[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 14, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6469-S6472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Afghanistan

  Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, I am here today to talk about the crisis 
in Afghanistan and to honor the distinguished service of those who gave 
the last full measure of their devotion protecting Americans there.
  For the last month, Americans have watched, horrified, at the scenes 
of chaos and terror and bloodshed: Americans trapped at the Kabul 
Airport, terrified as the enemy closed in; innocent civilians fleeing 
for their lives, abandoned by their government; a young man desperately 
clinging to a departing plane's landing gear, he was so desperate to 
escape, only to fall then to his tragic death; 13 marines, the pride of 
our Nation, cut down by terrorists, never to see home again; and, then, 
as American planes finally departed, hundreds of American civilians 
left behind to the enemy.
  Let me say that again: hundreds of American civilians left behind to 
the enemy.
  And after all of that, who can forget the image of the President of 
the United States, declaring this mission that he planned, that he 
executed, that he oversaw--this mission that left 13 marines dead, that 
left hundreds of American civilians behind enemy lines; this mission 
that resulted in chaos and terror and bloodshed--who can forget this 
President saying that this mission was, and I quote, ``extraordinarily 
successful''?
  An extraordinary success--really? Has a Commander in Chief in 
American history ever before uttered words like that? Has a Commander 
in Chief ever celebrated as ``successful''--``successful''--the 
abandonment of American civilians to an enemy, the death of American 
soldiers, terrorizing of American citizens and American allies?
  I hope I will not live to ever hear again in my lifetime such 
shameful and disgraceful words from a President of the United States.
  And make no mistake, this President is a disgrace. His behavior is 
disgraceful. He has dishonored this country with his shameful 
leadership in this crisis, and it is time for him to resign. And if he 
had the responsibility of leadership, he would resign for the crisis 
that he has himself led this Nation into and the responsibility he 
bears for the lives that have been lost and for the American citizens 
who are, even now as I speak, trapped in Afghanistan, left to the enemy 
because of his failures and his shameful, disgraceful leadership.
  Even the shameful performance of America's leaders cannot disguise or 
cover over the heroism of America's soldiers, and I want to talk about 
one of those soldiers now. He was Marine Corps LCpl Jared Schmitz. He 
was from Missouri.
  He was from Wentzville, in St. Charles County, to be exact, and he 
had wanted to be a marine since he was a teenager. Lance Corporal 
Schmitz was only 6 months old when terrorists attacked this country on 
September 11, 2001. He wasn't old enough to remember the beginnings of 
this long war in which he would go on to so valiantly serve. He had 
only graduated from high school, from Fort Zumwalt South High School, 
in 2019.
  Jared signed up to join the Marines shortly before his 18th birthday. 
He had dreamed of it since before his sophomore year. He began training 
with recruits even before he enlisted. He wanted to serve this Nation 
because he was a man who served others. His father said Jared was 
always smiling nonstop. He brought light and hope to every place he 
went, and he wanted to bring those gifts and service to his country--
and he did.
  He was a fine marine. He was sent on his first deployment to Jordan 
earlier this year and then received orders to Afghanistan. Jared 
Schmitz, Lance Corporal Schmitz, was there on August 26--there at the 
Kabul airport, doing his duty, serving his country, smiling nonstop 
when the enemy attacked. And it was there that Lance Corporal Schmitz, 
age 20, gave his life for the

[[Page S6470]]

