Republican senators expressed their appreciation for U.S. service members who served in Afghanistan amid the country’s crisis following the Taliban takeover.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) shared the video in a tweet, saying, “Thank you to all the Afghanistan veterans who’ve kept us safe. You led the response to 9/11, caught Osama bin Laden, and kept foreign terrorists off our shores.”
She added, “[Senate GOP] thanks you for your service. If you need to talk, people are here to listen. Vets Crisis Line: 800-273-8255.”
https://twitter.com/SenJoniErnst/status/1430522374290554883
The nearly three minute video begins with an image of waving flags and continues with messages from senators to service members.
Ernst told them, “You have kept us safe here in the homeland for the past two decades. God bless you for keeping us safe. Thank you.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) chimed in, “We want you to know that our country appreciates you. We are grateful. We are thankful and we love you.”
Acknowledging the current state of Afghanistan, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), said, “There’s been a huge uptick in those calling mental health hotlines.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) called the stories coming out of Afghanistan “disturbing” and “terrible,” adding, “I want to thank each one of you for what you did to defend the freedom of this country.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) continued, “Don’t let the bad decisions of the policymakers and politicians diminish your service in any way. We honor you, we thank you, and we celebrate your service to our great country today.”
Concluding the video, Cruz appeared again, telling the service members, “Our nation is stronger. Our nation is freer because you answered the call. We’ve got your back.”
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the United States is sticking with the August 31 withdrawal deadline.
“We are currently on a pace to finish by August the 31st. The sooner we can finish, the better,” Biden said. “Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops.”