Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) pushed the Biden administration’s military leaders for answers on the botched exit from Afghanistan during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing with Secretary Lloyd Austin III, General Mark Milley, and General Kenneth McKenzie Jr.
Watch full remarks here.
Tennesseans Are Furious With The Biden Administration
“As you’ve heard from all of us, the American people, Tennesseans are wanting some answers. They deserve to hear your testimony. I think it is unacceptable that this is the first time that I’m hearing from you in any forum, despite attempts at outreach, by both my staff and me, save a few short all-Senator phone calls that we have had. I want to emphasize, all of us here — every one of us — answer to the American people, and they deserve transparency and information regarding this administration’s botched and disgraceful withdrawal. Tennesseans are really angry.”
Our Veteran Community Deserves Answers
“Tennessee is home to the 101st Airborne Division, one of the most deployed divisions in the U.S. military. We’re also home to the 160th SOAR who were among the last on the ground, extracting U.S. citizens from danger in Kabul. Tennessee National Guard units have deployed to Afghanistan at a high operational tempo, as well as providing vital logistical services, such as refueling. We are home to more than 400,000 veterans. Many of whom have lasting physical and psychological wounds from the time they have spent in service.”
The Biden Administration Let Down Tennesseans
“Tennesseans are heartbroken over the loss of one of our own, Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss, a patriotic American who represented the best of all of us. In the August 26th suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport, he made the ultimate sacrifice. So how did we get here? How did we get to what has been a complete letdown to most Tennesseans?”