Political Quotes

“Mr. President, yesterday, in a hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ranking Member Risch, called out the State Department for its apparent lack of action in helping those Americans and Afghan allies who are still stuck in Afghanistan. It has been 2 months since the withdrawal of all American military and diplomatic presence in the country in the wake of the Talban's total takeover of that country. In the past week or so, the number of Americans reportedly still in the country has grown, not shrunk. We have gone from around 100 to over 400. Now, I know Americans are not flocking to Taliban controlled Afghanistan, so why does this number keep going up? I understand that Americans are not required to register with the State Department so it is understandable that they would not have a reliable, fixed list of Americans at the start of this crisis. But I find it hard to believe that Americans waited 2 months after being abandoned in Afghanistan by their government to reach out and then, in the space of a week, suddenly found a way to get in touch. The State Department set up special e-mail addresses and issued guidance on how to report Americans and Afghan allies who need to be evacuated. My office heard from many Iowans concerned about those they knew in Afghanistan, and my staff followed the directions from the State Department, forwarding the contact information. For the most part, all I ever heard back was a confirmation that the message was received.…”