[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1469 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1469

     Ensuring accountability for key officials in the Biden-Harris 
 administration responsible for decisionmaking and execution failures 
              throughout the withdrawal from Afghanistan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 19, 2024

 Mr. McCaul submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
 the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on 
   Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Ensuring accountability for key officials in the Biden-Harris 
 administration responsible for decisionmaking and execution failures 
              throughout the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Whereas, throughout the Biden-Harris administration, key White House, National 
        Security Council, Department of State, and Department of Defense 
        officials prioritized the politics and optics of the withdrawal from 
        Afghanistan over the security of United States personnel and civilians 
        on the ground and failed to plan for foreseeable contingencies, causing 
        a chaotic, precipitous withdrawal that resulted in the death of 13 
        servicemembers and the wounding of 45 servicemembers in the Abbey Gate 
        terrorist attack on August 26, 2021;
Whereas, in 2020, the Trump administration negotiated a conditional plan to 
        withdraw from Afghanistan called ``The Agreement for Bringing Peace to 
        Afghanistan'', commonly known as the Doha Agreement, which required the 
        Taliban to cease terrorist activities, renounce linkages with al Qaeda, 
        reduce violence, establish a ceasefire, and participate in Afghan-to-
        Afghan negotiations with the Government of Afghanistan;
Whereas the Biden-Harris administration was determined to withdraw from 
        Afghanistan regardless of the Doha Agreement and the costs of 
        withdrawal;
Whereas, in 2021, under the Biden-Harris administration, Special Representative 
        for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, baselessly asserted 
        the Taliban would honor their commitments and respect basic human 
        rights;
Whereas, in 2021, President Biden selected National Security Advisor, Jake 
        Sullivan to conduct an interagency review of the policy of the United 
        States toward Afghanistan, including the Taliban's compliance with the 
        Doha Agreement;
Whereas the review process led by National Security Advisor Sullivan, Deputy 
        National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer, and Homeland Security Advisor 
        Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall completely disregarded the failure of the 
        Taliban to comply with the Doha Agreement, did not seek input from key 
        government officials, and blatantly ignored warnings from senior 
        national security experts and allies of the United States that a 
        complete withdrawal of troops would cause a total unraveling and 
        collapse of the Government of Aghanistan;
Whereas President Biden, supported by Vice President Harris, issued a ``go-to-
        zero order'' without any regard for the safety of Americans and without 
        making appropriate plans for noncombatant evacuation operations;
Whereas the Department of State's leadership responsible for the safety of 
        embassy personnel and civilian evacuation plans included Secretary of 
        State Antony Blinken, Deputy Secretary of State Brian McKeon, and 
        Counselor for the Department of State Derek Chollet;
Whereas, during the military withdrawal from April to July 2021, Secretary of 
        State Blinken, Ambassador Ross Wilson, other Department of State 
        officials, and the National Security Council willfully disregarded 
        warnings of the Taliban's imminent takeover in Afghanistan and instead 
        increased the footprint of Embassy Kabul rather than plan for a 
        noncombatant evacuation operation;
Whereas, in early August 2021, as the Taliban made gains across Afghanistan, 
        Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy 
        Colin Kahl, and other senior officials purportedly advised that 
        positioning United States military forces to assist with a noncombatant 
        evacuation operation was not immediately necessary, contrary to urgent 
        warnings from United States military personnel on the ground;
Whereas Secretary of State Blinken and his State Department did not call for a 
        noncombatant evacuation operation until the Taliban began marching into 
        Kabul on August 15, 2021;
Whereas Secretary of State Blinken and his State Department had not made 
        determinations about who would be eligible for evacuation, and had not 
        effectuated agreements with third countries to serve as transit points 
        prior to the noncombatant evacuation operation;
Whereas the willful refusal to plan for a timely civilian evacuation caused 
        chaos in Kabul and an untenable security situation at the Hamid Karzai 
        International Airport;