people he loved and for the Nation he served. He died so that others 
might live.
  I had the privilege of speaking to Lance Corporal Schmitz's family 
just hours after we learned of Jared's death. I said this to them, and 
I promised that I would say it for the whole Nation: that Jared Schmitz 
lived a life of honor, he lived a life worth living, and his sacrifice 
was not in vain.
  Jared didn't have to serve. He didn't have to deploy halfway around 
the world. He didn't have to stand protecting Americans and other 
innocent people as disaster unfolded. He didn't have to do any of it. 
He chose to do it. He chose to serve. He chose to give his life for 
others. That is a hero. That is an American.
  Lance Corporal Schmitz deserves this honor. He deserves this 
recognition. Frankly, it is the least of what he deserves. And so, 
today, I am introducing in this body a resolution to honor Lance 
Corporal Schmitz and all the Missourians who made the ultimate 
sacrifice during the war in Afghanistan. They will not be forgotten.
  Over the last 20 years, we have often heard numbers used to describe 
the costs of this long war: $2 trillion spent, over 20,000 soldiers 
wounded in action and thousands more who came home with invisible 
wounds, and 2,461 American personnel who gave their very lives. But 
each of these numbers was a son, a daughter, a husband, or wife, or 
father, or friend. They have names. They have lives. And they deserve 
to be honored.
  As this chapter of American history concludes, I want to recognize in 
the Congressional Record each of my fellow Missourians who, during the 
war in Afghanistan, made the ultimate sacrifice serving this Nation. I 
ask that each of us reflect together and pray together for each one of 
the fallen, and also their families who have sacrificed so much, who 
have sacrificed all they have to sacrifice. These men and women will 
live in our hearts and in the memory of this Nation.
  They are Christopher Michael Allgaier; Michael Chad Bailey; Michael 
Joe Beckerman; Brian J. Bradbury; Paul Douglas Carron; Jacob Russell 
Carver; Joseph Brian Cemper; Robert Keith Charlton; Richard Michael 
Crane; Robert Wade Crow, Jr.; Justin Eric Culbreth; Robert G. Davis; 
Edward Fred Dixon III; Jason David Fingar; James Matthew Finley; 
Zachary Michael Fisher; Jacob Rudeloff Fleischer; Blake Wade Hall; 
Nicholas Joel Hand; James Warren Harrison, Jr.; Jonathon Michael Dean 
Hostetter; James Roger Ide V; Issac Brandon Jackson; Christopher M. 
Katzenberger; Jeremy Andrew Katzenberger; William Jo Kerwood; Daniel 
Leon Kisling, Jr.; Donald Matthew Marler; Matthew David Mason; Richard 
Lewis McNulty III; Bradley Louis Melton; James Douglas Mowris; Michael 
Robert Patton; Joseph Michael Peters; Robert Wayne Pharris; Ricky Linn 
Richardson, Jr.; Charles Montague Sadell; Charles Ray Sanders, Jr.; 
Ronald Wayne Sawyer; Patrick Wayne Schimmel; Jared Marcus Schmitz; 
Roslyn Littman Schulte; Billy Joe Siercks; Adam Olin Smith; Tyler James 
Smith; Christopher Glenn Stark; Sean Patrick Sullivan; Philip James 
Svitak; Phillip David Vinnedge; Matthew Herbert Walker; Jeffrey Lee 
White, Jr.; Matthew Willard Wilson; Vincent Cortez Winston, Jr.; 
Sterling William Wyatt; and Gunnar William Zwilling.
  Mr. President, the sacrifices of so many brave men and women demand 
that we in Congress bring all the facts of this long war to light. 
These sacrifices demand that we in Congress prioritize transparency and 
full accountability. And these sacrifices demand that we hold 
responsible those who bear the blame for the failure of the last month 
and of all the months that preceded it.
  For 20 years, our soldiers who fought in Afghanistan did what we sent 
them there to do. They went after al-Qaida, killed Osama bin Laden, and 
prevented terrorists from using Afghanistan as a base for attacking our 
homeland. They did their duty, and they did it honorably.
  But by now it is abundantly clear President Biden has not done his. 
President Biden turned an orderly evacuation into a disaster; that much 
is painfully clear.
  First, Joe Biden pulled our troops out; then he sent thousands back 
in. He failed to protect Americans still in the country. He failed to 
account for lethal American military equipment he left behind. He 
failed to anticipate worsening conditions on the ground. He failed in 
his judgment that the Afghan security forces would hold their own when 
our own intelligence estimates said that they wouldn't. He failed to 
anticipate a new offensive by the Taliban. He failed again and again 
and again until American blood at the Kabul airport paid the price for 
that failure. Then he celebrated it as an ``extraordinary success.''
  Joe Biden's team is responsible too. Men like Secretary Austin; 
Secretary Blinken; Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser, they 
overestimated the Afghan security forces' willingness to hold the line; 
and instead of planning for the worst, they planned for the best. 
Because of them, we have Americans stranded behind enemy lines and over 
100,000 Afghan refugees arriving now to this country at this eleventh 
hour without vetting or precautions.
  This was never necessary. It did not have to be this way and it 
shouldn't have been. Joe Biden is responsible for today's failure and 
now there must be accountability. Instead, the President's team is even 
now coming to Capitol Hill and blaming others, shirking responsibility. 
That is cowardly.
  I, for one, am not willing to look the other way. Let me be clear. I 
will not consent to the nomination of any nominee for the Department of 
Defense or for the Department of State until Secretary Austin and 
Secretary Blinken and Jake Sullivan resign. Leaders take responsibility 
for their failures. And the failure of these individuals, the failure 
of this administration has cost Americans their lives and has left 
American civilians to the enemy. There must be accountability and there 
must be a new start.
  I believe that a century from now, when the history of this long war 
is written by our children's children, they will note the heroism and 
the honor of our soldiers and veterans who, in the aftermath of the 
worst attacks on our Nation's soil in a century, stood steadfast and 
resolute in unity; and who, despite the grave mistakes of their leaders 
over many years, served their country with bravery and distinction and 
defense of our freedom.
  The great Winston Churchill, who was himself the veteran of one war 
and leader of another, said this almost 70 years ago:

