BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) member, issued the following statement today on the United States concluding its withdrawal of military service members from Afghanistan:

“President Biden’s withdrawal was a complete failure. He said we'd leave no American behind, but hundreds of our citizens and billions in U.S. military equipment are still in Afghanistan while the Taliban is in control, ISIS-K runs rampant, our allies feel angry and betrayed, and 13 American troops lost their lives.

“Instead of showing remorse or taking proper action, the President is misleading the American people while his Administration focuses on getting credit for trying to fix the problem it created. His actions are unfitting for the office he holds and are embarrassing our country on the world stage.

“Congress should exercise its oversight role to ensure proper accountability, understand how this tragedy unfolded, and learn what steps we should take next. If President Biden really did receive unanimous support for this effort from our military leaders, they should come before the Senate Armed Services Committee and testify as such.

“To the heroes who fought in the War in Afghanistan over the last twenty years, thank you. Your service was not in vain. The failure of our leaders is not reflective of your work. Your sacrifice kept us safe, and we are tremendously grateful for it.”