Ten Democratic senators voted with Republicans on Wednesday to criticize Biden administration officials over their handling of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
The bill passed by a vote of 219-194, with Democrats voting in favor including Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), Rep. Marie Grusenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), and Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-DC).
The bill was introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who has conducted a long-running investigation into chaotic military operations.
“Three years after a deadly and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden-Harris administration has yet to hold anyone accountable for one of the most devastating foreign policy missteps in American history,” McCaul told Fox News Digital.
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President Biden was one of 15 current and former government officials named and censured in the bill. (Photo illustration)
McCaul accused Biden administration officials of “putting appearances above safety,” which he said was what led to a terrorist attack at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport during the withdrawal that killed 13 U.S. troops.
McCaul read their names on the House floor during his closing remarks in debate on the bill.
“You can't bring their lives back,” he said.
The resolution specifically names 15 current or former members of the Biden administration, including President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, former Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The leading voice in opposition to McCaul's bill was Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
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The bill was led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (pictured with Secretary of State Antony Blinken). (Getty Images)
“As I have said all along, this resolution is nothing more than political theater designed to score easy points rather than address the real issues at hand,” Meeks said. “It is a distortion of the facts and a disservice to the American people, our military and diplomats, all of whom have risked their lives in 20 years of wartime activity.”
““They and their sacrifices should not be used as political propaganda. We should work on real solutions, support our allies in Afghanistan, learn the right lessons, and ensure accountability based on truth, not partisan narratives.”
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“I have a lot of respect for [for Meeks]”We work together on a bipartisan basis on a lot of things, and when we disagree, we do it civilly. But I've never disagreed more with you than I do today.”
“Who can forget the harrowing images of Afghans falling out of planes and mothers throwing their babies over barbed wire in a desperate attempt to save their children and flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan?” he asked.
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York said Democrats oppose the bill. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
McCaul is also preparing to lead a push in the House of Representatives to hold Blinken in contempt of Congress for obstructing the investigation.
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A House committee passed the resolution on Tuesday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, indicated to Fox News Digital that he intends to bring the resolution to a vote by the full House when lawmakers return from a six-week recess that begins Wednesday.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller criticized the move in a statement Tuesday, saying, “Today's action by the House Foreign Affairs Committee is a blatant political act disguised as oversight, with the sole purpose of advancing the partisan interests of the majority under the guise of asking questions that have long ago been answered.”
