{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://issa.house.gov/media/press-releases/issa-calls-president-meet-families-american-hostages-abandoned-afghanistan", "Issa Calls on President to Meet with Families of American Hostages Abandoned in Afghanistan", "2021-09-08", "2021", "2021-09", "Republican", "House", "CA", "Darrell Issa", "I000056", "issa.house.gov", "issa", "https://issa.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\u2014Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50) has written directly to President Biden calling on him to meet personally with the families of every American stranded in Afghanistan. The safe homecoming of American citizens, Legal Permanent Residents, and confirmed allies from Afghanistan must be this Administration\u2019s top priority.\n\n\u201cThe Americans we know are stranded in Afghanistan didn\u2019t want to stay behind. President Biden left them behind. That\u2019s why he has a moral obligation to meet their families, look them in the eye, and explain how he\u2019s working to earn the release of hostages he stranded in Afghanistan,\u201d Issa said.\n\nCongressman Issa and his team have helped rescue 31 members of his community from Afghanistan, including six El Cajon-area families and other Americans and SIV visa holders. But more citizens are still being held against their will, including Nasria, a pregnant American citizen, who has braved beatings and harassment by the Taliban trying to get past their checkpoints to return home to the U.S; a local family including local schoolchildren unable to leave; a couple over the age of 80 who tried repeatedly over multiple days to get through Taliban checkpoints but were harassed and intimidated blocking their efforts to get to the safety of American forces.\n\n\u201cPresident Biden cannot remain a bystander to the chaos his Administration has caused,\u201d said Congressman Issa. \u201cWhile our team continues to work around the clock, the President has taken at least two vacations and his Administration vows to \u2018turn the page.\u2019 We have a better idea: Bring them home.\u201d\n\nA copy of the letter is featured below and a full version can be found HERE:\n\nImage\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", "2026-04-06T20:17:01Z"]], "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-calls-president-meet-families-american-hostages-abandoned-afghanistan"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4578909613192081, "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"}