Biden Waived Congressional Mandate for Report on Afghanistan Withdrawal Risks

President Joe Biden waived a mandate in June that would have forced the Pentagon to provide a detailed report to Congress about the risks of leaving Afghanistan.

Under the federal statute, the administration was barred from reducing troops in Afghanistan below 2,000 without first briefing Congress about the expected impact on U.S. counterterrorism operations and the risk to American personnel.

Biden waived the mandate in June, arguing that providing this information to Congress could undermine "The national security interests of the United States."

The Biden administration spent months assuring Congress that the U.S.-trained Afghan forces would be able to forestall a Taliban takeover when American troops left the country on a pre-determined deadline.

A senior congressional aide said Biden's waiver showed a "Blatant disregard for conditions on the ground," noting that a State Department cable in June warned about the potential for an imminent Taliban takeover of Kabul after the United States pulled out.

"Against the advice of the military, the , and our diplomats-as evidenced by the dissent cable-the Biden administration continued its blind rush to the exits without regard for the consequences," said the aide.

The law, which was instituted as part of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, prohibited the Department of Defense from using its budget to reduce troop levels without first providing Congress with a report about the impact a withdrawal would have on the "Ongoing U.S. counterterrorism mission against the Islamic State, al Qaeda, and associated forces; the risk to U.S. personnel in Afghanistan; and the risk for the expansion of existing or the formation of new international terrorist safe havens inside Afghanistan."

https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-waived-congressional-mandate-for-report-on-afghanistan-withdrawal-risks/