senators will continue work on judicial nominations throughout the week. when the senate returns watch live coverage here on cspan2. ♪ ♪ c-span is your unfiltered view of governments, funded by these television companies and more including buckeye broadband. ♪ ♪ mark buckeye broadband support c-span is a public service along these other television providers giving you a front row seat to democracy. saturday was the 20th anniversary of the september 11 terrorist attacks. today, several centers came to the floor to speak about the anniversary and the war in

afghanistan. >> mr. president i'm here today to talk about the crisis in afghanistan. and togu honor the distinguished service of those who gave the last full measure of their devotion protecting americans there. over the last month americans have watched, horrified the seeds of chaos and terror and bloodshed. americans trapped at the kabul airport, terrified as the enemy closed in. innocent civilians fleeing for their lives, abandoned by their government. a young man desperately clinging to a departing planes landing gear, he was so desperate to escape only to fall then to his tragic death. thirteen marines, the pride of our nation cut down by

terrorists never to see home again. then, as american planes finally departed, civilians left behind to the enemy. again, hundreds of american civilians left behind to the enemy. who can forget the image of the president of the united states, declaring this mission that he plans, that he executed, that he oversaw. this mission that left 13 marines are dead. that left hundreds of american civilians and behind enemy lines. this mission that resulted in chaos, terror and bloodshed. who can forget this president saying and i will quote extraordinarily successful. an extraordinary success, really?

the commander-in-chief in american history ever before, had words like that come has the commander-in-chief ever celebrated a successful, a successful, the abandonment of american civilians to nenemies. the deaths of american soldiers, the terrorizing of american citizens and american allies. i hope i will never live to hear again in my lifetime such shameful and disgraceful words from the president of the united states. and make no mistake, this president is a disgrace. his behavior is disgraceful, he has dishonored with his shameful leadership in this crisis. it is time for him to resign. and if he had the responsibility of leadership, he would resign for the crisis that he has himself lead this

nation into an the responsibility he bears for the lives lost and for the american citizens who are even now as i speak trapped in afghanistan, left to the enemy because of his failures and his shameful, disgraceful leadership. mr. president, even the shameful performance of america's leaders cannot disguise or cover over the heroism of america's soldiers. and i want to talk about one of the soldiers now who is a marine core lance corporal, he was from missouri is from st. charles county to be exact. and he wanted to be a marine since he was a teenager. lance corporal schmitz was only six months old when terrorist attack this country

on september 11, 2001. hee was not old enough to remember the beginnings of this long war that he would go on to so valiantly served. he had only graduated from high school and in 2019, he signed up to join the marines shortly before his 18th birthday. he had dreamed of it since before his sophomore year. he began training with recruits even before he enlisted. he wanted to serve this nation because he was a man who served others. his father said jared was always smiling nonstop. he brought light and hope to every place he went. he wanted to bring those gifts and service to his country and he stated. he was a fine marine. he was sent on his first deployment to jordan earlier this year end then received

orders to afghanistan. jared schmitz, lance corporal schmitz was there on august 26, they are at the kabul airport doing his duty, serving his country, smiling nonstop when the enemy attacked. and it was there, lance corporal schmitz, age 20 gave his life for the people he loved for the nation he served. he died that others might live. i had the privilege of speaking to lance corporal schmitz is a family just hours after he learned of jared's death. i said this to them, i promise i would say it for the whole nation that jared's mission lived a life of honor but he lived a life worth living and his sacrifice was not in vain. he did not have to serve. he did not have to deploy

halfway around the world. he did not have to stand protecting americans and other innocent people as disaster unfolded it. he did not have to do any of it. he chose to do it. hehe chose to serve. he chose to give his life for others. that is a hero. that is an american. lance corporal schmitz deserves this honor. he deserves this recognition, frankly it is the least of what he deserves. so today i'm introducing and this body a resolution to honor lance corporal schmitz and allis of the missourians who made the ultimate sacrifice of the war in afghanistan, they will not be forgotten. over the last coverage we have heard words describe to use the cost of this long war, $2 trillion spent, over 20000 soldiers wounded in action and

thousands more who came home with invisible wounds. 2461ic american personnel who gave their very lives. but each of these numbers was a son, a daughter, husband, wife, father, friend. they have names, they have lives and they deserve to be honored as this chapter of american history concludes i want to recognize in the congressional record, each of my fellow missourians who during the war indu afghanistan made the ultimate sacrifice serving this u nation. i ask that each of us reflect together for the fallen and those who have sacrificed so much. they've sacrificed so much they have to sacrifice. they will live and our heart and the memory of this nation. they are christopher michael,

michael chad daly, michael joel beckerman, brian j bradbury, paul douglas karen, jacob russell carver joseph brian kemper, robert keith charleston, richard michael crane, i am sorry robert wayne coro junior, justin eric whole breath, robert jean davis, edward fred dixon the third, jason david, james matthew finley, zachary michael fisher, jacob rudolph, blake wade whole, nicholas joe hand, jonathan michael being hostetter, james roger died

