Washington, D.C. – Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) today announced the inclusion of several provisions to establish a commission on the United States’ involvement in Afghanistan in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY2022).
“After twenty years, trillions of dollars spent, and thousands of American lives lost in Afghanistan, the American people deserve an objective review of our strategies and conduct in the country," Wittman said. "From the initial military invasion in 2001, to assistance for the Afghan Government, to the failed withdrawal in August, this Afghanistan commission will provide answers to critical questions on both the United States’ successes and failures in Afghanistan. The inclusion of this provision in the NDAA is both encouraging and necessary, and I hope to see my colleagues on both sides of the aisle join us in pursuing a complete accounting of what transpired in Afghanistan."
“As Congress prepares to vote for the final NDAA, I am proud that a number of our provisions to establish an Afghanistan Commission are included in the final defense bill,” Stefanik said. “After Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, it is absolutely essential that we have an objective and thorough examination of America’s longest war to ensure the United States never again makes the same mistakes that were made in Afghanistan. Through the creation of this commission, the American people will be provided with critical oversight for the sake of our national security. I look forward to this Commission’s establishment and the recommendations they will provide to ensure we maintain our strength and respect on the world stage following Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.”
In September, Stefanik and Wittman introduced legislation to establish the National Commission on United States Involvement in Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan Commission in the FY2022 NDAA includes provisions and language from multiple pieces of legislation aimed at establishing an Afghanistan Commission, including the Stefanik-Wittman bill. This independent commission will examine America’s involvement in Afghanistan and provide recommendations and reports aimed at enhancing foreign policy and national security decision making.
