Ernst says Biden has undermined national security, strength

WASHINGTON — Iowa's junior Republican Senator said Thursday that President Joe Biden has made the country appear as a weak and unreliable partner, and the situation for him is at a crossroads.

After an attack killed 12 U.S. troops and at least 60 Afghans at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan Thursday, Sen. Joni Ernst said Biden now has a clear choice when it comes to Afghanistan.

In a statement, Ernst said, "President Biden has a choice: quit and leave innocent Americans and those who have willingly fought alongside us for 20 years to suffer in Afghanistan; or, fulfill his obligation and engage the might of the greatest military in the history of the world to bring Americans and our allies and partners to safety and project America’s strength on the global stage."

Ernst blamed the bloodshed and recent troubles the U.S. and allies have experienced in evacuating citizens and others from the country ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline squarely on Biden.

Ernst is the first female combat veteran to serve in the U.S. Senate and is a veteran of the Global War on Terror and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"The chaos, and now catastrophic bloodshed, that has ensued in Afghanistan over the last few weeks was brought on by the president’s haphazard and hasty withdrawal of U.S. forces," Ernst said.

She said Biden's handling of the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan has painted America as an unreliable partner, undermined national security, and made the country appear weak on the world stage.

Iowa's elder Sen. Chuck Grassley did not immediately provide a statement but tweeted that he is praying for those impacted.

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, an Ottumwa Republican, retweeted a reporter's tweet about the news and called it "devastating and heartbreaking news." Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Miller-Meeks has been openly critical of Biden's troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. She said earlier this month that America was leading its allies behind, which would have consequences on the country's future efforts to collect intelligence and conduct counter-terrorism activities.

Earlier this week, Miller-Meeks said on the floor of the U.S. House that the Biden Administration needed to accept blame for the chaotic withdrawal.

"The Biden Administration needs to take full responsibility for this disaster," she said. "They are making the decisions and need to be accountable for those decisions. President Biden said that the buck stops with him but he has continued to point fingers and blame others."

Miller-Meeks is a U.S. Army veteran from the Vietnam era and the daughter of a U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant.