Congressman Cleaver’s Statement on Afghanistan

(Kansas City, MO)– Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) released the following statement on the situation in Afghanistan.

"I am watching the news out of Afghanistan closely and remain extremely concerned about the situation on the ground. While the Taliban continue their brutal assault on the country, I will continue to work with administration officials to ensure U.S. personnel and our Afghan allies are safely evacuated.

"There will be plenty of time to discuss what went wrong, what we could have done differently, and our nation's decades-long failed foreign policy in Afghanistan and the Middle East. However, in this critical moment, we must focus all of our efforts and energy on evacuating American citizens, diplomats, and other officials, as well as the Afghans and the families of those who courageously served at our side.

"Nothing is more important than extracting the innocent individuals who remain in harm's way, and I call on President Biden to use every tool at his disposal to ensure that happens."

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Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee; Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance; member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress; member of the Committee on Homeland Security; and a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. For more information, please contact Matt Helfant at 202-590-0175 or matthew.helfant@mail.house.gov