Senate to be briefed on Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal plan

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday said that the Senate will be briefed by the administration on President Biden’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which he is expected to formally unveil on Wednesday.

“There are questions that remain. … The administration has agreed to a classified briefing for all senators, which we’ll have shortly so questions can be answered,” Schumer said in an appearance on CNN’s “New Day.”

Spokespeople for Schumer didn’t immediately respond to questions about what day the briefing will take place or who will brief the Senate. Members of the administration, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have already briefed some senators.

The Pentagon says it has about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan at this time.

Biden is expected to announce Wednesday that he will order the withdrawal of all U.S. troops by September, pushing back a May deadline agreed to by the Taliban and the Trump administration. If he sticks with his plan, it would be a historic step that the previous two administrations vowed but failed to accomplish.

The decision sparked a bipartisan backlash Tuesday over concerns from lawmakers that yanking U.S. troops could result in a backslide in Afghanistan. But underscoring the complicated political dynamics, Biden also garnered praise from progressives and some libertarian-minded Republicans who have pressured him to formally end the country’s longest war.

Schumer, during the CNN interview, indicated that he supports Biden’s decision.

“I think the president’s plan is a very good one,” he said.