The Senate passes a bill to provide aid to Americans returning from Afghanistan

by

The bill will allocate up to $ 10 million for each fiscal year during fiscal years 2021 and 2022 to provide emergency repatriation assistance to those affected.

Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in the Senate on Tuesday to preside over the passage of the bill. The bill was passed by unanimous consent during the August recess in the Senate, when the House came into session for a quick proforma session where no other issue was held. The bill has already been passed by the House, so it is now going to President Joe Biden’s table for signature. Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland asked for unanimous consent to pass the bill in the Senate.

Cardin told reporters Tuesday that the legislation increases “the funds available to care for Americans who have been brought home from Afghanistan. They have been uprooted, they lived in Afghanistan, so to take care of their needs in a short time it can be housing, … food, transport, these kinds of issues in the short term. “

The passage of the legislation comes as the Biden administration faces intense criticism for its treatment of the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. The retreat has been marked by tragedy and chaos. Thirteen members of the U.S. service and more than 170 Afghans were killed in bombed-out attacks at Kabul airport last week, while the United States and other Western countries rushed to complete a mass evacuation of their Afghan citizens and allies after the rapid capture of the country’s Taliban.
Taliban members escorted the Americans to the gates of Kabul airport in secret agreement with the US

Biden will have to head to the nation later Tuesday at the end of the war in Afghanistan, a day after the last U.S. military planes left the country.

Earlier this month, Biden acknowledged the difficulty and complexity of the situation and said: “After 20 years, I have learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces. “, but he also acknowledged:” The truth is, this developed faster than we had anticipated. “

Harris did not answer questions as he entered or left the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday when CNN asked about the Americans remaining in Afghanistan.

Asked about Harris’ presence in the Senate Tuesday, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas told Fox News that it is proof that the Biden administration “recognizes that this is a debacle that will reverberate for many, many years.”

Cotton said Biden is “trying to put a happy face on it,” but said Biden is “solely responsible” for what is happening in Afghanistan in recent weeks.

CNN’s Manu Raju, Sarah Fortinsky, Jennifer Hansler and Maegan Vázquez contributed to this report.

.Source