The House Oversight Committee, led by its Chairman James Comer (R-KY), is demanding more answers and transparency from the Biden State Department about its programs and practices employed to resettle tens of thousands of Afghans across the United States during and since President Biden's chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"Specifically, the Committee is interested in gaining more transparency into the programs that have been instated to accomplish these efforts," explained Chairman Comer in a letter to State Department Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts Program Dan Forbes and United States Agency for International Development Afghanistan Mission Director Joel Sandefur. "To that end, the Committee seeks documents and information pertaining to programs and their contractors that relocate Afghans into the United States."
The resettlement programs undertaken by the Biden administration has seen the federal government relocate close to 70,000 Afghans into cities across the United States as part of Operation Allies Welcome.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) September 21, 2023
Since the Biden Administration’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, more than 70,000 former Afghan nationals have been relocated to communities throughout the United States via U.S. federal programs.
It is inconceivable that proper vetting procedures were… pic.twitter.com/MAU8aIcOpE
"It is inconceivable that proper vetting procedures were followed during the chaos and disarray of the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan and questions remain to the nature of persons enrolled in domestic resettlement programs," Chairman Comer said in a statement of the way the Biden administration rapidly resettled tens of thousands of Afghan citizens. "It is incumbent upon Congress to gain more transparency into the programs that have been instated to accomplish resettlement efforts and gain answers for the American people," added Comer.
Specifically, Comer is seeking answers to the following questions from Sandefur and Forbes by October 5:
1. All contracts, agreements, memorandums of understanding, and any originating documents regarding the CARE program and other Afghan relocation efforts or programs;
2. All documents and communications reflecting the purpose, mission, and goals of the CARE program and other Afghan relocation efforts or programs;
3. All documents and communications reflecting any State Department plans to continue and/or terminate the CARE program or other Afghan relocation efforts or programs;
4. All materials pertaining to the hiring process, practices, and requirements for CARE (or other Afghan relocation programs) employees, contractors, and case managers;
5. All documents reflecting the vetting performed by the State Department and any contractors when hiring employees, contractors, and case managers to assist with the CARE program and/or other Afghan relocation efforts or programs; and
6. A list of all employees or contractors involved in case management, hiring, and human resources for the CARE program and other Afghan relocation efforts or programs from August 2021 to the present.