Officials from the state department and usaid are testifying the House Foreign Affairs committee. Kathy manning from North Carolina and then we are fortunate that we have joining us today the chairman of the Foreign Affairs committee of texas. Like every american i watched as it is in afghan citizens fell from airplanes, crawled through sewage and through infants over barbed wire fences attempting to escape following the Biden Administrations surrender to the taliban in august 2021. Sadly to me this is the worst Foreign Policy decision, worst defense decision in the history of the United States. The consequence we see today with the imitation of slaughter around the world, with that in mind this example of appeasement was a devastating review of the administrations irian puppets fully empowered as war criminals mercilessly launch stuff into ukraine. As the Chinese Communist dictatorship threatens the wonderful and free people of taiwan. Biden broke his promise to those who had breast lives in service to america. There is still nearly 200 americans remaining in afghanistan. Some being held hostage by the delavan and tens of thousands of afghan partners and their families are living in your. In september 2023 under secretary of state for Political Affairs victoria newland told this committee that the taliban are not committing reprisal attacks against afghan allies. Sadly, this is sad, we want the president to succeed on behalf of the American People, but sadly what he said was not true. Last year they went documented over to hundred health and reprisal killings, experts estimate the true total is 10 times that amount. Often family members of those killed by the taliban learn of their loved ones murder through gruesome photos and videos that the taliban sends them. Many former afghan terry members living in the United States report receiving images of their spouses, children, siblings and parents and butchered with these photos and videos, the taliban include a warning, come back to afghanistan or we will kill more of your family. Thats how they practice a killings is so wellknown among the afghan and International Community that secretary newland cannot plead agreements for her comments. Her statement can only mean one thing, the ministration is attempting to whitewash the taliban actions in order to make their deadly withdrawal from afghanistan look less disastrous and the taliban less wicked. We know how the ministration attempted to downplay the chaos of the u. S. Withdrawal from afghanistan with 13 u. S. Service members murdered and they were murdered despite the fact that we had a sniper who had a bomber in his sights, but he could not get the rules of engagement to dispatch the bomber which was holding 13 americans and nearly 300 killed. We are still watching as they rewrite the reputation and help the taliban to gain legitimacy. The United States voted 15 times in 2023 to approve travel to sanction caliban members. Never once voting in opposition to the request with help from the United States, taliban members barred from travel toward the group stopping in russia and china to attend International Political accomplices with in the Chinese Communist party. Afghanistan is once again a safe haven for terrorists. Reports indicate dozens of men regrouping with some enemies of the taliban furthering the stabilization and sadly making an attack on america and our allies imminent with an attack here in the United States as the fbi has indicated an imminent attack sadly as we had with 9 11 and many attacks here in the United States because of the safe haven of anna stan. This administration the taliban is partnering with the Chinese Communist party. Just last month the Chinese Communist party welcomed a master from afghanistan making china the first country to recognize and abbasid are appointed by the taliban. The chinese arty aspirations in afghanistan are so obvious to enslave the country to their initiatives. In october 2023 the taliban traveled to beijing to attend chinas foreign where they announced their admission to the china Pakistan Economic corridor, a staple of the initiative chinas investing in Afghanistan Industries looking to capitalize on afghanistans oil and rare earth metals and minerals and last year a Chinese Company developed a 1. 5 million deal with the taliban. The administrations complicity to the partnership between the Chinese Communist party and the taliban, to the worlds most oppressive and evil dictatorships is undeniable. Before this administration took office, afghanistan enjoyed relative stability. Girls were free to go to school. The afghan economy was stable terrorist did not control the government. I know firsthand the achievements of the American Military in the last 20 years where they protective americans deterring terrorism. The National Infantry brigade commanded by joe Bob Livingston was playing across the country and when i would visit them, my fellow cardmembers would say how much they had such great appreciation of their afghan brothers. Now those afghan brothers are targets. I also treasure that my youngest son Hunter Wilson served as an engineer in afghanistan developing a great appreciation for the people of afghanistan. In three years this administration watched as afghanistan has become one of the worlds most repressive countries where women are enslaved, dictators have free reign, children go hungry and our afghan allies are hunted for sport. I look forward to hearing from each of you on your plans to fix the mess, the disaster that is at