Officially out of two-decade-long
war, Senators call for unspent, leftover Afghanistan defense funds to go toward
assistance for people of Afghanistan
Washington
(September 13, 2021) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass) led Senators Elizabeth
Warren (D-Mass), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Ron Wyden
(D-Ore.) in a letter to President Joseph R. Biden today requesting that in
response to the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, the administration
reallocate unspent funds previously appropriated for the Department of
Defense’s Afghanistan war effort to meet the vast Afghan humanitarian and
relocation needs. There is an estimated $2.9 billion in unspent funds
appropriated for Fiscal Years (FY) 2020 and 2021 intended to support the Afghan
National Army, National Police, Air Force and Special Security Forces, none of
which continue to be operational. The current FY2022 request includes $3.3
billion for the now defunct Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces as
part of a total request of $8.9 billion for Department of Defense direct war
costs in Afghanistan. The transfer of funds away from the defunct Afghan armed
forces would augment the Biden administration request of Congress to provide
$6.4 billion in fiscal year 2022 to support evacuations, provide resources for
new and future Afghan arrivals, and to provide for other humanitarian needs.
The
senators wrote, “With the legacies of Iraq and Afghanistan to guide us, it
is very clear that we need to move away from a military dominated foreign policy
to one built on a foundation of diplomacy, humanitarian and economic
assistance, and cooperation with partners and allies. The challenge ahead is
immense. Filippo Grandi, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, warned that a
“humanitarian crisis is just beginning,” as up to 500,000 Afghans are likely to
seek refuge outside of the country by the end of the year and half of the
country’s population are in need of aid. Just as Operation Allies Refuge
was a visible display of U.S. commitment to evacuate Afghan allies out of
harm’s way, we can and must show our commitment to the displaced and
non-displaced Afghan people, alike.”
A
copy of the letter can be found HERE.
In their letter, the lawmakers additionally ask President Biden to
respond to questions surrounding the United States withdrawal and their
intentions in ensuring humanitarian aid to our Afghan friends who supported the
United States through the two-decade long war, including:
- What funds were used to support the military’s
evacuation and drawdown efforts that ended on August 31? How much did that
effort cost?
- What funds are being used to operate the transit
centers currently used to hold Afghans going through the vetting and relocation
processes run by the Department of Homeland Security? How much has this
effort cost to date?
- Will you commit to utilizing unobligated FY2021 and
prior-year funds intended to support the Afghanistan war effort to instead
support the Afghan people?
- Will you work with Congress to revise the FY2022
requests for the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State, and
USAID to meet the changing needs of Afghans both inside Afghanistan and
those who have fled the country?
