Murphy: We Can Find Ways to Save Lives in Afghanistan Without Empowering the Taliban

Press Release

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism, took to the U.S. Senate floor to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and called on Congress and the Biden administration to take action to save the lives of the Afghan people facing famine and economic collapse.

"President Biden made the right decision to leave. The American people--by a large margin--support that decision," said Murphy. "But right now, we need to be honest. The question of what to do now--as Afghanistan crumbles into a nightmarish failed state--is a moral knot, almost impossible to untangle."

On the staggering humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, Murphy said: "By this summer, 97% of Afghans will be living below the poverty line--trying to survive on less than two dollars a day. With nine million people just one step away from famine, this humanitarian crisis could kill more Afghans than the past 20 years of war."

Murphy laid out the arguments for and against releasing Afghanistan's frozen assets: "On one side is what sounds like a pretty clear and convincing argument…To send billions to solve the humanitarian crisis they caused would be to bail the Taliban out and incentivize other insurgent groups to make similar rash decisions. But on the other hand is an equally clear and convincing argument. We stood by the Afghan people for two decades, protecting them, working with them…How could we let the Afghan people die, needlessly, if we have the power to stop it?"

"But what if these two points--that the Taliban has to own this and we can't stand by idly while people die--what if they aren't in 100 percent contrast? What if we could help the Afghan people without directly empowering the Taliban? Wouldn't that be the best possible answer? The good news is that this middle road is possible. I'm going to be honest. It's not easy, but it is possible," Murphy posed.

Murphy stated: "Over the last twenty years, the U.S. has spent billions in our taxpayer dollars to build schools, and health clinics, and a robust civil service. The number of schools today for instance is five times higher in Afghanistan than it was in 2001, and that's because of American investment. We can, and we should, find ways to pay the salaries of those who work at these nonpolitical institutions through the UN and NGOs on the ground--going around the Taliban-led government--to keep those essential services running and inject some much needed money into the economy."

"Make no mistake, Madam President--the Taliban, and frankly twenty years of corrupt Afghan governments--they do own this debacle. The choices they made have led to this day. But our hands aren't clean. Our mismanaged occupation--it is part of the story. And right now, as the Afghan economy collapses and families face starvation, burying our heads in the sand is not a solution. We can find ways to save lives without unreasonably empowering the Taliban," Murphy concluded.

On Tuesday, Murphy released a statement on the administration's decision to send $308 million in humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan. Murphy also defended the Biden administration's decision to end the forever war in Afghanistan.

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