ministration has created. I refer to kathy manning. Thank you to Truman Wilson for calling this important hearing and thank you to our witnesses for joining us today. Special representative last and special envoy of mary and mr. Ship. Thank you for being here for the important work that you do everyday to advance our interests in afghanistan and help the Afghan People. Since the fall of kabul in august 2021 we have witnessed the tragic consequent is of the taliban takeover of the Afghan People. The disaster that has occurred to the rights of women and children. This reality, i am eager to hear from our witnesses given this reality. I am eager to hear from our witnesses about the approach to afghanistan and how we are facing the challenge of advancing our key u. S. National security and Foreign Policy priorities in afghanistan without legitimizing or benefiting the taliban. One of the most wrenching tragedies of the talibans rule has been a devastating impact on the women and girls of anna stan. Women who had high ranking positions, who had good productive jobs, who are no longer able to work. Girls who are attending school who love learning, who are preparing for the future and are no longer able to get an education. I remember meeting with a group of these women before the taliban takeover. We asked them if they were trying to get out of the country. They told us no. They wanted to stay and fight for the soul of their country. I admired their courage and their determination, but i hate to think about what their lives are like today. Since taking power in 2021, the taliban had introduced repressive controls on women and girls that restrict their movement and dress them up or hit them from going outside to Public Places and limit their education beyond the sixth grade level. The taliban have placed restrictions on womens opportunities to work including banning afghan women from working for the u. N. Or ngos. In response to the talibans edict, a significant number of ngos paused operations and only resumed activities in certain areas where female staff had been allowed to operate. We must redouble efforts to reverse the telegrams draconian edicts and preserve a future for afghan women and girls. Afghanistan has also faced a severe economic attraction and it has exacerbated the countrys humanitarian crisis. Despite Successful International efforts last winter to serve food and other assistance to the country to save off famine, afghanistan continues to experience high rates of hunger and nutrition. The uns Afghanistan Humanitarian needs and Response Plan estimates that in 2024 15. 8 Million People will experience crisis and emergency levels of Food Insecurity and an estimated 23. 7 Million People more than half of afghanistans population are projected to require humanitarian assistance. Facing reduced International Aid contributions, many afghans remain in need of basic lifesaving services and we must not abandon them. As the single largest humanitarian aid donor in afghanistan, the United States must continue to support the Afghan People with desperately needed humanitarian assistance, so long as we have mechanisms in place to ensure that none of this eight and really benefits the taliban. I hope to hear from our witnesses about the impact of our assistance on the Afghan People and how we can ensure he was assistance goes directly to trusted partners, not the taliban and we must continue to engage with all is necessary and to help secure the release and return of wrongful detainees, advance human rights and Economic Opportunity and ensure that afghanistan will never again be used as a base to plan attacks against the u. S. Or our allies. I applaud the administrations diplomatic efforts that have resulted in continued nonrecognition of the taliban as a legitimate government of afghanistan and other efforts on human rights, counter narcotics and counterterrorism. I would like to hear more from our witnesses about some of the serious challenges they face and the ways congress can help with these important objectives. Finally we must not abandon our afghan allies who fought alongside american troops, served with our diplomats for more than 20 years. That is why we have welcomed more than 130,000 cans to the United States since august of 2021 and we must continue working to provide these resources to the program and help settle more refugees. Congress should pass the afghan adjustment act and ensure that adequate visas are allocated to the siv programs. Afghans face a brutal reality under the rule of the taliban. I hope that this hearing and our collective efforts show that we have not and will never forget them. We must provide vital humanitarian assistance, increase our diplomatic efforts and continue working to help advance our interests and improve the wellbeing and security of the Afghan People. Thank you and i yield back. Thank you very much kathy manning. Your statement indicated bipartisan, our hopes to the people of afghanistan and we want to Work Together and work with the administration. We are really grateful that we now recognize the chairman of the committee for an Opening Statement and i particularly appreciate chairman makes passion for exposing the threats to the Chinese Communist party dictatorship. Thank you. I appreciate your leadership and holding this hearing as well. I request consent to have a statement from david kramer, executive director of the george w. Bush president ial center and the record thank you. Following the u. S. Withdrawal, afghanistan is no better off