the fifth, isaac brandon jackson, christopher m katzenberg or, jeremy andrew cason berger, william joe kerwin, daniel lee kissling junior dennis, donald matthew, matthew david mason, richard lewis mcnulty the third, bradley lewis, james douglas, michael robert patton, joseph michael peters, robert wayne ferris, richardson junior, charles ray sanders junior ronald wayne sawyer, patrick wayne schimmel, jared marcus schmitz. rosamond sheltie, billy joe

adam smith, tyler james smith, christopher glenn stark, sean patrick sullivan, philip james, philip david, matthew herbert walker, jeffrey lee white junior, matthew willard wilson vincent cortez junior, sterling william wyatt and gunnar william. mr. president, the sacrifices of so many brave men w and women demand that we and congress bring all of the facts of this long war to light. these sacrifices demand that we and congress prioritize transparency and full accountability. the sacrifices we hold responsible the those who have the blame of the failure of the last month and all the

months that preceded it. for 20 years they did but we sent them there to do. theyou went after al qaeda, killed osama bin laden and prevented terrorists from using afghanistan as a base for attacking our homeland. they did their duty. now it is abundantly clear presidentn biden has not done his. president biden turned in orderly evacuation into a disaster. not much is painfully clear. first, joe biden pulled her troops out and then he that sent thousands back in pretty failed to protect american still in the country. he failed to account for lethal military equipment he left behind, he failed to anticipate worsening conditions on the ground, he failed with judgment that the afghan security forces would hold their own, on her own intelligence estimate said they would not. he failed to anticipate a new offensive again, and again, and again until american blood at the kabul airport played

the price for that failurera they celebrated as an extraordinary success. joe biden's team is responsible too. secretaryet austin, secretary blinken, jake sullivan, national security advisor overestimated the afghan security forces to hold the line instead of planning for the worse they plan for the best. because of them we have americans stranded behind enemy lines. and over 100,000 afghan refugees arriving now to this country at this 11th hour without precautions. this was never necessary. it did not have to be this way orand it should not have been. joe biden is responsible for this failure and now there must be accountability. instead, the president's team is even now coming to capitol hill and blaming others, shirking responsibilities,

that is cowardly. i for one am not willing to look the other way. so let me be clear, i will not consent to the nomination of any nominee the department of defense or for the department of state until secretary austin and secretary blinken, and jake sullivan resign. leaders, take responsibility for their failures and the failure of these individuals, the failure of this has cost americans their lives and have left american civilians to the enemy. there must be accountability and there must be a new start. mr. president, i believe a century from now when the history of this long or is written by our children's children they will note the heroism and the honorh of our soldiers and veterans to the aftermath of the worst attacks on our nation's soil in a

century stood steadfast and irresolute and unity and despite the grave mistakes of their leaders over many years, served their country with bravery and distinction for our freedom. the great winston churchill was not a veteran of a one and a leader of another said the sum of 70 years ago. we've surmounted and endured the agonies of the past, wills shall provide against and thus prevail over the dangers of problems of the h futures. withholding no sacrifice, garage no toil, seek no gain, fear no photo all will be well. we have i believe within us the life strength and guiding light by which the tormented world around us may find the harbor of safety after a storm's voyage. mr. president i believe as americans we have that strength. i believe we had in us the

light and hope to survive this troubled time and to provide for the world around us the harbor of safety after a storm beaten voyage. god bless our troops, mr. president yield the floor. >> mr. president. >> senator from kansas for. >> mr. president thank you. i joined the senator from missouri, his colleague senator blunt and expressing my condolences and concern for the family of lance corporal from the neighboring state of missouri and the others who died at the kabul airport. in the effort to free americans and afghans who helped americans from that from their desperate takes us back to this weekend, saturday september the 11th.

our nation remembered the horrific attacks that occurred 20 years previous and the fightry on terrorism those set in motion on that very fateful day. the events that have unfolded in afghanistan these past few weeks have made the 20th anniversary of september 11 that much more painful, painful especially for the men and women who served our nation in afghanistan. the chaos and collapse of that country cost american lives. open old wounds and left many americans questioning how all of this could happen in this matter. the american people require answers from the administration on how our withdrawal from afghanistan went so horribly, so horribly, horribly wrong.

officials should become must be held accountable for their weak leadership and mismanagement withdrawal. and here in the united states senate following the attack of 911 i visited afghanistan four times. over the course of those visits i saw b progress being made by our troops and bite civilians, by ours nato allies and afghan partners. my last visit was about four years ago just to the day, about a week ago. at that time, the u.s. had left than 15000 service members and afghanistan. our men and women were operating as advisors to the afghanhe military. for the most part the war seemed to being fought by the afghan military. certainly several terrorist group had a presence in the recent butter military was preventing them from gaining the ability to strike our

homeland. president biden's withdrawal plan if it could be called that, led to the deadliest date for american service members and afghanistan since 2011. thirteen of our service members returned home and flag draped caskets. too young to remember 911. yet, they lay down their lives to help americans flee the taliban and find safety. americans remain and afghanistan and thousands of our afghan partners who are likely to face persecution or death at the hands of the taliban have little hope of escaping the country. our own office continues the effort to try to find and help those individuals, remove themselves from a country where death seems so certain. i think my staff and i think

