Biden faces GOP backlash after reports of Afghanistan decision


GOP lawmakers aren't thrilled that President Biden is reportedly expected to announce that a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan will take place by Sept. 11, 2021.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called it a "grave mistake," while Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said it's a "reckless and dangerous decision," arguing that while "no wants a forever war ... I've consistently said any withdrawal must be conditions-based." (A Biden official said Tuesday that the withdrawal won't be conditional.)
A few other Republican senators got their shots in, as well. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), for one, didn't hold back, describing a full withdrawal as "dumber than dirt." He maintained that at the very least a "residual counterterrorism" force should remain as an "insurance policy against [the] rise of radical Islam in Afghanistan." Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) questioned the target date, which doubles as the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. "I think a random withdrawal just because you're celebrating an anniversary is not the right decision," she said, per Fox News.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Not everyone was so harsh. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) left the door open, saying that "If we're ready to go, I'll be be supportive," but adding "If we're not ready to go, I'll be making that very clear." Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), on the other hand, simply said he's happy the troops are presumably "coming home."
Then there's Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who also isn't a huge fan of Biden's reported new strategy, except on the basis that it's too late. He urged the White House to stick to the May 1 deadline, which was set in an agreement between the Trump administration and the Taliban, though he did concede that it's "better late than never."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
-
Mamdani upsets Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary
Speed Read Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from