We also passed another tragic milestone this week. According to official Department of Defense statistics, over 5,000 American troops have now died in Iraq and Afghanistan, combined.

Of course, the human tragedy is even greater than that, because the 5,000 figure doesn't include the number of wounded American troops or the casualties suffered by the troops of other nations. It also doesn't include Iraqi civilian casualties or the military family members whose lives have been devastated. The human tragedy is so great, you can't really calculate it. And of course you must add in the Afghanistan civilian casualties as well.

What has been the reaction of this, in this Congress to the catastrophe? Well, we have passed yet another supplemental funding bill to keep the fighting going. But the situation in Afghanistan is becoming more and more dangerous. The U.S. Command expects that roadside or suicide bombings against our troops will be 50 percent higher this year than last year. In the first week of June, alone, there were more than 400 attacks, the highest level since 2001. And the Pentagon has admitted that we are losing troops at an alarming rate.

I voted against the supplemental funding bill because 90 percent of it pays for the military-only approach that has been such a failure in Afghanistan. Less than 10 percent of the supplemental goes to pay for the nonmilitary activities that can actually prevent extremism in Afghanistan. These include economic development, reconstruction, humanitarian aid, civil affairs, and diplomacy. Even National Security Advisor James Jones has said that nonmilitary approaches are vital and that they have always been lagging.

Well, it's time for them to stop lagging, Mr. Speaker. It's time to put those ideas front and center. We must also launch a new regional diplomatic surge that engages Afghanistan's neighbors in efforts to help the Afghan people and strengthen the central government's ability to deliver services and protect the citizens.

In addition to Afghanistan, we must also pay attention to other parts of the world where extremists take advantage of poverty and lack of opportunity to recruit new members. In these areas, America must invest in basic human needs like jobs, like health, education, education especially for girls and women who are often completely shut out of the classroom.

This is what the people want. This is what they need from America, not more innovations, not more occupations. This is what will bring real hope for the people's future, and this is what will help to avoid adding extremists in the first place.

Mr. Speaker, by changing and by supporting smart power over other priorities and goals, we can give the people of Afghanistan help. We can help them build a stable and functioning state. We can save the lives of our troops, and we can go a long way toward defeating extremism and stopping those who threaten our security--oh, and it would save billions of dollars as well.