       We have surmounted all the perils and endured all the 
     agonies of the past. We shall provide against and thus 
     prevail over the dangers and the problems of the future, 
     withhold no sacrifice, grudge no toil, seek no sordid gain, 
     fear no foe. All will be well. We have, I believe, within us 
     the life-strength and guiding light by which the tormented 
     world around us may find the harbour of safety, after a 
     storm-beaten voyage.

  Mr. President, I believe, as Americans, we have that life-strength. I 
believe we have in us the light and the hope to survive this troubled 
time and to provide the world around us the harbor of safety after a 
storm-beaten voyage.
  God bless our troops.
  I yield floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.
  Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I join the Senator from Missouri and his 
colleague, Senator Blunt, expressing my condolences and concern for the 
family of Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz from the great State of Missouri 
and others who died at the Kabul airport in the effort to free 
Americans and Afghans who helped Americans from their country and from 
their deaths.
  It takes us back to this weekend, Saturday, September 11. Our Nation 
remembered the horrific attacks that occurred 20 years previous and 
reflected upon the fight against terrorism, which was set in motion on 
that very fateful day.
  The events that unfolded in Afghanistan these past few weeks have 
made the 20th anniversary of September 11 that much more painful; 
painful especially for the men and women who served our Nation in 
Afghanistan.
  The chaos and collapse of that country cost American lives, opened 
old wounds, and left many Americans questioning how all this could 
happen in this manner.
  The American people require answers from the administration on how 
our withdrawal from Afghanistan went so horribly--so horribly, horribly 
wrong.

[[Page S6471]]

