[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 87 (Wednesday, May 19, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H2549-H2550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Bacon) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BACON. Madam Speaker, I agree with the comments of many of my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle expressing grave concern over the 
President's decision to establish a date certain for the withdrawal of 
all U.S. military forces from Afghanistan. I believe this decision is 
deeply misguided, and it is damaging to the long-term national security 
interests of the United States and our allies.
  The strawman argument of ending forever wars might be a convenient 
campaign slogan, but it is strategically naive and deeply offensive to 
those who have volunteered to fight to ensure that the very 
organization which attacked us on September 11, 2001, is incapable of 
ever doing it again.
  This is their job. It is a job that I did on four deployments. It is 
our sworn duty. It is their sworn duty. They are proud to do it, and we 
honor them for it.
  The truth is our force levels in Afghanistan are a fraction of what 
they once were, and have been steadily decreasing for years. 
Maintaining a small residual force is not an unaffordable or 
unsustainable burden. More than any other deployment in the world, the 
U.S. and NATO presence in Afghanistan delivers tangible strategic 
benefits to the U.S. at a relatively small and ever-decreasing cost, 
not to mention the immense humanitarian benefit to the people of 
Afghanistan itself, especially the women and the girls.

  The recent violence committed by the armed forces in Afghanistan only 
proves that the Taliban, al-Qaida, and ISIS-K clearly see this 
announcement as a full-fledged capitulation, and it reveals their true 
nature as untrustworthy and savage.
  A military withdrawal must always be based on conditions, not a 
calendar. By establishing a specific date, we are simply surrendering 
the hard-fought leverage we have gained over two decades, and we are 
inviting the Taliban to embark on a vicious reign of terror against the 
Afghanistan people.
  Furthermore, as a military man, I am utterly dismayed that we did not 
take the necessary steps to secure and prepare standoff basing in the 
region to project power when needed to conduct counterterrorism 
operations and to support the Afghan National Defense and Security 
Forces before announcing the withdrawal.
  We put the cart before the horse. We now have a moral obligation to 
ensure that the Afghan security forces can continue functioning with 
the proper military and financial support to keep the Taliban from once 
again plunging Afghanistan into darkness.
  Finally, and most urgently, we must honor our promises and keep faith 
with our partners and allies. Our values must remain the foundation of 
our foreign policy. If our partners and allies

[[Page H2550]]

lose faith in our ability to back them up, we willingly cede the field 
to an enemy who seeks our destruction.
  It is now, unfortunately, a moral imperative to find a way to 
expedite the safe passage of the very people who stood by us for nearly 
two decades. They have been loyal to our shared vision and have 
sacrificed so much to the pursuit of democracy. Their safety must be an 
absolute priority for this administration.
  So far, we have not observed sufficient urgency in developing an 
interagency plan to do this and in requesting the necessary resources 
and authorities from Congress. If we don't do this, the Afghans who 
helped our military will be hunted down and murdered by the Taliban.
  We must ask ourselves: Did we learn anything from our clumsy 
withdrawal from Iraq in 2011?
  The only thing more expensive than maintaining a moderate level of 
stability in a country like Afghanistan is the bloodshed and cost we 
will bear if we are forced to return.
  This is not an academic, hypothetical consideration, nor is it a 
partisan issue. Like many others on this side of the aisle, I 
repeatedly and publicly expressed my deep concerns over President 
Trump's impulse for a hasty withdrawal.
  The Taliban is still allied with al-Qaida. If the Taliban prevails 
after our withdrawal, it is very likely that al-Qaida will once again 
have a safe haven to conduct terrorism, and this is the very reason we 
invaded Afghanistan in the first place.
  Fortunately, pushback from Congress and the previous administration 
slowed the withdrawal process while retaining negotiating leverage and 
key counterterrorism capabilities. Unfortunately, from my vantage 
point, this latest decision has abandoned any semblance of strategy. It 
is a retreat.
  This hasty withdrawal is a tragic mistake, and we are going to regret 
it. I urge the President to change course before it is too late.

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