John, my heart is heavy for the people of Afghanistan.

Over this past weekend, Taliban forces seized Kabul, the capital city, and the Afghan president fled the country. Foreign countries, including the U.S., withdrew military forces and evacuated their embassies as the Taliban took control to effectively end the two-decades long war in Afghanistan — the longest war in U.S. history.

But the Afghan people — who have withstood 20 years of war and intervention — are still there. With no exit plan in sight, soldiers, translators, women, and children are all facing the grim reality ahead of life under Taliban rule.

Just because we are no longer fighting on the ground does not mean the U.S. cannot assist our allies, along with the American citizens and military personnel still on the ground, in crisis. We have a moral imperative to open our nation to refugees, asylum seekers, and VISA applicants from Afghanistan. We must provide humanitarian aid to those living under the new, repressive regime, and resettlement to those who seek it.

Back in 2001, I warned my colleagues of the dangers of ​​embarking on an open-ended war with neither an exit strategy nor a focused target, before casting the sole vote in Congress against going to war in Afghanistan:

“However difficult this vote may be, some of us must urge the use of restraint… Let’s pause, just for a minute, and think through the implications of our actions today, so that this does not spiral out of control.”

I said it in 2001 and I will say it once more: there has never been, and will never be, a U.S. military solution in Afghanistan. We cannot change the past and we cannot look back — there is no time for that. But we can act with purpose and urgency to provide relief to our allies and any American citizens still in Afghanistan.

That’s exactly what I will be advocating for in Congress in the weeks to come. I will work tirelessly and diligently to ensure we as a nation do our part to ensure the safety of the women, children, and citizens of Afghanistan — by providing humanitarian aid, making sure those in danger are evacuated, and welcoming refugees to the U.S. with open hearts.

With this decades-long intervention at its conclusion, I must say how grateful I am for our servicemen and women who did everything their country asked of them. I will continue to honor their service and the countless sacrifices they made.

I thank you for standing by my side this whole time — from way back when I was the subject of hate and vitriol for my vote in 2001, to today as we work to ensure none of our Afghan allies are left behind.

In solidarity,

Barbara Lee







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