Senator Joni Ernst accuses Biden administration of lacking in planning to evacuate Americans from Afghanistan

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Mike Dutch Deutmeyer, chairman of Weber Stone Company in Stone City, speaks with Iowa Senator Joni Ernst about the operation of the Jones County rural quarry, which has been in operation since the 1850s, when of the visit of senators Thursday. (James Q. Lynch / The Gazette)

Mike Dutch Deutmeyer, chairman of Weber Stone Company in Stone City, shows Senator Joni Ernst underground limestone mining in the rural Jones County quarry, in operation since the 1850s, during Senators’ visit on Thursday. (James Q. Lynch / The Gazette)

STONE CITY Americans in Afghanistan are in a world of suffering, Senator Joni Ernst said Thursday after joining Democratic New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen in calling on the Biden administration to step up efforts to evacuate them like this than their Afghan allies.

It’s difficult, Ernst said, blaming the Biden administration’s lack of preparation and planning as the Afghan defense forces withdrew and, in some cases, turned the arms over to the advancing Taliban.

There are a lot of things we should have done months ago that haven’t been done, Ernst said in Stone City in rural Jones County, the 80th stop on his annual tour of 99 counties. Unfortunately, we cannot go back and clean up the State Department. We are failing to clean up the administration.

She was more critical of President Joe Biden in his remarks at the Iowa State Fair on Wednesday, saying he damn well should have made sure our citizens had the opportunity to evacuate and that he there was a plan in place.

Instead, Ernst said, they’re drugging their feet and now we’re in a situation where we may not be able to get all of our American citizens out.

In their letter, Ernst and Shaheen called on the president to address the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan which threatens the lives of tens of thousands of Afghan partners.

The rapid ascendancy of the Taliban through Afghanistan and the takeover of Kabul should not cause us to break our promise to the Afghans who have helped us operate for the past 20 years and are counting on our help, they said. written in the letter which was joined by 53 senators, including Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. US inaction would ensure they become refugees or prime targets for Taliban retaliation.

Now the challenge for the United States is to ensure that Americans, regardless of where they are in Afghanistan, can get to Kabul to be airlifted out of the country, Ernst said.

If they can’t get Kabul they can’t get out, she said after a visit to the Weber Stone Co. where limestone has been mined since the 1850s to be used for houses, abutments. bridges and commercial structures. You can’t get to the airport, you can’t get out.

Without enough troops in Afghanistan to ensure a safe passage to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, this administration basically said: We trust the Taliban, the Taliban will let you come to Kabul, Ernst said. We don’t find that to be true for a number of Afghan interpreters.

The situation is even more complicated because the United States has left Bagram Airfield, as well as the Embassy, ​​where special immigrant visas could be processed, she said. Now this has to be done at the airport.

We don’t know what the Americans are trying to bring in if the Taliban prevents them, Ernst said. We know that we need to take off as many planes as possible from Kabul. And we have to make sure there are as many Americans as possible on those planes.

Ernst and Shaheen conclude their letter to Biden by saying that anything that is not a full implementation has serious security implications and reminded him that he has the strong support of both houses of Congress to ensure may no other Afghan life be needlessly lost.

Ernst also made stops Thursday at Springsteen Timber Farm near Lisbon and Honey Creek Dairy at Strawberry Point.

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