Chairman McCaul’s Resolution Brings Accountability for Failures During Afghanistan Withdrawal

Washington, D.C. - Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul delivered remarks on the House floor to ensure that 15 Biden-Harris administration officials are held accountable for their dereliction of duty resulting in the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal. This historic condemnation passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support - including ten Democrats - in a vote of 219 to 194.

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- Remarks as Delivered -

Mr. Speaker, I want to say to my good friend I have tremendous respect [for you], we work together on many things, [we are] bipartisan. And when we don't agree, we do so civilly. However, I cannot disagree more with you than I do today.

One of the byproducts of Bagram [Airbase] falling, 7,000 ISIS [terrorists] were released from the Bagram prisons. Some of those have found their way into the United States.

What happened in Afghanistan is a tragedy. And one of the worst foreign policy failures in our nation's history.

Who could ever forget the harrowing images of Afghans falling off the plans and babies being flung over barbed wire in a desperate attempt by mothers to save their children and escape Afghanistan under Taliban rule?

The women, that Mr. Wilson referred to, [were] left behind along with American citizens.

Women [are] now under slavery under the Taliban's Sharia Law.

We are the United States of America. You can't tell me we couldn't have safely evacuated U.S. personnel, Americans, and our brave Afghan allies.

My report shows the administration had the information and opportunity to do so. But at every step of the way, they chose political optics over the safety of Americans.

Their deadly and chaotic withdrawal started a chain of events that have led to a world on fire.

We are witnessing the largest land invasion in Europe since WWII with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The CCP has become emboldened and more belligerent in their aggression towards Taiwan. And there is a war raging in the Middle East, Mr. Speaker, with the Ayatollah now rearing his ugly head. That didn't happen by accident. It happened by design with the fall of Afghanistan.

When you project weakness on the world stage, this is what you get: a world on fire, inviting aggression from our adversaries.

Our U.S. national security is degraded, America's credibility on the world stage is damaged, and the moral injury to the American veterans and servicemembers is a stain, an ugly stain on this administration's legacy.

I want to close, Mr. Speaker, with a reminder of the consequences of the actions of those named in this resolution. And it is the 13 heroic U.S. servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice. I've met with their loved ones, and they live [in] pain every single day, and they wake up to it every single day.

These servicemembers who paid with their lives because of this administration's failure on August 26, 2021. And I for one, in this chamber, in this House say I'm sorry for what your government did to you. And in their honor, I want to read their names.

• Marine Lance Corporal David Lee Espinoza
• Marine Sergeant Nicole Gee
• Marine Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover
• Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Christian Knauss
• Marine Corporal Hunter Lopez
• Marine Lance Corporal Rylee J. McCollum
• Marine Lance Corporal Dylan R. Merola
• Marine Lance Corporal Kareem M. Nikoui
• Marine Sergeant Johanny Rosario Pichardo
• Marine Corporal Humberto Sanchez
• Marine Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz
• Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak
• Marine Corporal Daegan William-Tyeler Page

Nothing will bring their lives back. Nothing will bring [the] children of these parents back, but we can hold those responsible, and accountable and that's what this resolution does.

And I urge my colleagues to support it. I yield the balance of my time.

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