Should key officials in the Biden administration be held accountable for handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal?
H. Res. 1469 holds key officials in the Biden-Harris administration accountable for failures related to the withdrawal from Afghanistan. It condemns President Biden, Vice President Harris, and other high-ranking officials for prioritizing political optics over the security of U.S. personnel and Afghan civilians. The resolution criticizes the administration’s handling of the withdrawal, citing a lack of planning for contingencies, which led to the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemembers and the abandonment of American citizens and Afghan allies. It calls out specific officials, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for their roles in the chaotic evacuation and failure to properly prepare for the Taliban’s takeover.
Sponsor: Rep. Michael McCaul (Republican, Texas, District 10)
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Opponents say
• "American taxpayers have funded this Committee’s oversight, and the American people deserve the truth. We owe it to them to highlight the facts elicited in this investigation without undue spin and with respect for the seriousness of the subject and the witnesses who have voluntarily testified to us about it. If information we receive is hidden, twisted, or used as a political cudgel it will undermine the Committee’s ability to undertake credible oversight going forward...many of those critical of the withdrawal effort simply have a fundamental objection to President Biden fulfilling his pledge to be the last Commander-in-Chief to preside over the war in Afghanistan. They are masking their displeasure with criticisms but have failed to offer feasible alternatives. We must continue to wrestle with these matters not to rewrite the past or assign partisan blame, but to identify lessons that can help us better fight and end wars in the future." Source: Rep. Gregory Meeks (Democrat, New York, District 5), Minority Report
Proponents say
• "Our investigation reveals the Biden-Harris administration had the information and opportunity to take necessary steps to plan for the inevitable collapse of the Afghan government, so we could safely evacuate U.S. personnel, American citizens, green card holders, and our brave Afghan allies. At each step of the way, however, the administration picked optics over security. As a result of the Biden-Harris administration’s failure to plan for all contingencies, the U.S. government conducted an emergency evacuation without the necessary personnel, supplies, and equipment. The administration’s dereliction of duty placed U.S. servicemembers and U.S. State Department personnel in mortal danger, where the Taliban – our sworn enemy – became the first line of defense. As a direct result of the failure to plan for all contingencies, 13 U.S. servicemembers and 170 Afghans were murdered in a terrorist attack at Abbey Gate on August 26, 2021, and 45 U.S. servicemembers and countless Afghans were injured. This was preventable." Source: Rep. Michael McCaul (Republican, Texas, District 10)
- Chairman McCaul Releases Historic, Comprehensive Report on Biden-Harris Administration’s Afghanistan Withdrawal (Press Release)
- Meeks Releases Minority Report on the Committee’s Afghanistan Withdrawal Investigation (Press Release)
- Timeline of U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan (Fact Check)
- House Republicans and Democrats issue dueling documents casting blame for mistakes made in US withdrawal from Afghanistan (CNN)
- Rep. Michael McCaul’s Largest Donors (OpenSecrets)