Whereas, on August 26, 2021, the Biden-Harris administration's chaotic, 
        precipitous withdrawal, willful refusal to properly plan for a 
        noncombatant evacuation operation, and decision to rely on the Taliban 
        to run checkpoints surrounding the airport resulted in a terrorist 
        attack by ISIS-K at Abbey Gate that killed 185 people, including 13 
        United States servicemembers;
Whereas the suicide bomber at Abbey Gate was among thousands of militants 
        released by the Taliban from Afghan prisons as they marched on Kabul;
Whereas, in August 2021, the Biden-Harris administration left behind 
        approximately 1,000 Americans;
Whereas the Biden-Harris administration left behind $7,000,000,000 worth of 
        United States weapons and up to $57,000,000 in United States currency 
        that could be used by the Taliban and other terrorist regimes;
Whereas President Biden, Vice President Harris, National Security Advisor 
        Sullivan, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, White House National 
        Security Communications Advisor, and Defense Department Spokesperson 
        John Kirby, and the Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price 
        repeatedly and materially misrepresented to the people of the United 
        States the state of affairs in Afghanistan and the withdrawal;
Whereas, since the Biden-Harris administration's withdrawal, the Taliban has 
        carried out brutal reprisal killings of Afghan Government officials and 
        individuals who assisted the United States and our allies, and created a 
        safe haven for terrorist groups who seek to harm the United States;
Whereas the Biden administration had been warned the precipitous withdrawal 
        would cause women's rights to ``go back to the Stone Age'', and since 
        the withdrawal, women's rights have been rescinded and child marriages 
        have skyrocketed;
Whereas the Biden-Harris administration's catastrophic withdrawal has emboldened 
        our adversaries, and once again made the United States vulnerable to 
        terrorist attacks;
Whereas the Biden-Harris administration refuses any accountability for the 
        disastrous withdrawal; instead, Under Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl 
        said ``Americans should be immensely proud'' and Press Secretary Psaki 
        stated the withdrawal was ``a success'';
Whereas Vice President Harris said she was the last person in the room before 
        President Biden made the final decision on the withdrawal and was 
        described by an advisor as being ``100 percent all in'' on the decision; 
        and
Whereas our Nation's most senior leaders, including the President and Vice 
        President, failed in their responsibilities on behalf of the people of 
        the United States and have not been held accountable for the death and 
        destruction their failures caused: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives condemns each of the 
following individuals for their role in the Biden-Harris 
administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan and noncombatant 
evacuation operation, which led to the injury and death of United 
States servicemembers, injury and death of Afghan civilians, 
abandonment of American civilians and our Afghan allies, and harm to 
the national security and international stature of the United States:
            (1) Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States.
            (2) Kamala D. Harris, Vice President of the United States.
            (3) Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor.
            (4) Jonathan Finer, Assistant to the President and Deputy 
        National Security Advisor.
            (5) Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Assistant to the President 
        for Homeland Security and Deputy National Security Advisor.
            (6) John Kirby, White House National Security 
        Communications Advisor; former Spokesperson, the Department of 
        Defense.
            (7) Jen Psaki, Former Press Secretary, White House.
            (8) Antony Blinken, Secretary, the Department of State.
            (9) Brian McKeon, Former Deputy Secretary of State for 
        Management and Resources, the Department of State.
            (10) Ross Wilson, Ambassador and former Chief of Mission to 
        United States Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan, the Department of 
        State.
            (11) Zalmay Khalilzad, Ambassador and former United States 
        Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, the 
        Department of State.
            (12) Ned Price, Deputy to the United States Representative 
        to the United Nations and former Spokesperson, the Department 
        of State.
            (13) Lloyd Austin, Secretary, the Department of Defense.
            (14) Derek Chollet Chief of Staff to the Secretary, the 
        Department of Defense; Former Counselor, the Department of 
        State.
            (15) Colin Kahl, Former Under Secretary of Defense for 
        Policy, the Department of Defense.
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