The committee will come to order. Without objection, all members have five days to visit made statements and questions for the record subject to the limitation of the rules. Ambassador wells and ms. Friedman, welcome to the members of the public and the press as well. We are glad to have our friends from cspan here as well. We need this mornings of the committee conduct oversight of the administrations policy towards afghanistan and iran now recognize myself for an opening statement. For months weve been attempting to get some visibility into the ongoing peace negotiations without success. We all want peace and the fighting in afghanistan do and do. Congress needs to know what the potential deal looks like and members need the chance to ask questions and offer views and in the last few weeks, weve seen the reconciliation process go off the rails in a spectacular fashion area to be learned from a president ial message that the administration was planning to host the caliban at camp david the same week that we marked the anniversary of 9 11. We learned that the president of into that arrangement and we learned that the peace deal evidently is dead. If accurate, the president s deciding got the better of him again and now months and months of diplomatic effort seems to be thrown out the window. As the committee that oversees the American Foreign policy, we understand there were a lot of questions about the diplomatic effort and the administrations refusal to provide us into the American People answers to subpoena the top negotiator and weve asked them to testify today. Just to be clear i do not take subpoena is lively and wouldnt have issued this happy no puppyt three letters inviting him and asking the secretary of we simply couldnt wait any longer and after i issued a subpoena i spoke with the secretary of the state departments request and he offered to send him to testify in from the ambassador to brief myself and mr. Mccall on the setting. We just wrapped up that classified briefing and are going now to continue with the officials before us, so lets take a step back. Im from new york city an and do myself and a lot of new yorkers have lived through 9 11 its a tough pill to swallow and since then, many that have lost their lives at the hands of taliban fighters after 18 years of war the taliban still exists. We need to deal with that fact and the adage remains true that you believe it or not theres Common Ground for starters the taliban once our troops out of afghanistan and we want our troops. Any viable deal needs to be built on three pillars. First is that the taliban was pledged in afghanistan will never be used again as a base to plan attacks against the United States and allies. We understand the administration secured their commitment from the taliban and earlier negotiations. Second, they must agree to separate from al qaeda, something theyve indicated they would do and now lastly the taliban and Afghan Government must engage in a goodfaith process that can lead to reconciliation among all afghans. This area still has a lot of Unanswered Questions that with the president declaring it dead, it isnt clear where we go from here. The way i see it we need to use whatever leverage we can to promote dialogue. The president suggested peace would be possible unless we first a ceasefire complaints. Well guess what, there was in june, 2018 to celebrate, and what did we do to seize this opportunity, nothing. Why, because the administration has hollowed out the state department and the complaint about this for a long time. The Inspector General found of the bureau of south and central asia to have lost both staff and expertise into the administration including experts on peace talks where the taliban reconciliation. So, what will this administration do to get a second bite at the apple it might create an opening for more dialogue. I would like to hear from the witnesses among any other issues. Its one thing is Crystal Clear, there is no military solution to end the fighting in afghanistan and if there is another opportunity even following the president s disastrous attempt at dealmaking to forge the piece that advances American Security interests, we need to consider those options and we all wish that those that, we always to those that lost their lives in 9 11 and we owe it to the future generations who dont want to see our country entrenched in an endless war and the people who want a peaceful and prosperous future for their country. We will soon hear from our witnesses but yielded to the Ranking Member for any opening remarks he might have. It brings good results for the American People as well. Thank you for holding this important hearing. Also id like to thank the ambassador for briefing the members this morning we had a robust and informative discussion arranged in timely issues and we look forward to staying engaged with them. We stand unified and this is the second oldest committee and the congress dating back to the continental congress. We do have article one constitutional oversight responsibilities it was one of the most tragic days in american history, and the aftermath of 9 11, counterterrorism and Homeland Security became our top priority. To militarily attacked abroad, that strategy included invading afghanistan, destroying al qaeda. Since 2001, we have achieved many successes on the battlefield and through diplomacy. We killed Osama Bin Laden and the rising leader from the battlefield and most importantly weve not allow afghanistan to be the staging ground for another devastating attack on the homeland. Weve also helped