Is the Biden Administration charging U.S. citizens to leave Afghanistan?

U.S. officials have been saying that flights from Kabul Afghanistan will be free for U.S. citizens but those trying to get on a plane in Kabul are saying something different. One citizen said the State Department Staff are charging up to $2000 from American passengers and more for non-US citizens.

A spokesperson from the State Department denied these accusations saying “U.S. law requires that evacuation assistance to private U.S. citizens or third country nationals be provided on a reimbursable basis to the maximum extent practicable. The situation is extremely fluid, and we are working to overcome obstacles as they arise.”

This statement by itself says they are charging citizens on a reimbursable basis.

The administration is receiving extreme backlash for not being able to promise their safety or evacuation and do not even know how many Americans are stranded there.
The Secretary of defense said that the military will evacuate people as long as they can and as many as they can. He said they will work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as long as they can.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) asked for Biden to expand the U.S. military’s perimeter at the airport so they can help those who may be unable to reach the airport for evacuation because of Taliban presence.

Senator Cotton, served in Afghanistan and “said in a statement:

“President Biden’s ill-planned, chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has stranded thousands of American citizens behind enemy lines, turning them in effect into hostages of the Taliban. Instead of ordering rescue missions to save our people, as our allies have done, the Biden administration is relying on the Taliban’s good graces to ensure the safety of our citizens.”

He went on to say, “As a result, terrified Americans are being forced to run a gauntlet of armed terrorist checkpoints to reach the safety of Kabul airport. My office has received numerous reports of American citizens and Afghan allies being harassed, beaten, and abused by Taliban thugs. These reports are in addition to the televised scenes of chaos at the airport perimeter”.

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R – NY) said she is creating a legislation to ban the U.S. government from charging any Americans for flights.

It is absolutely ridiculous that the people that caused the problem (Biden Administration) want people to pay to get them out of the problem. That is absolutely wrong on so many levels.