Watching the Taliban overrun Afghanistan these past few days has been extremely heavy.

My heart goes out to Afghan people—especially to the many defenseless Afghani women and children who will now be subject to oppressive, extremist rule. My heart aches for the thousands of American service members who have fought so hard—many of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice—to keep our country safe and to provide a semblance of hope to the Afghani people that freedom isn’t a uniquely American idea.

It’s true that the United States could not stay in Afghanistan indefinitely and that we cannot fight endless wars. America has made significant investments in Afghanistan including training their military, rebuilding cities, creating infrastructure, and ultimately protecting the delicate stability of the Afghan government. These efforts, spanning across multiple administrations, must be acknowledged. It is ultimately up to the Afghan people to take their future into their own hands.

However, we must also acknowledge that how President Joe Biden chose to abruptly end the combat mission in Afghanistan is a collective stain on the conscience of our nation. So many innocent people will be hurt by his decision.

The abrupt nature of his decision is harder to bear, especially considering the current moral erosion of America. Lately, we’ve heard from elected officials, pundits, and activists that American exceptionalism is a myth—that our values, beliefs, customs, and way of life are simply a mirage to hide daily travesties and injustices from the world.

You expect the uninitiated to fall for these mistruths about America.

But you’d never expect that our President would fall for this trap; the idea American strength and leadership isn’t needed on the international stage. And you’d never expect the President to fall for this trap in such a tragic way that has allowed extremists to overrun a country within a matter of days.

What’s unfolding before us is tragic, undeniable proof that American leadership is desperately needed, and that freedom can fall within a generation.

With so much at stake internationally and domestically, it’s time to remember America’s strengths. I’m asking my fellow Americans to keep Afghanistan in your prayers, and to remember the force for good that this country can be. And to our military, please know that your sacrifices weren’t in vain. Continue to be involved and do not lose hope.

I’m fighting with you and will be the type of representative you can count on to keep our government accountable to the people, and one who will always recognize how great our country is and will always work to make it better.

Stay in the fight.

Tamika