Press Releases

Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) made this statement on the situation in Afghanistan:

“In the course of two decades in Afghanistan, American forces have diminished al-Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for the September 11 attack on our nation, along with the threat they posed to our national security. In this time, we have also sent hundreds of thousands of American soldiers into harm’s way to fight, while spending billions of dollars working to prepare Afghan security forces to protect their country. In the absence of those security forces’ will to fight, the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan was not unexpected, although it is deeply unfortunate still. The President faced a hard decision this year, but he reached it with a respect for the American people’s desire to end America’s longest war and bring our brave troops home.

“In light of Sunday’s events, it is critical that the administration take the necessary steps in this rapidly evolving situation to provide for a safe drawdown of our remaining servicemembers and diplomats, along with all the Afghans who partnered with our military in this mission. Equally important for our national security, we need to ensure Afghanistan does not again become a haven for terrorists who seek to attack America and our allies. Going forward, Congress and the White House should work together to make sure we have the proper intelligence and security infrastructure in place to monitor threats to our nation during the instability in the region.”