Rep. Zeldin on the One-Year Anniversary of the Fall of Kabul

Statement

Today, Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a U.S. Army veteran, issued the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul:

"One year ago today, the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, fell. From the failed planning and execution of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, to the President and his Administration's misleading of the public, the foolish August 31st withdrawal date that was erroneously established and should have been moved, and intelligence warnings that were brushed aside as inconvenient, this will serve as an example for future generations of exactly how not to transition out of military conflict.

"The consequences of this withdrawal were catastrophic. Thirteen Blue Star Families became Gold Star Families, hundreds of Americans were stranded behind enemy lines, and we left Afghanistan in the hands of the same Taliban terrorists we drove from power two decades earlier.

"In the year since the fall of Kabul, the President and his allies have made offensively false claims that the withdrawal was an "extraordinary success'. There has been zero willingness from Congressional Democrats to join Republican efforts to investigate the Administration's withdrawal. The American people deserve answers and accountability. Congress, in bipartisan fashion, must do its part to uncover the facts of this historic failure and help ensure that these mistakes, carelessness and incompetence are never repeated.

"Our service members, fellow Americans, and allies abroad needed American leadership and strength. Instead, they experienced surrender and weakness."

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