the kansans who brought them to our attention. people at home worried about christians being persecuted for being christians and afghanistan. those who served in afghanistan worry about someone who saved their life, and afghan who saved their life or an interpreter who was there side-by-side with them, now being left to the fate of the taliban. i'm a member of the senate appropriations subcommittee that fund the department of defense and states. we must hold hearings to examine the decision-making process advice for intelligence community leaders. we need to determine what steps, if any, to plan for the withdrawal of americans especially visa holders from afghanistan. we also need to hear directly

from the administration help costly the lethal american weapons ended up in the hands of the taliban. high-ranking officials who were responsible for this failure, must answer to the american people why this failed so spectacularly white taxpayer dollars was left behind in the form of helicopters, combat vehicles and weapons. how is it that we came to rely upon t the taliban to help those we are responsible for, we owe a debt to, to be able to escape the taliban. the administration must be held accountable for its mismanagement hastily withdrawing thousands of troops, apparently in the interest of a symbolic departure before the 20th

anniversary of 911 made this world a more dangerous place. it created an environment that will allow radical terrorists to find refuge under the taliban rule and produced one that was the most pressing humanitarian crisis in history. we deserve answers on how we will remedy this complex security situation. how we will help afghan women and girls who were already being persecuted. and how we will learn from mistakes that were made, to make certain it cannot happen again. finally, our veterans who served honorably and afghanistan need to know that their service, when i say finally this is not the least important point. it is made at the end to make the point so clear. our veterans who served honorably in afghanistan need

to know there service was not, was not in vain. more than 775,000 service members were deployed to afghanistan over the two decades since 911. to those service members, make no mistake you work service has left a lasting and unparalleled impact upon the world. our country has been safe from a terrorist attack from the region of afghanistan since their arrival in afghanistan. their work and efforts and sacrifice made a difference for the safety of their fellow americans. those who serve significantly reduce the threat from al qaeda and brought osama bin laden to justice. you deserve to know the collapse of afghanistan does not fall on your shoulders. but on the failure of

leadership here in the nation's capitol city. our sudden, disastrous, poorly executed withdrawal opened old wounds and created new ones. i commit aste the ranking republican on the veterans affairs to work side-by-side with our chairman, the senator from montana to make certain that our veterans receive the care and attention that they entitled to. the respect and honor from their fellow american citizens and the benefits that we promised to be available. we made the world a more dangerous place by our feeling departure. and we have left americans and our afghan partners behind.

i served in the house of representatives of 91120 years ago but i remember the day and the attack. i was one of the first members of congress to visit ground zero where i saw the remains of the two twin towers, still smoke coming from the ground, steam, a bit like a construction site asbl they were trying to remove the rubble that were the remains of those towers. first, family members were brought in to see the site where their loved ones died, which captured my heart as i watch them see where their loved ones died. and after paying my respects to those of family members as i was leaving, i found a makeshift memorial that new yorkers had placed there at a series of long tables and which people had brought flowers and cards, stuffed animals, teddy bears, notes to pay tribute to those who died

just a few weeks before, at that location. i picked up a one thing from that table of remembrance, and honor, and respect, it was a piece of notebook paper with a jagged edge along the side torn out of a spiral notebook. a child handwriting dear daddy , how much i love you. how i hope heaven is a wonderful place. and i hope, daddy, i live a life enough to join you there 1 someday. amanda age 12. that moment has stuck with me for 20 plus years now. the point of being we have a responsibility to make sure there are no more amanda's who suffer the fate that young

girl suffered that date with the death of her father. it occurred because of a terrorist attack on the lands of afghanistan held by the taliban that allowed isis to attack the united states of america. i tried to change my conduct as a member of congress to be a more responsible member to do the things necessary to be more worldly, to understand what is going on. to make sure i make the decisions that help make the world a safer place. but we have seen in the last few weeks discourages me and making the world a safer place. buts i rise to call again and say we have responsibilities left with afghanistan. we have responsibilities to the people we left behind to allow and help them escape near certain death.

and we also have responsibilities to those men and women who have served in afghanistan, who answered the call because they saw what happened to our nation on 911 and say i have something to give. i have something, perhaps my life to give to see that. this does not happen again. i hope that we, despite the circumstances that we have seen in the last days, now have the ability as the united states congress, a member of the united states senate to t rise to the occasion in which we are still needed in this world to protect american lives, to save lives and afghanistan. and to make certain comment to make certain there are no more amanda's asking for the

opportunity to see their father someday in heaven. the burdens are great for us. the responsibilities are real. those who have failed us to date need to be held accountable and the rest of us need to arise to the occasion. to protect this country we ntlove, the united states of america. mr. president i yield the floor brickwork's madam president, the united states lost 13 service members and afghanistan if your child in 2021. the heroic service and the ultimate sacrifice of these men and women will never be forgotten. they are marine lance corporal espinoza from texas. marine sgt nicole lg from california, marine staff sgt darren taylor hoover from utah, army staff sgt