[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 163 (Tuesday, September 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S6564]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Afghanistan

  Madam President, from the moment that President Biden announced the 
withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in April, the people of the 
United States--after two decades of war--had hoped to mark the end of 
our presence in Afghanistan with a secure and orderly exit and with our 
honor intact.
  As we know, what ensued proved to be the opposite. Hubris fueled the 
administration to proceed with a flawed exit plan from Afghanistan. 
They allowed a calendar to dictate our withdrawal rather than the 
conditions on the ground. Loss of life and humiliation have been the 
result, with our allies and our partners openly questioning the resolve 
and the competency of the United States.
  Those harrowing images of Afghan teenagers falling from the sky after 
clinging to a U.S. military plane as it took off from the Kabul 
airport, the utter chaos at the gates of the Kabul airport, and the 
loss of 13 U.S. servicemembers, including Staff Sergeant Knauss, would 
compel any reasonable person to ask why events had to unfold in this 
manner.
  Against the operational failure in Afghanistan and this loss of 
credibility abroad, we are fortunate in knowing that the people of the 
United States still retain their unique spirit--that American desire to 
come to the aid of others in need.
  Those Americans stranded in Afghanistan, the former Afghan 
interpreters who stood with our military, Afghan women and children who 
worked with our aid organizations--these people needed our help, and 
our servicemembers, our diplomats, our aid workers, and journalists all 
deserve recognition and credit for their sacrifice as they attempted to 
help.