Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), talks to a reporter during her protest against the expiration on August 3, 2021 of the federal eviction moratorium at the House steps. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Democrats and Republicans attacked the US withdrawal form Afghanistan after the Taliban seized Kabul.
However, prominent progressive legislators resisted the temptation to criticize President Joe Biden this week.
The Democratic party could face a challenge in 2022's midterm elections due to the Afghan crisis.
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It has been one week since the Taliban took Kabul. This triggered the fall of the US-backed Afghan government. The chaos and ongoing evacuation of Afghan and American refugees has increased fears about the future of Afghanistan.
Congress was rocked by the rapid upheaval, with Republicans and Democrats taking aim at the US's actions. Democratic-led committees demanded investigations into Biden’s withdrawal from the military. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy requested a White House briefing on plans for safe transportation of Americans out of the United States.
While the harrowing scenes in Kabul made headlines this week, progressive lawmakers who are known for their criticism of both parties but often quick to point out human rights violations, have mostly remained silent and avoided criticizing Biden.
Some prominent progressives have limited their public response to one tweet so far. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democratic Rep.), who uses Twitter to raise awareness and to hit back at politicians, once wrote about the situation Monday, one day after Kabul was overthrown by the Taliban.
She wrote, "For all those lost, sacrificed and suffered in the past 20 years of war, occupation, the United States has the singular responsibility to extend safe refuge for the Afghan people."
Ocasio Cortez previously called the US war in Afghanistan a "mistake", but she did not examine the US exit strategy of Biden.
Ocasio Cortez is a New York firebrand who does not hesitate to criticize members of her party. In May Ocasio Cortez criticized Biden's response to violence in Gaza. She claimed that his words "dehumanize Palestinians" and implied that the US would ignore human rights violations.
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Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. is the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. He speaks at a hearing in Washington on Capitol Hill, Thursday, February 25, 2021. The hearing examines wages at large profitable companies. AP Photo/Susan Walsh. Pool
Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, supported the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Last Sunday, he posted on Twitter about the consequences of the withdrawal. He wrote: "After twenty years of U.S. efforts... Afghanistan was left without a corrupt government or an ineffectual army. We must now do all we can to help our allies evacuate and to open our doors for refugees.
Sanders, who is a close ally of Biden, has also avoided criticizing the president.
Missouri Democratic Rep. Cori Bush, who uses her activist background as a platform for her agenda, also mentioned Afghanistan on Sunday in a tweet, but did not mention Biden.
Bush recently led a sit in at the Capitol's steps to press the Biden administration to lift a federal eviction moratorium.
OcasioCortez, Bush and Sanders did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.
Biden and Democrats could be hit hard by Afghanistan, which could prove to be a significant blow as they try to retain their Senate and House majorities in the 2022 midterm elections.
CBS poll results on Sunday showed that the majority of Americans support Biden's decision not to leave Afghanistan. However, they believe that the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan has been disastrous. Biden's handling on the withdrawal is disapprovalled by 53% of respondents.
This is despite the fact that the new Taliban government offers an uncertain future for Afghans. They claim they won't impose the same strict restrictions on women as they did from 1996 to 2001, but they have tried to present a moderate position. However, history shows that Taliban forces are already attacking Afghans.
Business Insider has the original article.
