Chairman Meeks to Hold Hearing on Situation in Afghanistan

Statement

Washington, D.C. -- Today, Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement announcing that he has invited Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to testify at a hearing as early as possible before the Committee to apprise Congress of the situation unfolding in Afghanistan:

"Nearly twenty years ago, I voted in support of the war in Afghanistan to hold those who attacked the United States on September 11th accountable and diminish the ability of al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups from using Afghanistan as a launching point for further attacks against America and its allies. I still believe that was the right vote. I thank the members of our military and their families for their sacrifice over the past 20 years. I am also grateful to our diplomatic and development professionals who have worked tirelessly to support the American effort in Afghanistan, and the sacrifice of their families as well.

"The situation in Afghanistan is rapidly changing and it is imperative that the administration provide the American people and Congress transparency about its Afghanistan strategy. I have asked Secretaries Blinken and Austin to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and tell Congress what the administration's plan is to safely evacuate American citizens, SIVs, and other vulnerable Afghans from the country, and to understand our broader counter terrorism strategy in South Asia following the collapse of the Ghani government."

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