Press Releases
Wenstrup Leads Bipartisan Letter to President Biden Calling for Evacuation of All Americans and Allies
Cincinnati,
August 28, 2021
CINCINNATI — Congressman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) led a bipartisan group of 36 House colleagues in writing to President Biden, urging him to commit to evacuating all Americans and Afghan partners, regardless of the arbitrary August 31st deadline: “By honoring our promises to Afghan partners, we can send the message to U.S. citizens and local partners in other countries – where our servicemembers may one day find themselves engaged in life-or-death situations – that the United States is a reliable partner that stands by its people and partners in their time of need. We do not leave our people behind,“ the Members wrote. “Mr. President, we strongly urge you to commit to completing this evacuation, regardless of timeline. It’s the right thing to do.” You can read the full letter here:
August 27, 2021 Dear Mr. President: We mourn for the U.S. servicemembers killed in yesterday’s attack in Kabul. The thoughts and prayers of America are with their families. These servicemembers were engaged in a mission to save the lives of others, and we should never forget their service and sacrifice. As we grieve with the rest of America, we ask you to commit to evacuating U.S. citizens and Afghan partners out of Afghanistan, regardless of the August 31st deadline. Today of all days, we recognize this operation is not without risk, but we believe it is both a moral and national security imperative to see this evacuation to completion. For nearly 20 years, hundreds of thousands of Americans have served in Afghanistan. For many servicemembers and veterans, they wouldn’t have been able to complete the mission or come home safely without the service and sacrifice of our Afghan partners. These partners now face threats from the Taliban because they served alongside American forces and protected us over the last two decades. We have the strongest military in the world, and we must bring these resources to bear to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens and Afghan partners. This is not a partisan issue. Over the last few months, Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have joined together to ensure the U.S. fulfills its moral obligation to our people and Afghan partners. Over the last month, groups of veterans, refugee resettlement organizations, and ordinary citizens have mobilized to aid the evacuation and relocation of Afghan partners under threat. This is a testament to the broad support across the country for seeing this evacuation through. By honoring our promises to Afghan partners, we can send the message to U.S. citizens and local partners in other countries – where our servicemembers may one day find themselves engaged in life-or-death situations – that the United States is a reliable partner that stands by its people and partners in their time of need. We do not leave our people behind. Mr. President, we strongly urge you to commit to completing this evacuation, regardless of timeline. It’s the right thing to do. Sincerely, Brad Wenstrup Jason Crow Tom McClintock Brian Fitzpatrick Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. Bob Gibbs James R. Baird Earl Blumenauer Mike Thompson Melanie Stansbury Warren Davidson Carolyn Bourdeaux Gerald E. Connolly Jim Cooper Ami Bera, M.D. Stephanie Bice Michael Guest Kim Schrier, M.D. Tracey Mann Beth Van Duyne Rick Crawford Ben Cline Tom Malinowski Mike Bost Bradley S. Schneider Grace Meng Michael Waltz Randy K. Weber Chris Stewart Louie Gohmert Dan Newhouse Jamie Raskin Peter Welch Earl L. “Buddy” Carter Andrew S. Clyde Vern Buchanan Don Young |