Rep. Charles Rangel once again wants to
reinstate the military draft and impose a war tax so Americans will share the burdens of the nation's ongoing military fights against Islamic militants.
"Armed conflict is unpredictable, chaotic, and costly," the 84-year-old New York Democrat, a Korean War veteran, said in a statement Thursday,
reports The Hill.
"When I served, the entire nation shared the sacrifices through the draft and increased taxes, but today, only a fraction of America shoulders the burden. If war is truly necessary, we must all come together to support and defend our nation."
Rangel has been introducing draft legislation during
every Congress since 2003, when the United States began its military operations in Iraq. He has been in the House of Representatives since 1971.
His new Draft Act opens the draft to women and requires all people between the ages of 18 to 25 to register for the Selective Service System. Further, the act calls for the reinstatement of the draft lottery, to be used whenever there is an Authorization for the Use of Military Force or a declaration of war is in effect.
He is also calling for a war tax act that will require revenue increases to pay for current and war funding. This time around, Rangel's bills come while the Obama administration is trying to sell its use of force authorization against the Islamic State, a measure that appears to be on hold.
"I have long called for reinstating the military draft, simply because I believe strongly that a national decision to go to war must also include a broad commitment to share its burdens," said Rangel, an Army veteran. "I feel the same about paying for wars. Those making the decision to fight need to feel the burden — not just our future generations as we've done with Iraq and Afghanistan."
Conflicts over the years in the Middle East have cost between $4 trillion and $6 trillion, a bill that Rangel said should make all Americans wary.
"The current attitude of 'fight now, pay later (or never)' should make us all wary of decisions to commit to wars undertaken by those who won't experience their consequences," he said.
"Whenever Congress decides to fund a war or other U.S. combat activities, it must provide a means to pay for it — then and there — not later."
This may be the last year for Rangel to present his Draft Act legislation. The one-time chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee is
aiming to retire at 86 at the end of the 114th session of Congress, leaving the seat he has held for years open in the upcoming 2016 elections.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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