Connecticut, International | September 30, 2021
Democratic Senator Blumenthal: ‘Nobody is in charge’ on Afghanistan
Connecticut, International | September 30, 2021
Senator Richard Blumenthal suggested Tuesday that the Biden administration’s current approach to Afghanistan is beset by chaos. “Nobody is in charge,” the Connecticut Democrat told generals appearing at a hearing of the Senate Armed Service Committee. The outrage is so great over Americans and our Afghan allies being left to the Taliban that even some Democrats are willing to abandon their partisanship to speak the truth…. (Excerpts from the White House Dossier)
Arkansas, International | August 16, 2021
Information for Americans Stranded in Afghanistan
Arkansas, International | August 16, 2021
Americans stranded in Afghanistan, or know one who is, please contact my office immediately: (501) 223-9081 or evac@cotton.senate.gov,” wrote Sen. TOM COTTON (R-Ark.) on Sunday night. “The situation is dire, but we’ll do everything in our power to help keep you informed and to help get you out.”….(Excerpts from Politico/Senator Tom Cotton’s Twitter)
International | July 1, 2021
US, Taiwan Revive Trade Talks Despite Objections From Beijing
International | July 1, 2021
WASHINGTON—The United States and Taiwan on June 29 resumed trade talks after five years, a move that has angered the communist regime in Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the liberal democratic island.
Discussions reopened on the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), which was stalled in 2016. At the virtual meeting, U.S. and Taiwanese officials pledged to deepen the trade and investment relationship.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, which led the talks, said in a statement that the two sides discussed a wide range of issues, including creating resilient supply chains and combating forced labor and climate change.
After the virtual meeting, Taiwan’s chief trade negotiator John Deng reiterated Taiwan’s aspiration for a bilateral trade deal….
(Excerpts from the Epoch Times)
District of Columbia, International | June 1, 2021
Cruz and Hagerty Land in Israel to Assess Damage from Hamas War
District of Columbia, International | June 1, 2021
Senators Ted Cruz (R., Texas) and Bill Hagerty (R., Tenn.) landed in Israel on Sunday to assess the damage from the country’s most recent war with Hamas and meet with the Jewish state’s leaders.
The lawmakers—both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—will tour Israel’s southern cities, which were heavily targeted by Hamas, and sit down with Israeli leaders to reaffirm the Republican Party’s unwavering support for the security alliance with America.
The trip comes as Democrats in Congress are increasingly divided over U.S. support for Israel. Lawmakers on the Party’s left flank have repeatedly called for the Biden administration to freeze security aid to Israel and consider sanctioning the country for carrying out defensive strikes on Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), and other members of the so-called Squad are attempting to push their colleagues into adopting their anti-Israel positions, a strategy that appears to be gaining ground as an increasing number of Democrats champion a wholesale reassessment of the historically bipartisan U.S.-Israel security alliance.
The Democratic Party’s divisions on Israel were on full display in the House earlier this month when virtually every Democrat voted to table two bills that would sanction Hamas and boost funding to Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, which played a central role in intercepting Hamas missiles before they struck civilian areas…
(Excerpts from the Washington Free Beacon)