implement Many Political and social reforms. Millions in afghanistan have voted in democratic elections at all levels. And afghan women are not allowed to attend schools during the brutal reign of the taliban in the 1990s and have made significant gains in play was pleased to hear they were part of these negotiations. Theyve not been without great sacrifices. Over 20,000 wounded we must never forget the courage and price we pay to protect the homeland and build a Better Future for afghanistan. Unfortunately the taliban made significant gains and today they control over 50 of the country and have become increasingly violent. But after 18 years in the battlefield, the American People and members of Congress Want to know what our plan is for peace moving forward. Im glad that the president decided against welcoming leaders of the taliban to camp david. Perhaps the current suspension of talks will allow us to reevaluate our strategy. In this committee, mr. Chairman, i should say, and the congress has a role in the process. There is no doubt that all of us would like to see this come to an end and i fully support their efforts to bring a diplomatic resolution to this conflict. Its not a monolithic organization to engage with the organizations central leadership overlooks the local power brokers who do not always follow them. We also have to keep in mind they have some longstanding objections to the negotiated peace. They think our military will come home, no matter what. I think some more extremist fashions are responsible for that attack just to end the peace negotiations. And as the ambassador has assessed many times in afghanistan, when he said that the taliban will offer any number of commitments knowing that when we are gone and the taliban is back, we will have no means of enforcing any of them. We must also avoid the same mistake president obama made by withdrawing all of our truths for the purpose of preventing another 9 11 style attack on the homeland i personally believe that we should keep a residual force in place to focus on counterterrorism intelligence and Partner Force training. Id also like to thank the ambassador for being here. The hearing comes at a critical time. We did commend the Ambassador Special envoy this morning for his commitment and service to the country in what i consider to be one of the most difficult negotiations on the planet. With that, mr. Chairman, i yield back. I will now introduce our witnesses. The acting assistant secretary of state for South Central in asian affairs. Karen freeman as the assistant to the administrator in the office of afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs in the united stateand unitedstates agency fol development and i again thank you both for your service and for your testimony this morning. Without objection to witness his prepared testimony will be made a part of the record and i will now recognize the witnesses for five minutes each to summarize their testimony and well start with ambassador wells. Distinguished members of the committee, i appreciate the opportunity to testify this morning on the Trump Administrations policy in afghanistan. Last week in new york, washington and kabul and about what we commemorated the 18th anniversary of the attacks on the United States. And when the u. S. Began its military engagement in afghanistan, our core interest was clear to ensure that afghanistan would never again be a platform for a terrorist attack on america and in that regard, our mission over the last 18 years in partnership with our allies has been a success. Since 9 11, no terrorist group has used afghanistan to attack the shores. But the threat remains significant. Afghanistan remains a haven for terrorist organizations. The correspondence demonstrated that the intent to organize workeraspire and has the capacid willingness to indiscriminately kill civilians who do not support the ideology. In april, russia, china joined us in calling on the television to make good on its commitment to cut ties with International Terrorist groups to prevent terrorists recruiting, training, fund raising and to expound any service. While the United States remains committed to countering the threat of takeover some from afghanistan, the administrations understands that the American People are ready to end the war responsibly. They will not bring peace or eliminate those exploiting the afghan soil. Soil. A negotiated political settlement accepted by most afghans remains the best way to ensure a durable peace and to enable afghans to focus on ridding the country of International Terrorists. In the last 12 months weve made significant progress towards this objective and the taliban engaged in dialogue with the United States into discussions with fellow afghans including the Afghan Government officials wrebuild support for peace and lasting a help of pakistan, russia, the eu members and regional partners and consultation within the u. S. Government are continuing on the best way forward. As we foster the conditions for the direct negotiations between the afghans where we are rationalizing the risk of exposure to ensure the sustainable, diplomatic and military presence, diplomatically weve reduced the civilian presence from 100 personnel in 2011 to around 500 staff today. We have tapered civilian assistance to about 480 million today. Our partners are contributing three quarters of all development and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan Afghan troops are leading the fight against isis and the taliban and over 9 Million Students are enrolled in schools, 39 of them girls. The