WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to immediately call the U.S. Senate back into session to provide support for the evacuation of Americans and the people who worked alongside the U.S. military.

“It is imperative for the Senate to return to Washington D.C. to demand answers from the administration and provide support for the U.S. military, State Department personnel and others tasked with carrying out the withdrawal effort,” wrote Sen. Moran. “An unknown number of Americans and Afghan allies remain in the country, fearing for their lives. I call on you to quickly bring the Senate back into session so we can get to work to address the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.”

The full letter can be found HERE or below.

Dear Majority Leader Schumer:

We have all watched the tragic scenes reported out of Afghanistan over recent weeks, and have seen how quickly circumstances continue to evolve. The unfolding situation demands the immediate attention of the U.S. Senate. I strongly urge you to call the Senate back into session to both provide support for the evacuation of Americans and the people who fought alongside our military and for the congressional oversight of the Biden administration’s massive operational failure in withdrawing from Afghanistan.

We must not let a prescheduled state work period stand in the way of the Senate fulfilling its Constitutional duty. At least three Democrat-led Senate committees have stated their intentions to hold hearings on the Afghanistan withdrawal. These hearings, which will require Biden administration officials to testify regarding the withdrawal, should not be delayed until the Senate’s intended return in September.

It is imperative for the Senate to return to Washington D.C. to demand answers from the administration and provide support for the U.S. military, State Department personnel and others tasked with carrying out the withdrawal effort.  

An unknown number of Americans and Afghan allies remain in the country, fearing for their lives. Members of the Congress are receiving numerous requests from their Constituents, many of which are veterans of our Armed Services, regarding the safety of someone now in harm's way. My office is fielding requests for help at a time when the security checkpoints around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul are sporadically opened and closed while the situation develops. The crowds gathering at the checkpoints are now creating dangerous environments for those within: we have received reports that parents within these crowds now have missing children, and others have been trampled upon after gunfire is heard.

We must be ready to swiftly provide our U.S. Forces and State Department personnel any additional tools necessary to complete the job at hand and properly process those in need to get within the secure perimeter. Further, Senate committees must be given the immediate opportunity to seek answers from the administration on the operational failures we are currently witnessing. I call on you to quickly bring the Senate back into session so we can get to work to address the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.

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