Letter to Hon. Joe Biden, President - Congressional Offices Should Help the Thousands of Americans Stranded in Afghanistan

Letter

Dear President Biden:

We urgently write to you today requesting guidance from your administration on how Members
of Congress and our offices can, and should, respond to the thousands of requests we are
receiving from Americans, constituents, and Afghan allies still stuck under Taliban control in
Kabul and throughout Afghanistan.

Congressional offices have been the primary, and often only, point of contact for thousands of
men, women, and children surviving under a brutal Taliban regime. We continue to directly
receive horrific evidence, such as videos, photographs, and audio messages documenting the
destruction and harm inflicted on our constituents and American allies at the hands of the
Taliban. For many of those who have reached out to our offices, we are their first point of
contact. We are the ones who are giving them hope that the United States has not forgotten their
service to our country and that we will honor our promise not to leave them behind to a fate of
near certain death.

We feel it is the duty of your administration to immediately issue guidance for Members of
Congress on how we can best assist those who reach out to our office requesting immediate
direction. These Americans and our allies have asked us whether they can leave for the airport,
information how to get through Taliban roadblocks, what flights out of the country they will be
on, and many other questions that need an immediate response. Now that the United States has
fully withdrawn from Afghanistan and our military has stopped facilitating evacuations, this
guidance is even more necessary. Providing those still in the country with information on
possible evacuations, what documentation may be necessary, and what options they have is the
least we can do to help those we have left behind. With proper guidance, we will be able to
provide the most up to date information to keep these Americans and allies safe while the
situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate.

Mr. President, please immediately provide your partners in Congress with the ability to help
those most vulnerable in Afghanistan. We must bring all Americans home to safety and ensure
our allies still stranded in the country can get out of harm's way as soon as possible.

Sincerely,