Mississippi House Republicans Express Dismay at President Biden’s Withdrawal Decision

Washington, D.C. – Tonight, Representatives Michael Guest (MS-03), Steven Palazzo (MS-04), and Trent Kelly (MS-01) sent a letter to President Joe Biden expressing their disapproval of his decision not to extend the Afghanistan withdrawal deadline and encouraging his Administration to extend the deployment of U.S. resources and military forces until all Americans and American allies have been evacuated or deemed safe.

The letter was sent in response to reports that President Biden was not planning to extend the August 31st withdrawal deadline imposed by his Administration and follows reports of former Afghani interpreters being turned away at the Kabul Airport as the time to finalize the evacuations narrows.

The Mississippi Delegation joins bipartisan concern from Members of Congress who have criticized the decision.

Read the letter from the Members of the Mississippi delegation here or below:

Dear President Biden:

We are dismayed at reports that you are not planning to extend your self-imposed August 31, 2021, deadline to withdraw United States troops from Afghanistan. As the world watches America end our twenty-year mission in Afghanistan, it is critically important that we not complete the withdrawal of our troops until American citizens and our Afghan allies are evacuated or brought to safety.

We are deeply concerned about the ability to meet our evacuation and rescue mission ahead of this date. We support the Administration's recent statements highlighting the priority of bringing American citizens home and committing to keep our troops in Afghanistan until Americans are removed from the country. We stand ready to assist in this effort.

It also is critical that we honor our commitments to our Afghan allies and ensure they are protected from perilous Taliban retribution in the coming days. We ask that you continue to prioritize Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders and SIV applications, as well as religious minorities and other refugees in danger in Afghanistan. Our continued support for our Afghan allies is crucial to address imminent threats against these friends of the United States, as well as to demonstrate our reliability to allies across the globe.

We urge your Administration to ensure that adequate resources remain in Afghanistan until our citizens and allies are safe and this mission is complete.