today than when that united dates first entered. After 20 years of treasure, any progress made has been a race. This administration is a deadly and chaotic and draw with was conceived from the start. There were no plans to ensure peace or to support the people. Under the administrations failed policies, afghanistan continues to deteriorate. The taliban are terrorists even though they want us to take them off the list. Afghanistan continues to deteriorate everyday. Contrary to what many in this administration think, they are no moderate taliban members. It appears the ministration believes that befriending the taliban that they can influence their behavior, yet the telegrams actions has proved they cannot. Today afghan women and girls are worse off at any point since the u. S. Withdrawal. A 20yearold who never lived under that dark cloud, that dark veil, they are barred from Public Places, they are not allowed to travel outside of their homes without a male chaperone and afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are banned from receiving an education about the six grade level. Taliban funding, equipping and providing safe haven to terrorist groups including al qaeda, the 7 billion in military equipment left behind during the withdrawal is sold by the taliban and used by terror groups and other american adversaries around the world. The leader of al qaeda was living in downtown kabul under the protection of the leader of the network who is now the telegrams minister of the interior or in other words the administer of security is now the Network Leader who harbored the number two deputy. You cannot make this up the connection is real and you cant change the truth. Facts are stubborn things. Currently 6 million americans are held captive by the taliban. There are more americans detained by the taliban right now than at any point in the last two years and one of those americans is ryan corbin whose wife testified before this Committee Last november. He has been captive in afghanistan since august 2020 to. Right now the taliban is hunting down our afghan allies partners using our biometrics doortodoor, checking their fingerprints. They tortured them, killed them with the same weapons that this administration left behind for their use to murder now the taliban are benefiting more than ever from u. S. Taxpayer dollars with a steal from ngos to enrich their fighters and solidified their power. The Inspector General for afghanistan reconstruction, more commonly known as cigar testified to the committee in november of last year that the taliban is stealing and benefiting from humanitarian aid. They are demanding payoffs from ngos. They will not hire women. They are diverting eight favorable to beneficiaries and fighters. They are creating fake ngos in order to receive humanitarian aid. They are embedding taliban intelligence officials within u. N. Agencies. Obviously by failing to treat the taliban as a threat they are, this administration does not disengage the activity and said they have emboldened them this administration has repeatedly voted at the u. N. To grant travel ban waivers to sanction taliban members work in all the while the administration is hiding from accountability. Cigar also testified at the state department is the least cooperative they have ever engaged with since the establishment of their off this into thousand eight. That is quite a state. According to cigar the state department has failed to respond to at least 30 outstanding requests for information some of those have been pending for over a year. This is simply unacceptable it is time for the administration to evaluate their policy priorities, which have clearly achieved so little in afghanistan. They need to focus on developing a strategy that will ensure the u. S. Is not supporting the taliban but rather innocent afghans. Anything less and the failure of american leadership, we went to help the people of afghanistan, half of them are at the Poverty Level and starting, but we dont want to fund the taliban either. It is the job of this committee to provide oversight to ensure, and cigar, to ensure this does not happen in the future. Let me say with respect to the chairmans words, the saddest thing is the women left behind under the veil, but also the fact that guess who is in afghanistan today . China. They are exploiting the rarest minerals into would not be surprised if one day we woke up and guess who is going to take over the base that was a crown jewel of our capability for that region that we turned over to the taliban. I would not be surprised if one day we woke up, we find the ccp operating that precious jewel that we had in afghanistan. At that i yield back. Thank you. We now proceed and want to welcome our witnesses today. Thomas west, special representative for afghanistan and secretary of the bureau in Central Asian affairs at the state department. We also have ms. Amiri u. S. Special envoy for afghan women and girls and human rights of the state department. Finally we have honorable michael sheppard, the assistant administrator of the bureau for asia for the United States international development. I want to thank you for being here today. Your full statements will be made for the record and i will ask each of you keep your remarks to five minutes in order to allow time for members to ask westerns. I now recognize mr. West for his Opening Statement. Chairman wilson, distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the invitation to discuss the biden harris administrations afghanistan poli