Congresswoman Jacobs Responds to President Biden’s Remarks on Afghanistan
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the bipartisan Honoring Our Promises Working Group, released the following statement on the government’s collapse in Afghanistan and President Biden’s remarks this afternoon:
“I was in middle school when military operations in Afghanistan began, and now as a Member of Congress, I represent San Diego, a proud military community that has sent two generations of servicemembers to fight in this war. They and their families have made incredible sacrifices. The best way to honor their sacrifice is to honor the promises those servicemembers made to their Afghan allies.
“The priority right now has to be evacuating as many people as possible as quickly as possible. The White House needs to cut the red tape, work with us in Congress, and do everything we can to get those fearing for their lives out of harm's way.
“And let’s be clear, the images we are seeing out of Afghanistan right now are not a reason to keep troops on the ground forever. I still wholeheartedly agree with President Biden’s decision to withdraw our military troops from Afghanistan.
“While I agree with the withdrawal, the alternative is not endless, unaccountable counterterrorism operations all over the world, which have proven to be ineffective. If we have learned anything from the last 20 years, that cannot be the future of American foreign policy. Our servicemembers and their families deserve better.”
Throughout this year, Congresswoman Jacobs has been a consistent advocate for expediting and expanding the evacuation of Afghan partners and allies. Congresswoman Jacobs joined her partners in the bipartisan Honoring Our Promises Working Group in writing to the White House in April and June expressing their concerns over the safety of Afghan allies and called for increased action to bring them to safety. The June letter to the White House specifically argued, “We also recommend that the President’s Interagency Task Force specifically consider the option of using Guam as a temporary evacuation site before moving our friends and allies to more permanent locations within the continental United States."
In July, the House passed legislation to expand and expedite the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process, legislation intended to help Afghan partners and their families safely immigrate to the United States.
In March, Jacobs spoke out forcefully on the need for the White House to lift the Trump-era caps on refugees and called for a new much higher target.