Bilirakis Joins House Republicans in Demanding Accountability from Biden Administration on Afghanistan Withdrawal

WASHINGTON, DC-Congressman Gus Bilirakis and dozens of his Republican colleagues penned a stern letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the first anniversary of the Biden Administration's disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. The group of lawmakers questioned the Administration's mismanagement on every level of the withdrawal of troops and personnel from Afghanistan, including the fall of Kabul, and demanded accountability and oversight for this abject failure.

The lawmakers write, "On the first anniversary of the disastrous withdrawal of American troops, equipment, and personnel from Afghanistan, we write with regard to the many unanswered questions that still surround this unnecessary loss of life, including 13 members of the military and Americans left behind. There must be more transparency and significant oversight to ensure that disasters on this scale will be prevented moving forward. We must also ensure that those in charge are held accountable for their actions that led to this catastrophe… Unfortunately, those in charge's failure to plan for this fateful day resulted in a rushed evacuation, leaving hundreds of American citizens behind, with their fate subject to the repressive whims of Taliban rule…. The fall of Kabul represents a complete and utter failure of leadership by those in charge. For weeks our government told American citizens in the country and our Afghani allies, including interpreters who served as a lifeline to our military, that they could come to the United States on Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), or go to Kabul where they would be safe and evacuated, only to be abandoned by this administration. You also armed our enemies with $7 billion worth of equipment that was left behind. The American exit did not have to be this way, and there must be accountability for this failure."

The full text of the letter can be found here.