MENG AND LIEU LEAD LETTER URGING STATE DEPARTMENT TO BRING BACK AMERICANS STUCK IN MIDDLE EAST

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Due to the war with Iran, U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY) and Ted Lieu (D-CA) late today led a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the State Department to help stranded Americans leave the Middle East and return to the United States.

The State Department has advised Americans in 15 Middle East countries and territories to leave due to serious safety risks, and the agency has instructed them to depart using commercial transportation. But with airlines cancelling commercial flights out of the region, and airports there closed, most Americans are unable to book a trip home. The State Department has announced charter flights from just three of the countries on the list.

The letter to Rubio, which is signed by 61 Members of Congress (including Meng and Lieu), calls for charter flights, military operations and all other resources at the State Department's disposal to be used to bring Americans back to the U.S. safely and quickly. It also asks the Department to issue updated guidance including making sure Americans know what expenses they are responsible for in the case of evacuation. In addition, the correspondence criticizes the Administration for failing to have an evacuation plan already in place.

"So many Americans want to desperately return home from the Middle East but are unable to do so," said Meng, "The State Department needs to step up and help them. Three days after the war began, the Department says it's finally working on it. But it should have already had a plan in place, and now must immediately come up with one to evacuate these stranded Americans, just like other countries are doing for their citizens. This needs to happen at once and I urge the State Department to act as fast as possible."

"The Trump Administration has totally failed at planning how they were going to keep Americans caught in this conflict safe and get them out of harm's way," said Lieu. "The State Department has a responsibility to help Americans get home but has so far come up short, leaving United States citizens to fend for themselves. That's outrageous. Secretary Rubio and the Trump Administration must do everything in their power to safely evacuate Americans NOW."

A copy of the letter to Secretary Rubio can be viewed here.

Meng serves as a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State and Related Programs which funds the State Department.