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Their demand is the latest example of Republicans’ continued pressure on Biden for his handling of the military exit from Afghanistan, a push that gathered pace after a terrorist attack killed 13 servicemen last week. And while the GOP’s questions are particularly pointed, a handful of Senate Democrats, including Arizona’s Mark Kelly and New Hampshire’s Maggie Hassan, have relied on Biden to continue the evacuations after the Aug. 31 withdrawal.
Thursday’s letter from Republicans focuses on how many Americans are still in Afghanistan and how many are willing to leave. In addition, GOP senators have asked similar questions about green card holders and special immigrant visa applicants who have assisted US operations in Afghanistan. A majority of SIV candidates have been left behind in Afghanistan due to the complexity of the final days of withdrawal, according to a State Department official.
Another major concern of the GOP is the verification of people evacuated from Afghanistan by the United States who are not citizens, SIVs or green card holders. In their letter, the senators ask Biden how many evacuees “had no pending immigration application or status in the United States prior to being airlifted?”
The Republicans making the request are a disparate group representing more than half of the conference, from hawks like Cotton to hands-off Republicans like Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.). It also includes moderate Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), who has worked with Biden on some national priorities, and Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Who have led the opposition. on Biden’s agenda.
Recognizing their own differences in policy, Republicans wrote to Biden that “the signatories of this letter may have differing views on whether the United States should have maintained a military presence in Afghanistan, but we all agree that the arbitrary and ill-planned method by which you withdrew from Afghanistan caused this crisis.
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