Officials should be, must be, held accountable for their weak 
leadership and mismanaged withdrawal.
  During my tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives and here in the 
U.S. Senate, following the attack of 9/11, I visited Afghanistan four 
times. Over the course of those visits, I saw progress being made by 
our troops and by civilians, by our NATO allies, and by Afghan 
partners.
  My last visit was about 4 years ago just to the day about a week ago. 
At that time, the U.S. had less than 15,000 servicemembers in 
Afghanistan and our men and women were operating as advisers to the 
Afghan military. For the most part, the war seemed to be being fought 
by the Afghan military. Certainly, several terrorist groups had a 
presence in the region, but our military was preventing them from 
gaining the ability to strike our homeland.
  President Biden's withdrawal plan, if it could be called that, led to 
the deadliest day for American servicemembers in Afghanistan since 
2011. Thirteen of our servicemembers returned home in flag-draped 
caskets. Most of them were too young to remember 9/11, yet they laid 
down our lives to help Americans and Afghans flee the Taliban and find 
safety.
  Americans remain in Afghanistan and thousands of our Afghan partners 
who are likely to face persecution or death at the hands of the Taliban 
have little hope of escaping the country. Our own office continues the 
effort to try to find and help those individuals remove themselves from 
a country where death seems certain.
  I thank my staff, and I pray for those people, and I thank the 
Kansans who brought them to our attention.
  People at home worried about Christians being persecuted for being 
Christians in Afghanistan. Those who serve in Afghanistan worried about 
someone who saved their life--an Afghan who saved their life or who was 
their interpreter or who was there side by side with them--now being 
left to the fate of the Taliban.
  I am a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittees that fund 
the Departments of Defense and State. We must hold hearings to examine 
the President's decision-making process and his consideration of the 
advice provided by his military and intelligence community leaders. We 
need to determine what steps, if any, were taken to plan for the 
withdrawal of Americans, with Special Immigrant Visas holders from 
Afghanistan.
  We also need to hear directly from the administration how costly the 
lethal American weapons ended up in the hands of Taliban. The high-
ranking officials who were responsible for this failure must answer to 
the American people why this operation failed so spectacularly and why 
their taxpayer dollars were left behind for the Taliban in the form of 
helicopters, combat vehicles, and weapons.
  How is it that we came to rely upon the Taliban to help those we are 
responsible for, we owe a debt to, to be able to escape from the 
Taliban?
  The administration must also be held accountable for its 
mismanagement and for the precarious security situation that this 
incompetent withdrawal created. Hastily withdrawing thousands of 
troops, apparently in the interest of a symbolic departure before the 
20th anniversary of 9/11, made this world a more dangerous place. It 
created an environment that will allow radical terrorists to find 
refuge under the Taliban rule, and produced one that was the most 
pressing humanitarian crisis in history.
  We deserve answers on how we will remedy this complex security 
situation, how we will help Afghan women and girls who are already 
being persecuted, and how we will learn from mistakes that were made to 
make certain it cannot happen again.
  Finally, our veterans who served honorably in Afghanistan need to 
know that their service--and when I say ``finally,'' this is not the 
least important point. It is made at the end to make the point so 
clear. Our veterans who served honorably in Afghanistan need to know 
that their service was not--was not--in vain. More than 775,000 
servicemembers were deployed to Afghanistan over the two decades since 
9/11.
  To those servicemembers: Make no mistake, your service has left a 
lasting and unparalleled impact upon the world.
  Our country has been safe from a terrorist attack from the region of 
Afghanistan since their arrival in Afghanistan. Their work and efforts, 
their sacrifice and service made a difference for the safety of their 
fellow Americans. Those who served significantly reduced the threat 
from al-Qaida and brought Osama bin Laden to justice.
  You deserve to know that the collapse of Afghanistan does not fall on 
your shoulders but on the failure of leadership here in the Nation's 
Capital City. Our sudden, disastrous, and poorly executed withdrawal 
opened old wounds and created new ones.
  I commit as the ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs to work side by side with our chairman, the Senator 
from Montana, to make certain that our veterans receive the care and 
attention they deserve and are entitled to, the respect and honor from 
their fellow American citizens, and the benefits that we promised to be 
available, available.
  We have made the world a more dangerous place by our failing 
departure, and we have left Americans and our Afghan partners behind.
  I served in the House of Representatives on 9/11, 20 years ago. I 
remember the day and the attack. I was one of the first Members of 
Congress to visit Ground Zero, where I saw the remains of the two Twin 
Towers--still smoke coming from the ground, steam--a bit like a 
construction site as they were trying to remove the rubble that were 
the remains of those towers.
  First, family members were brought in to see the site where their 
loved ones died, which captured my heart as I watched them see where 
their loved ones died. After paying my respects to those family members 
and as I was leaving, I found a makeshift memorial that New Yorkers had 
placed there. It was a series of long tables at which people had 
brought flowers and cards, stuffed animals--teddy bears--and notes to 
pay tribute to those who had died just a few weeks before at that 
location.
  I picked up one thing from that table of remembrance and honor and 
respect. It was a piece of notebook paper with a jagged edge along the 
side, torn out of a spiral notebook, with a child's handwriting:

       Dear Daddy, how much I love you, how I hope Heaven is a 
     wonderful place, and I hope, Daddy, that I live a life good 
     enough to join you there someday.
       Amanda, aged 12.

  That moment has stuck with me for 20-plus years now--the point being 
that we have a responsibility to make sure that there are no more 
Amandas who suffer the fate that this young girl suffered that day with 
the death of her father. It occurred because of a terrorist attack 
occurring on the lands of Afghanistan, held by the Taliban, that 
allowed ISIS to attack the United States of America.
  I have tried to change my conduct as a Member of Congress, since that 
day, to be a more responsible Member, to do the things necessary to be 
more worldly and understand what is going on, to make sure that I make 
the decisions that help make the world a safer place.
  What we have seen in the last few weeks discourages me in making the 
world a safer place, but I rise to the call again to say we have 
responsibilities left in Afghanistan; we have responsibilities to the 
people we left behind to allow and to help them escape near certain 
death; and we also have responsibilities to those men and women who 
served in Afghanistan, who answered the call because they saw what 
happened to our Nation on 9/11 and said: I have something to give. I 
have something--perhaps my life--to give to see that this doesn't 
happen again.
  I hope that we, despite the circumstances that we have seen in the 
last days, now have the ability as a U.S. Congress, as a Member of the 
U.S. Senate, to rise to the occasion in which we are still needed in 
this world to protect American lives, to save lives in Afghanistan, and 
to make certain--to make certain--that there are no more Amandas asking 
for the opportunity to see their fathers someday in Heaven.
  The burdens are great for us. The responsibilities are real. Those 
who have failed us to date need to be held accountable, and the rest of 
us need to rise to the occasion to protect this country we love, the 
United States of America.

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  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Lujan). The Senator from Washington.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, we are about to take two votes, and I 
will speak on both of them for just a few minutes.