Miller-Meeks Speaks on Afghanistan Crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, August 23rd, 2021, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives on the ongoing situation in Afghanistan.
To watch Miller-Meeks’ speech, click HERE, and read her remarks as prepared for delivery below:
Mdm. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the ongoing situation in Afghanistan.
As a Vietnam-era veteran, I have seen the outcome of a poorly executed withdrawal, with tragic images of our allies hanging off of aircraft.
The scene that unfolded at Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul last week is a betrayal to American civilians and soldiers, our Afghan partners who aided American troops in the Global War on Terror, and the Afghan people.
The catastrophe that we have seen over the last few days was completely avoidable. We watched as the Taliban quickly took control of the country, released terrorists from prison, and began implementing Sharia law on those we left behind.
One of the most basic things you learn in the military is to never give your enemy the upper hand. We gave the Taliban the upper hand when we broadcast our withdrawal plans to the world. The arbitrary and symbolic timeline the Biden Administration gave to get our troops out is during the peak of the ‘fighting season’.
The Biden Administration needs to take full responsibility for this disaster. 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.
We need more answers regarding the decision-making process, and more answers on how the Biden Administration plans to extricate those left behind. It is our moral obligation to help them, and we must act now.
I yield back my time.
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