{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://issa.house.gov/media/press-releases/issa-announces-additional-americans-home-afghanistan", "Issa Announces Additional Americans Home From Afghanistan", "2021-10-08", "2021", "2021-10", "Republican", "House", "CA", "Darrell Issa", "I000056", "issa.house.gov", "issa", "https://issa.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, Congressman Issa announced that two additional Americans were freed from Afghanistan and have reached their home in the San Diego community.\n\n\u201cAfter tireless hours of work and a perilous journey in one of the world\u2019s most dangerous regions, another family from our community is finally home,\u201d said Congressman Issa. \u201cThe credit goes to an extraordinary group of people, especially from two of my colleagues \u2013 Congressman Markwayne Mullin and Congressman Mike Waltz \u2013 as well as several concerned citizens who refused to believe this couldn\u2019t be done.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere the Biden Administration has shown weakness, the American people have shown true strength. I am incredibly grateful to the Sentinel Foundation and the many brave Americans who have stepped up and answered the call to help,\u201d said Congressman Mullin. \u201cMy team and I are continuing to work around the clock to rescue abandoned American citizens who want to get out of Afghanistan. We have had tremendous success, but we are not done yet and we cannot stop until every American is home.\u201d\n\n\u201cI want to thank our brave veterans who helped guide this family safely out of Afghanistan and back home in the United States,\u201d said Congressman Waltz. \u201cThank God these private sector groups stepped up and filled the gap left by the Biden Administration after they abandoned Americans behind terrorist lines. The State Department must begin to better coordinate with these groups, now, in a public-private partnership to ensure the hundreds of remaining Americans and their families get out as soon as possible.\u201d\n\nThe rescued couple are both American citizens more than 80 years old and with deep roots in the San Diego region. They attempted to flee Afghanistan for several weeks and were repeatedly thwarted by the Taliban after being left behind following the Biden Administration\u2019s chaotic departure from the country. The Mullin and Waltz Congressional offices took the lead in first advancing this vital casework, and key assistance was also provided by the Sentinel Foundation, which worked closely to assist the couple.\n\nCongressman Issa added: \u201cBecause the Biden State Department has not fulfilled its obligations to the American citizens it left behind in Afghanistan, I am especially grateful to my friends Rep. Mullin and Rep. Waltz for leading their teams and guiding the efforts in government and among private channels that ultimately brought this family home.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhile this is a day to celebrate, it is also a reminder than many more Americans and much more of our community remains in Afghanistan. We can\u2019t quit until they are reunited with their loved ones.\u201d\n\nDarrell Issa is the Representative of California\u2019s 50th Congressional District. The District encompasses the central and northeastern parts of San Diego County and a portion of Riverside County, including the communities of Fallbrook, San Marcos, Valley Center, Ramona, Escondido, Santee, Lakeside, El Cajon, Temecula, and the mountain and desert areas of the San Diego-Imperial County line. Issa served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2011-2015.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:24:51Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://issa.house.gov/media/press-releases/issa-announces-additional-americans-home-afghanistan"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5976750291883945, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}