanistan, often side-by-side with colleagues from the opposite party. In Washington, D.C. This is no ordinary occurrence! What has brought these lawmakers together? They share the conviction that it is time for the U.S. to bring the war in Afghanistan to an end.

On May 5, Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Walter Jones (R-NC) introduced a bill titled the Afghanistan Exit and Accountability Act, which calls for a concrete plan from the President on the accelerated transition to the Afghan government of U.S. military and security operations in Afghanistan. The bill was introduced with 16 original co-sponsors, 9 of whom were Democrats and 7 of whom were Republicans.

On May 9, eight representatives – four Republicans and four Democrats – sent a letter to President Obama calling on him to withdraw troops from Afghanistan immediately. In conjunction with the letter, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) said, “We cannot continue down this road of permanent warfare.”

These members of Congress from both sides of the aisle know that it is time for the U.S. to end the war in Afghanistan and turn its attention to building up Afghan civil society through diplomacy and development. Our faith tells us that violence begets violence and that war is not the answer. Our nation cannot sustain the financial costs of this ongoing war. The Afghan people need the freedom and ability to build the society they want.

NETWORK joins these diverse lawmakers in their unified calls to bring the war in Afghanistan to an end and to reinvest in diplomacy and development for the region.