Iowa officials weigh in on Taliban's control of Afghanistan, question Biden's decision

DES MOINES, Iowa — Afghanistan is now under Taliban control, and Iowa's political leaders are speaking out. 

President Joe Biden defended his decision to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan in a televised speech Monday afternoon, saying he stood "squarely behind" that decision. 

Local 5 spoke with Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-3) as well as Gov. Kim Reynolds about the situation while they were at the Iowa State Fair Monday. 

Reynolds had a message for Iowa troops who may view their work to be in vain.

"They make a difference. They truly did make a difference," Reynolds said about troops being in Afghanistan. "We didn't see another attack on our soil since 9/11. So they serve the purpose and they helped work with the people of Afghanistan to move in that direction."

Reynolds also released a statement about bringing Afghan refugees to Iowa:

"The state of Iowa has resettled 94 Iraqi and Afghan SIV (Special Immigrant Visa) recipients since Fiscal Year 2017, and we are exploring how we can continue to support Afghan SIV recipients who supported the U.S. government. 

We are currently waiting on additional details from the federal government to understand any new emergency processing and ensure proper vetting for any SIV or refugee resettlement."

At the fair, Axne said there's still work to be done in Afghanistan before U.S. troops leave. 

"We need to bring our troops home, but we also need to stabilize that area," Axne said. "And so we're seeing, of course, the issues that do occur, you know, when we do want to pull our troops out." 

Axne released a longer statement on social media. 

Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA-2) tweeted earlier on Monday that Biden's silence was "unbelievable and unacceptable." However, the Republican congressman did not have a statement later Monday evening after Biden's speech. 

Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson also took to Twitter to release her thoughts on Biden's speech Monday, saying he "did not provide clarity or reassurance to Americans or our allies." 

"Congress must step forward and demand answers and transparency about the decisions that led to this unfolding catastrophe in Afghanistan," Hinson tweeted. 

Her full thread on the issue can be found by clicking/tapping here. 

Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks called the Taliban's takeover avoidable in a series of tweets on Monday. 

Later Monday evening, she tweeted a video of her questioning U.S. Department of Human Services Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about the Biden administration's plans to safely evacuate Americans and Afghan allies. 

However, the video doesn't show all of Mayorkas's response. 

"The situation unfolding in Afghanistan today is a travesty, and we must hold the Administration accountable for the safety of our Afghan partners," Miller-Meeks tweeted.

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, who is a combat veteran, released her own statement on the situation Monday evening, saying it was "entirely avoidable." 

“This mishandled and haphazard withdrawal executed by this president caused so much of the collapse and panic we are witnessing now and is an international embarrassment and a black-eye for our country that will put more Americans and allies in harms’ way while emboldening our adversaries. 

The president failed to give any specifics on how he plans to get our Afghan friends to safety or to expedite the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program—something I’ve long pushed for on a bipartisan basis."

More of her statement can be read in the tweet below. 

Lastly, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley tweeted several of his thoughts Monday, saying Biden should have acted sooner. 

"If President Biden would’ve listened to intel/military leaders he would’ve acted sooner to get Americans & those who helped our military out of Afghanistan & it wouldn’t be the debacle it turned out to be," the senator tweeted.