Dear Colleague to All Members on the End of the War in Afghanistan

Dear Colleague,

Today, America and the world observe a milestone of extraordinary solemnity: the end of the twenty-year war in Afghanistan. I commend President Biden for his strong, steadfast leadership in ending a forever war. As the President stated today, too many men and women in uniform and their families have had to bear the burden of this conflict. We grateful to all who have served our country during this time.

The Congress joins the President in solemn prayer for every life lost. We are united in prayer for the thirteen U.S. servicemembers killed last Thursday as they helped bring over 124,000 Americans, allies and Afghan partners to safety, an act of profound valor, selflessness and sacrifice.

As we honor the heroism of the fallen, we salute each member of our military, intelligence and diplomatic communities who conducted this evacuation, which is the largest and most successful airlift in U.S. history.

The Congress will continue to be briefed regularly and work closely with President Biden and the Administration to address the security and humanitarian challenges that remain for evacuees and those who wish to be evacuated.

To that end, all of us continue to press for the evacuation of those who are still in Afghanistan and wish to leave. I thank Members for their enthusiastic embrace of and attention to helping with the evacuation situations that they know firsthand. That work continues.

We pray for the people of Afghanistan and in the region.

Sincerely,