A statement from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on the president’s announcement that all American soldiers would leave Iraq by the end of this year.

“I applaud the president’s decision and have been advocating that position for quite a while. Our nation has spent hundreds of billions of dollars in recent years protecting the people of Iraq and rebuilding that country. Vermont and America have also paid a very heavy price in loss of life and injuries suffered by our soldiers. Now is the time to bring our troops home, lower our military budget, and use those funds to create jobs by rebuilding our infrastructure and lowering our national debt.”