Congressman William Timmons (SC-04) released the following statement on the ongoing situation in Afghanistan:

“The situation in Afghanistan has quickly escalated from bad to worse. Yesterday we lost 13 brave and selfless U.S. servicemembers and over a dozen more were injured. We pray for their families and loved ones who will be getting that dreaded knock on their door. They gave their lives to help rescue their fellow Americans, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

“This was an avoidable catastrophe. The Biden Administration should have had a plan in place to get our people out of Afghanistan. Almost everything that President Biden said would not happen has happened. Biden himself said the buck stops with him and that he bears responsibility for the situation we are in. He has ignored realities on the ground and is seemingly bending to the will of the Taliban. Our Commander in Chief should make it clear that the United States of America does not take commands from the Taliban.

“Frustratingly, I believe this is what happens when national security decisions are dictated by campaign slogans and optics. This is not an episode of the West Wing, every decision President Biden makes has life and death consequences. Outsourcing the security of the airport and the surrounding area to the Taliban and giving them a list of names of U.S. citizens and Afghan SIVs needing access to the airport was a huge lapse in judgment by the White House—the latest in a long string of missteps in this debacle. There has been a failure of leadership at almost every turn, and Congress must seek answers for the American people.

“The heroic efforts of our armed forces cannot be overstated. They have made the best of this situation after their President has put them in impossible situations time after time. Looking forward, the mission is clear: we must ensure no American is left behind and as many of our allies are evacuated as is possible. The U.S. should not leave until that mission is complete, whether that is August 31 or a later date.

“America’s position on the world stage has been compromised. Our allies no longer trust us. Our enemies no longer fear us. Biden’s blunder in Afghanistan has put American lives and our national security at grave risk.”