The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“AFGHANISTAN” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the in the Senate section section on pages S3910-S3911 on Aug. 3.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
AFGHANISTAN
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to note that, during this coming recess, we will mark the somber occasion of the 1-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. I want to draw the attention of the Senate and the American people to one of our most urgent priorities in Afghanistan: providing immediate assistance for Afghan citizens that risked their lives to further U.S. interests and whose lives now stand in jeopardy should we not act soon.
Nine days--in the short span of 9 days after seizing control of the first province to fall on August 6, 2021--Nimruz--a whirlwind of chaos ensued. The world watched as, one by one, all of the country's provinces fell to Taliban forces until finally reaching the capital Kabul on August 15. With little resistance from the Afghan forces we had trained and equipped over two decades, the Taliban simply entered and took control. In terrified desperation, many Afghans gathered what they could carry with them and fled. People left their whole lives behind--their houses, their jobs, their friends and family--risking their lives to flee the country in the wake of the Taliban takeover. Shocking images of Afghans clinging to U.S. evacuation flights as they took off could not have shown a clearer picture of the despair of so many Afghans.
Amid this panic, the Biden administration acted swiftly to evacuate American personnel and most American citizens.
We joined our international allies to call for a new Afghan Government that is united, inclusive, and representative, including with full participation of women. We joined international voices to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. And along with our NATO allies, we committed to evacuate at-risk Afghans.
And make no mistake, we as Americans remain committed to all these priorities. We stand united with our allies to further these goals and ensure a stable and secure Afghanistan. Central to the Taliban's beliefs is the Pashtun code of ethics, ``Pashtunwaly,'' in which
``nang''--which means honor--stands as the central tenet. It is with
``nang'' in mind that we call on the Taliban to honor their commitment to provide an accountable and inclusive government. We urge them to honor their original and oft-repeated promise to uphold human rights and support education for women and girls--commitments that recent reporting suggests they are not fulfilling.
We call on them to honor their commitment to provide a safe and secure Afghanistan for all Afghans. We join our allies in the international community in these calls for action.
Yet in the aftermath of the fall of Afghanistan, there remains one priority for the U.S. alone to undertake: ensuring the well-being of Afghan citizens who put their lives on the line to serve our country. These are the Afghans who worked at our Embassy and other diplomatic facilities, served as our translators, helped us engage with the Afghan Government, and provided us information and assistance. They are the Afghans that served and studied in U.S.-affiliated centers and universities. They are the Afghans who worked tirelessly to promote our principles as journalists working for U.S.-affiliated outlets, like the Afghan services of RFE/RL, Radio Azadi, and Ghandara. Without their assistance, U.S. lives would have been lost. Without their support, we would have been unable to talk about our U.S. values and priorities to the Afghan people.
Without them, we would not have been able to work with the Government of Afghanistan to promote our shared goal of regional stability and security. To these individuals and their families, we owe a great debt for their assistance. The 77,000 Afghans currently in the pipeline for special immigrant visas, the 44,000 that await processing for their P1/
P2 visas, and yet another almost 5,000 that seek humanitarian parole, these individuals are all counting on us. So I call on the State Department to make renewed efforts to expedite these cases.
I would like to recognize that, to date, our government has made enormous strides in this herculean effort; tens of thousands of these individuals were evacuated from Afghanistan following the collapse of the government. Yet tens of thousands more remain stranded in limbo, both in Afghanistan as well as in third countries--among others, in Pakistan, Qatar, UAE, Georgia, Albania, and the Kyrgyz Republic. They wait patiently, many of them running through their personal savings, many unable to work.
We continue to support these individuals, oftentimes maintaining a delicate dialogue with the host countries about the long-term plans for these individuals.
I would like to share with you the story of one such individual whose life hangs in the balance. It is with her permission that I share this story, and I will call her ``Arezo'' to safeguard her anonymity. Arezo is a bright young Afghan woman of Hazara heritage who studied at a U.S. university and later worked for an international human rights NGO. By all accounts, up until the collapse of Afghanistan, she was one of the many Afghans working to build a bright future for Afghanistan. When Kabul fell, like so many others, Arezo shred all the documents tying her in any way to the United States. She knew that if the Taliban discovered this connection, both her life and her family's lives could be at risk.
While attempting to flee, Arezo and her brother were discovered by the Taliban and taken in for questioning about their reasons for wanting to leave the country. Arezo's brother was savagely beaten. Arezo was subjected to a humiliating virginity test. They were both taken into custody for several weeks, during which they endured brutal and inhumane treatment, often ridiculed by the Taliban guards for their Shi'a faith as ``untrue Muslims.''
While incarcerated, Arezo witnessed the brutal rape of a 12-year-old girl at the hands of the Taliban. The crime of this child? She had been imprisoned for riding in local transport without a male family member escort. Miraculously, after external pressure, Arezo was released, but not without the threat hanging over her head that the Taliban would keep tabs on her. Arezo now waits for the United States to process her visa. Hers is one of the over 44,000 cases that remain backlogged, while her life hangs in the balance.
I tell you this: It is in our direct, immediate interest to dedicate and reallocate resources to resolve pending cases like those of Arezo.
Until we resolve their cases, we continue to expend enormous U.S. resources to support them in third countries, with no clear end in sight. We continue to ask much of our bilateral partners that have generously agreed to take in these evacuees. Our Embassies and government Agencies will continue to struggle with the overload caused by the burden of managing these extra cases. But most importantly, we owe it to these individuals who put their own lives on the line for our county to process their cases quickly.
It is no accident that I chose the name ``Arezo'' as a stand-in for the young Afghan woman who, like so many others, awaits our action. Arezo is a Hazara name that means ``hope'' or ``faith.'' And like so many others, she has taken it on faith that the U.S. Government will make good on its promise to take care of the Afghans like her that have served--and continue to serve--U.S. interests and who still believe in the American dream and still believe that America will fulfill her promises.
I encourage that at all levels of government, we work to identify resources to reallocate towards this goal. We have the resources, but we must redirect these resources and make it a top priority. I call on our State Department and USCIS colleagues to elevate the task of processing cases to a high priority status. I propose that we convene in committee to discuss additional ways that Congress can support the successful resolution of their cases and permanent resettlement. On the eve of the 1-year anniversary of an ignominious American withdrawal from Afghanistan, after a two-decade effort, I urge that across all lines of government, we recognize this priority and work promptly to resolve the cases of the many Afghans who have put their lives on the line for our country.
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