While not uncommon, the request comes at a moment of high tension in Washington as Democrats have grown increasingly frustrated by what they view as the Trump administration's obstruction of their oversight responsibilities.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has restricted senior Pentagon officials from traveling to Afghanistan until the end of the fiscal year and has asked lawmakers to adhere to the policy within their official duties, according to a two-page internal document obtained by Newsweek.
Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban’s political spokesman, said on Twitter the discussions were “positive and constructive” with both sides agreeing to meet again after internal consultations. The request is not likely to sit well with some Democratic lawmakers and could set up a new round of infighting between the Pentagon and House Democrats, especially after Defense officials said Friday they would shift $1.5 billion from its 2019 fiscal budget to fund President Trump's border wall—more than half of the funds were originally allocated to support Afghan security forces and the U.S. military retirement system.
Butler’s statement was supported by the Democratic-controlled House Armed Services Committee, who said the Pentagon routinely issues a restriction on temporary travel to the Middle East, “during time periods that pose a particularly high threat.” However, this year’s request comes at a particularly tumultuous time in Washington when the Trump administration is under scrutiny by Democrats in Congress. Some lawmakers, such as Democratic Representative Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, suggest the travel restriction erodes transparency.
As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Lynch has made multiple trips to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Lynch said members of Congress had “far greater access” under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush and that “since the Trump administration came in, we have seen a gradual increase in limitations on [congressional delegations], especially Iraq and Afghanistan and understandably Syria,’ according to Al-Monitor.
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