Chairman Lynch to Hold Subcommittee Hearing with Afghanistan Study Group

Washington D.C. (Feb. 16, 2021)—On Friday, February 19, 2021, at 10:30 a.m., Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, will hold a hearing to examine the final report released by the Afghanistan Study Group (ASG) facilitated by the U.S. Institute of Peace, which Congress established in December 2019 to "consider the implications of a peace settlement, or the failure to reach a settlement, on U.S. policy, resources, and commitments in Afghanistan."

The report argues that U.S. involvement in Afghanistan is at a critical juncture. On one hand, a complete U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan by May 2021, as envisioned by the February 2020 U.S.-Taliban agreement, would likely have dangerous consequences for U.S. national security and the future stability of Afghanistan. On the other hand, the Taliban have signaled they will withdraw from the peace process if U.S. troops remain beyond May 2021.

The hearing will examine these, and other policy considerations for the Biden Administration, including the United States' strategic interest in protecting the democratic gains the Afghan people, especially women and girls, have made since 2001.