At the end of last week, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., brought out the “Prioritize Evacuation of U.S. Citizens in Afghanistan Act.”
The bill “would direct the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State to submit a plan to Congress regarding the evacuation of U.S. citizens trapped in Afghanistan.”
Steube, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, took aim at the Biden administration when he showcased the proposal on Friday.
“Joe Biden’s lack of a plan to evacuate the remaining Americans trapped in Afghanistan is a reprehensible dereliction of duty,” Steube said. “After causing one of the worst foreign policy blunders in history, he and Vice President Harris must take responsibility for their failures and take steps to prioritize the safe return of American citizens as they face serious threats from the Taliban.”
Despite Steube’s rhetoric, the bill does have support from the other side of the aisle with U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., who served as an intelligence officer in Afghanistan, co-sponsoring it. U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Fla., is also backing the bill.
The bill “calls for U.S. citizens and their families to be prioritized in the repatriation process following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan” and “directs the Department of Defense (DoD) to make efforts to recover or destroy U.S. equipment and materials, including weapons, vehicles, and aircraft that have been left behind in Afghanistan.”
Steube’s bill was sent to the U.S. House Armed Services and the Foreign Affairs Committees. So far, there is no companion measure over in the U.S. Senate.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com
