But the administration showed little public urgency to expedite visas for Afghans in the months before and immediately after Biden’s announcement in April that the United States would pull U.S. forces out. White House officials said bureaucratic backlogs and delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic slowed the process but that it ramped up dramatically as summer approached.

The State Department approved 137 visas between Jan. 1 and March 31, resulting in more than 650 people approved for relocation to the United States. Successful applicants for what is known as special immigrant visas, or SIVs, can bring immediate family members. The pace picked up after that, and the State Department says it reached a rate of 800 per week at the start of August, just before the Taliban takeover of the country and the shuttering of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

“At every stage the administration expressed nominal support for the SIV program” while saying that bureaucratic hurdles prevented faster work, said Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), who is part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers that pushed the White House to move more quickly.

“At every point that had an excuse thrown up, we went and fixed that excuse,” Meijer said. “So at the end of the day I can’t help but come to the conclusion that they just didn’t want to deal with this issue and put up every roadblock possible.”