private sector is strengthening supply chains and building market linkages with india and central asia. The challenges remain over half the afghan population lives below the poverty line, corruption, government malfeasance at record high opium production since sustainability we will continue to hold the Afghan Government accountable for combating corruption and we will adjust the levels accordingly. Afghanistan is holding a president ial election september 28 and weve called for the Afghan Government and Electoral Institution to ensure that the election will be credible and transparent. All candidates are accountable to the code of conduct they signed pledging to respect the electoral process. Afghans have the right to vote without fear of intimidation, attack or violence and the taliban statement threatening the workers and voters we offer strong support to the Afghan Security forces that are in charge of electoral security and sacrificed their lives in a daily basis. Even as afghanistan goes to the polls come afghans cannot pause their efforts to advance peace. Finally the United States will continue to safeguard American Security for too long theyve taken comfort in their convictions in the engagement as unsustainable. Chairman, Ranking Member and members of the committee, thank you for this opportunity to discuss the role of usaid and supporting the interests in afghanistan. Sincof afghanistan. Since may of this Year Development and humanitarian partners have sustained attacks by the taliban that resulted in a loss of life and injury staff these are senseless attacks on people who dedicated their liv lives. We ask your secretarys calls for the taliban. This weeks attack by the taliban on energy. We are happy to note that they constructed a power plant providing immediate backup supply of energy. Attacked from civilians as well as those that several facilitate and advance the economy and standard of living for the Afghan People that must stop. Earlier this year the u. S. Embassy in kabul led to the review of all civilian assistance which directed the department and agent needs to focus on three objectives from supporting the afghan Peace Process, preserving stabilization of the afghan state and assisting afghans transition to selfreliance to create conditions for the political process. The strategy in afghanistan aligns with and supports the objective by accelerating the private sector led economic growth, advancing education and health gains made over the past 18 years particularly for women and girls and increasing accountability between the Afghan Government and its citizens. Usaid has pressed the government afghanistan to take the lead in the countrys own future and make the Development Game sustainable. A few weeks ago, i joined by colleagues to close the formal review of the u. S. Government civilian assistance to afghanistan. We unequivocally stressed the minister of finance a transparent, effective citizen response of Government Systems are essential to achieving private sector growth and attracting investment. The government continues to convey to all afghans the countrys relationship with the International Community will depend heavily upon the inclusivity of any potential settlement which must preserve the rights and the dignity of women. We also expect the Upcoming Elections to schedule for september 28 to be transparent and credible. The government must recommit and redouble its efforts to enhance transparency, increase the citizen responsiveness and reduce the corruption that weakens the afghan citizens faith in the government. Over the past 18 years, the games have been significant and the Energy Sector more than 30 now have access to the power grid. More importantly, they are also working directly with the afghan utility to improve its Management Systems and ability to collect revenue. This has helped double revenue collections and increase its Customer Base by 73 in just a few years. Usaid is working with the Afghan Ministry of Public Health to increase access to basic healthcare and in shorter the sustainability throughout the development of effective partnerships. In the education sector, not only have usaid programs supported millions of students, but the future generation of afghan women will have opportunities such as the result of a usaid partnership with texas a m university. Afghanistan is a different place than i was in 2001 and people are capable of more as it achieves the response of Good Governance to transparency. Usaid is prepared to support the needs and opportunities that could arrive as a political settlement. The trajectory remains clear, civilian assistance helps create economic and social conditions necessary for peace and selfreliance by focusing on longterm broadbased development and reinforcing efforts to reduce violence and to stimulate peace settlement to end the conflict with the taliban. Thank you for your attention and for inviting me here today. Thank you very much. Let me ask both of you this question. You both mentioned in your remarks by u. S. Assistance to afghanistan moving forward. Could each of you please explain which role the department could propose and how such good support the peace and reconciliation . Thank you. We were trying to ensure the level of assistance we were providing for afghanistan was sustainable and structured in a way that encourages the sector into it elicits the government performance so thagovernmentpere government increasingly has the capacity and the ability to assume all functions of a sovereign state and at the same time to add sure the investment in