Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Second Lieutenant Matthew Chaires on his graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Lieutenant Chaires, or Gunner, as his family and friends call him, is from Hilliard, a…

it pains me that we are negotiating with the Taliban after what, 18 years and billions or trillions of dollars.

If we go back to Afghanistan, if a deal is struck with the Taliban, what concerns do you have with regard to the progress we have made on the rights of Afghan women?

However, the region also faces significant challenges particularly involving China's increased influence in the region.

If I look at the history that has been learned or the lessons that have been learned from Afghanistan, we moved into a country that we did not understand.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time. Mr. Chair, we stand at a moment in history. Seventy years after the end of World War II and 30 years after the end of the Cold War, the world is still battling authoritarianism…

I think we should adapt our strategy and policies to fulfill the needs of a country and develop a stable government.

I think our focus should be on a stable government, because look at South Korea after the Korean conflict.

We cannot expect them to get to where we are at after our 200-year struggle and we still do not have it right.

if people do not understand a democracy, I think they would understand a stable government.

We moved into a country that we did not understand. We did not understand the tribal nature of a country and we tried to instill a democracy.

If we build a stable government we can progress into these things and think a lot quicker.

In 2017, the Trump administration announced their Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy which restructured the typical Asia Pacific approach and emphasized the importance of this region to the U.S. and our national security.

I would like to focus this hearing on how U.S. expenditures support the health of U.S.-Asia's democratic institutions, increase economic development, and address security concerns while best serving U.S. interests.

We have also seen the continued proliferation of human rights abuses and acts of radical terrorism.

Yet they control more land in Afghanistan today than they did before we went into Afghanistan.

The relationship between the United States and countries in South Asia concerning democracy promotion and economic growth is ripe for cooperation.

I think there is--if we know that people want to become more successful economically, when we go in and do major infrastructure development--and that was the impetus behind BUILD Act, so that we could develop infrastructures that would…