{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/newsroom-news-releases-barrasso-presses-sec-blinken-on-bidens-reckless-administration-of-evacuations/", "Barrasso Presses Sec. Blinken on Biden\u2019s Reckless \u201cAdministration of Evacuations\u201d", "2024-05-21", "2024", "2024-05", "Republican", "Senate", "WY", "John Barrasso", "B001261", "www.barrasso.senate.gov", "barrasso", "https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/newsroom/news-releases/", "scraper", "\u201cWhether it\u2019s in Burma, Belarus, Sudan, Haiti, there seems to be a dangerous growing trend of the U.S. in retreat\u2026 It appears the [Biden] administration has become the administration of evacuations.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 At today\u2019s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) pressed U.S. Department of State Secretary Antony Blinken on the Biden administration\u2019s disastrous foreign policies.\n\nSenator Barrasso challenged the State Department\u2019s condolences on the death of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and noted the Biden administration\u2019s growing record of global military evacuations and surrendering military bases to adversaries. Finally, Barrasso questioned Sec. Blinken on countering Russia\u2019s newly created foothold in Africa.\n\nSecretary Blinken testified at today\u2019s Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on American Diplomacy and Global Leadership: Review of the FY25 State Department Budget Request.\n\nOn the Biden Administration\u2019s Condolences for Iranian President\n\n\u201cYesterday the State Department issued a statement mourning the death of the Iranian President. Now, I assume that as Secretary, you share that sentiment.\u201d\n\nFollow Up:\n\n\u201cWell, I don\u2019t think it should be a normal course of business. I think it\u2019s shocking that this administration would mourn the death of the \u201cButcher of Tehran\u201d. I don\u2019t.\n\n\u201cHe\u2019s responsible for death, rape, torture, the sworn enemy of the free world. So I think it\u2019s a terrible mistake, Mr. Secretary.\u201d\n\nClick here to watch Sen. Barrasso\u2019s remarks on the late Iranian president.\n\nOn Global Military Evacuations\n\n\u201cI want to move on to another issue in terms of some of the evacuations and retreats that are happening around the world.\n\n\u201cSince the deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan in August of 2021, the administration has urgently evacuated Americans at several embassies across the globe. I hadn\u2019t expected to hear about this in Wyoming, but I heard about it again in Wyoming just this past weekend.\n\n\u201cWhether it\u2019s in Burma, Belarus, Sudan, Haiti, there seems to be a dangerous growing trend of the U.S. in retreat. The United States has been forced to draw down, evacuate, and close numerous diplomatic posts.\n\n\u201cIt used to be rare to see images of U.S. troops flying to the rescue to evacuate our embassies, but it\u2019s becoming a more common sight under this administration. In 2023, U.S. troops and three helicopters airlifted seventy American employees from Sudan. In 2024, in Haiti, U.S. military airlifted over thirty stranded Americans.\n\n\u201cIt appears the administration has become the administration of evacuations.\n\n\u201cDuring your leadership as Secretary of State, how many embassies have we had to close or evacuate?\u201d\n\nFollow Up:\n\n\u201cDo you see a unifying, underlying factor for this terrible trend, and how are you addressing that?\u201d\n\nClick here to watch Sen. Barrasso\u2019s remarks on Biden\u2019s numerous evacuations.\n\nOn Surrendering American Military Bases to Adversaries\n\n\u201cThe administration, following the withdrawal from Afghanistan, left behind weapons, ammunition, and equipment that ultimately armed the Taliban.\n\n\u201cNow we\u2019ve announced withdrawal from Niger. State Department efforts to re-establish relations and engage in diplomacy there have failed. The government there is demanding that we leave.\n\n\u201cOur nation is withdrawing one thousand troops from two air bases where we conducted important counterterrorism missions for decades.\n\n\u201cMedia reports already indicate that Russian troops have already been deployed to these air bases where American soldiers are located.\n\n\u201cDo you know how much American taxpayer money the United States have spent on building these bases and training the military there?\u201d\n\nFollow Up:\n\n\u201cDo you not see risk, though, with American taxpayer-funded bases ultimately ending up in the hands of the Russians?\u201d\n\nClick here to watch Sen. Barrasso\u2019s remarks on surrendering American military bases.\n\nOn Countering Russia\u2019s Foothold in Africa\n\n\u201cNow we\u2019re seeing the Russians, you know, the Wagner mercenary group providing military training and support in Burkina Foso, Mali, in addition to where you mentioned.\n\n\u201cHow are we countering Russia\u2019s newly created foothold in Africa?\n\nFollow Up:\n\n\u201cI would add that once they find out the hard way, it may be very difficult for them to extract themselves from the domination of the Russians and come back to us.\u201d\n\nClick here to watch Sen. Barrasso\u2019s remarks on countering Russia\u2019s foothold in Africa.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:12:30Z"]], "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://www.barrasso.senate.gov/newsroom-news-releases-barrasso-presses-sec-blinken-on-bidens-reckless-administration-of-evacuations/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7556711100041866, "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"}