Statewide Iowa — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says President Biden has doubled down on finger pointing — blaming President Trump and others for the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.
Ernst continued to say,
In a speech from the White House Monday, Biden suggested the swift collapse of Afghanistan’s government and the surrender of its military proved that further U-S involvement was fruitless if Afghans themselves weren’t willing to fight. Ernst says at some point, the US needed to withdraw, but after brutal Afghanistan winters, this is the peak of the so-called Taliban fighting season and she says the 2,500 US soldiers there had been a stabilizing force for the Afghan military.
Ernst also faults Biden for failing to give any specifics on how the U.S. intends to evacuate Afghans who were our allies over the past two decades.
Ernst worked with other veterans in the House and Senate on legislation to speed up the State Department’s processing of Special Immigrant Visa applications from Afghans. And Ernst says it’s clear it would be a death sentence if U-S immigration officials deport Zalmay Niazy — the Afghan interpreter for US troops who’s lived in Iowa Falls since 2015. Niazy has been seeking political asylum in the United States. According to staff for Governor Kim Reynolds, 94 other Afghans and Iraqis with Special Immigrant Visas have been resettled in Iowa since mid-2016.
The other members of Iowa’s congressional delegation have expressed outrage and concern about the situation in Afghanistan. Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion says the president was silent over the weekend as the world watched the unfolding catastrophe in Afghanistan and his speech Monday lacked clarity. Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Ottumwa, says the crisis in Afghanistan was completely avoidable and undermines our position with other allies. Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull called his supporters to pray for all who stand in harm’s way in Afghanistan. Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines, the only Democrat in Iowa’s federal delegation, says now is the time to stay focused on helping Afghans who worked to combat terrorism and support U.S. missions over the last 20 years.
