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Democrats consider allocating budget reconciliation money to Afghan refugees

Some Democrats are considering allocating a portion of their $3.5 trillion budget plan toward refugee resettlement for those fleeing Afghanistan, three Hill sources familiar with the early discussions tell Axios.

Why it matters: As President Biden defends his plan for complete withdrawal amid searing images of the Taliban’s swift takeover, Democrats who agreed with the plan, if not its execution, are scrambling for a way to protect some of the nation's most vulnerable — including women, children, interpreters and others who helped the U.S. over the past two decades.


  • The $3.5 trillion budget plan aims to give Democrats a vehicle to push through big infrastructure spending unilaterally via the budget reconciliation process.
  • Conversations about if and how to apply that to resettling Afghan refugees are in their infancy and will continue to develop over the next several weeks, these sources said.

The big picture: Many progressives fundamentally agree with Biden's withdrawal position and still maintain that he made the right — some even said “brave” — choice.

  • Rep. Ilhan Omar, among the first Somali-American, Muslim women to serve in Congress, called for the U.S. to “marshal an international coalition to evacuate every Afghan citizen who is fleeing for their lives.”
  • “We have a moral obligation to the Afghan people,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “The U.S. role in this crisis is indisputable."
  • Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted that “we must do everything we can to evacuate our allies and open our doors to refugees.”

But Biden faces criticism from Democrats as well as Republicans who say he lacked a comprehensive plan for evacuating those who risked their lives for U.S. or who face certain death or reprisal under the Taliban.

  • An aide to one progressives House Democratic member said their group is pressing the administration to share a comprehensive plan for evacuations within the next 24 hours.
  • Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland said on Monday that his state intends to receive more Afghan interpreters than previously planned due to the crisis in Afghanistan.

What we're watching: How progressive challengers use Afghanistan against Democratic incumbents on the campaign trail.

  • Rana Abdelhamid, a liberal challenger to New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney, shared an image of Maloney wearing a burqa on the House floor after the 9/11 attacks.
  • "I was 9 years old when I watched my Congresswoman wear a burqa in Congress to justify the invasion of Afghanistan," she wrote in a now-viral tweet. "For the rest of my life, I knew that as a Muslim woman my identity would be weaponized to justify American wars."
  • Abdelhamid said in an interview with Axios that there's a "deep lack of engagement" and "deafening silence" from some House Dems who had supported the war.

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Biden's push for fiber revives a Google dream

President Biden's plan to boost broadband across the country could also be a boon to Google's internet ambitions.

Why it matters: Biden wants to invest billions in building "future-proof" networks to connect all Americans, using a technology that Google previously struggled to deploy widely.

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HUD secretary: Bad enforcement of Fair Housing Act to blame for Black homeownership decline

During a wide-ranging interview for "Axios on HBO," I asked Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge why Black homeownership rates have gone down, while rates for Asians and Hispanics have gone up.

The big picture: "Part of our problem is that we have never totally enforced the Fair Housing Act," Fudge told me during a visit to her native Cleveland.

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Torrid IPO could spur more investment in plus-size apparel market

The fashion industry has been notoriously unfriendly to body sizes and shapes outside the slim standard seen on the catwalk.

Driving the news: Plus-size apparel retailer Torrid’s IPO last week may help thaw those attitudes, at least from an investor standpoint.

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Taliban capture third-largest city in Afghanistan, 11th provincial capital in last week

Data: Al Jazeera and AP; Map: Axios Visuals

The Taliban captured the cities of Ghazni and Herat on Thursday, the 10th and 11th provincial capitals to fall to the militant group in recent days, AP reports.

Why it matters: Herat is the third-largest city in Afghanistan. Ghazni is the closest provincial capital to Kabul to fall to the Taliban — putting their frontlines within 100 miles of the heart of Afgahn government. Capturing Ghazni also cuts off a key highway linking it with Afghanistan's southern provinces.

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