Florida Congressman Mike Waltz questioned Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko on the Biden Administration’s Afghanistan policy after U.S. withdrawal during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing this month. The Special Inspector General admitted “it’s been difficult” under President Joe Biden compared to under President Donald Trump.
Representative Waltz, a Republican, questioned SIGAR Sopko about auditing the Special Immigration Visa (SIV) program and the lack of cooperation and coordination with Biden Administration’s State Department. Rep. Waltz went on to ask, “was this your experience with the last administration or even the one prior? This lack of cooperation? The fact that you never even met, that you were hoping to meet, the Special Presidential Envoy.”

Waltz went on to mention the June 9, 2023 report from the United Nations (UN), which noted that “the Taliban is providing al-Qaeda members with monthly welfare payments and Afghan passports, which should ring counter-terrorism alarm bells around the world.” Waltz asked, “have you seen in your reporting how integrated al-Qaeda is?”