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Sen. Rand Paul is fed up with the longest war in U.S. history, and he is reaching across the aisle to bring American troops home from Afghanistan.

The Kentucky Republican submitted legislation on Tuesday with Sen. Tom Udall, D-New Mexico,that says U.S. forces have completed their mission after nearly two decades of conflict.

Under the 2019 American Forces Going Home After Noble (AFGHAN) ServiceAct, the U.S. would declare victory in Afghanistan;set a 45-day deadline to formulate an orderlywithdrawal within a year ofall U.S. forces;and within one year pay a$2,500 bonus to military service memberswho have served in the war.

"This has been a long war,"Paul said during a conference call with reporters.

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The senator's office noted that more than $2 trillionhas been spent on the conflict and it has cost about2,300 military members their lives.

"We both just think that war is a terrible thing and we should only do it when we have to," Paul added.

Udall echoed those talking points about the measure, saying that the U.S. must reconsider its position on a war thatbegan in October 2001 as a response to the terrorist attacks striking the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

"This year we will reach a watershed moment in the nearly 18-year-long war inAfghanistan," he said. "Soon, American service members will begin deploying in a war that began before they were born."

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Udall praised Paul for beinga consistent voice against the war. Pauls aversion to foreign entanglements has long been a part of his ideological profile and political appealsince he was first elected to Congress in 2010.

Those beliefs have found fertile ground with the presidency ofDonald Trump, who is poised to scale back the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.Paul reportedly met privately with Trump in January, and he said the president acknowledged, "weve been at war too long and in too many places."

"I've talked to the president many times about this, and I think his instincts and his intentions are that we really have been long enough in Afghanistan and we have completed our mission," Paul told the Courier Journal.

Trump may also not be a reliable ally. NBC News reported Tuesday that the presidentwrote lawmakersthat he agrees "100 percent" with keeping a military presence in Syria just twomonths after declaring all U.S. troops would be leaving.

... War is a terrible thing and we should only do it when we have to.

Many of Paul's Senate Republicancolleagues have also voiced support for keeping a significant forcein Afghanistan and topull out of Syria more slowly.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, is chief among those hawkish lawmakers. Hebelieves terrorist groups, such as theIslamic State group, or other foreign governments will benefit ifthe U.S. pulls out of those regions.

Two months ago, McConnell, in a rare move,bucked Trump by spearheading a nonbinding amendment on a broader foreign policy bill that criticized the administration's withdrawal plans.

The language, which was added by a 68-23 vote, said leaving Afghanistan and Syria too quickly"could allow terrorists to regroup, destabilize critical regionsand create vacuums that could be filled by Iran or Russia"to the detriment of U.S.interests.

"I believe the threats remain," McConnell said during a January floor speech. "ISIS and al-Qaida have yet to be defeated. And American national security interests require continued commitment to our missions there."

McConnell spokesman Robert Steurersaid Paul's bill is being assigned to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but thereare no scheduling announcements at the moment.

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Paul told the Courier Journalthat he plans to speak withhis fellow Kentuckian about the withdrawal proposal, but that he isn't confident McConnell will allow his measure to see the Senate's daylight without outside pressure.

"I have very little hope," Paul said. "I mean, he was the leader of the amendment that chastised the president for even considering leaving Afghanistan. I just think we're on opposite sides on this."

Paul said the American public is ready to have the debate about ending the war even if McConnell and the rest of Congress is not. He said thelegislation he's co-sponsoring with Udall can also serve as a rallying cry for peace activists and the military alike.

"Our hope is that the military, who have served all these missions, will see this and say, 'you know what, I've risked my life eight times in Afghanistan, and I'm nolonger interested in serving missions to a failed state,'" Paul said. "This is to try to light a fire under the American public and get things going."

Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at502-582-4475 or pbailey@courierjournal.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today:courier-journal.com/philb.

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Rand Paul, Tom Udall want to pull troops out of Afghanistan