Afghanistan Peace Campaign
The Thursday notification to Congress would cut the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE), eliminating the office on July 1.
“This is not streamlining. This is deliberate dismantling. The CARE Office was established to fix the failures of the U.S. withdrawal. Eliminating it — without public explanation, transition planning, or reaffirmation of mission — is a profound betrayal of American values and promises,” Shawn Van Diver, the president of #AfghanEvac, said in a statement.
The move is part of a massive redesign of the State Department that pushes additional cuts beyond the sweeping proposals previously made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In addition to slashing programs, it also proposes cutting another 18 percent of staff and would further solidify the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
While the Trump administration has been critical of former President Biden’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, it was the first Trump administration that initially brokered a deal to leave the country.
In the aftermath of the withdrawal, key Republicans in Congress have put up roadblocks to efforts that would aid Afghans – both those in the U.S. and those left behind in the chaotic exit.
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While the restructuring proposal said Afghan issues would be handled by the Afghanistan Affairs Office, congressional Democrats saw it as an end to an office designed to handle the complex needs faced by vulnerable Afghans. Many remain in hiding in the country and face challenges in getting travel documents.
“We welcome reforms where needed, but they must be done with a scalpel, not a chain saw. This proposal hands over Afghan allies who fought side-by-side with our military to the Taliban. It guts programs meant to protect brave democracy defenders living in fear,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on each chamber’s foreign affairs panel, wrote in a joint statement.
They also blasted the further destruction of USAID, saying the plan “haphazardly moves what is left of our once prominent foreign assistance programs to Department entities with no experience dealing with such programs and accounts.”
Van Diver noted the law requires keeping a coordinator at CARE office.
“It is also not legal cover. While the office is gone, the requirement to appoint a Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts remains federal law,” he said.