Ten Democrats voted with Republicans on Wednesday to rebuke Biden administration officials over their handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as lawmakers intensify their scrutiny of the chaotic military operation that left 13 Americans dead.
The House of Representatives passed a resolution on Wednesday rebuking 15 current and former Biden administration officials over their handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The resolution, introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, passed 219 to 194, with the support of 10 Democrats.
McCaul accused Biden officials of prioritizing "optics over security," leading to the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemembers in a terror attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul during the withdrawal. He read their names on the House floor in closing remarks for debate on the bill.
House Democrats Join Republicans in Rebuking Biden Administration over Afghanistan Withdrawal
"Nothing will bring their lives back," he said.
The resolution specifically name-checks Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, former Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, among others.
House Democrats Join Republicans in Rebuking Biden Administration over Afghanistan Withdrawal
Leading opposition to McCaul's bill was Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
"This resolution, as I've said all along, is nothing more than political theater designed to score cheap points rather than address the real issues at hand," Meeks said.
House Democrats Join Republicans in Rebuking Biden Administration over Afghanistan Withdrawal
McCaul responded, "I have tremendous respect [for Meeks]. We work together on many things, bipartisan. And when we don't agree, we do so civilly. However, I cannot disagree with you more than I do today."
He pointed to the harrowing images of Afghans falling off planes and babies being flung over barbed wire during the chaotic withdrawal.
House Democrats Join Republicans in Rebuking Biden Administration over Afghanistan Withdrawal
"Who could ever forget the harrowing images of Afghans falling off the planes, and babies being flung over barbed wire in a desperate attempt by mothers to save their children and escape Afghanistan under Taliban rule?" he asked.
The resolution comes as the House Foreign Affairs Committee is set to vote on a resolution to hold Blinken in contempt of Congress over accusations he is stonewalling the committee's probe into the withdrawal. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested to Fox News Digital that he will bring the contempt resolution up for a House-wide vote when lawmakers return from a six-week recess that starts Wednesday.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller criticized the move in a Tuesday statement: "Today’s action by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs was a naked political exercise masquerading as oversight, designed only to further the majority’s partisan interests under the guise of asking questions that have long ago been answered."
The White House declined to comment on the resolution, but a senior administration official told Fox News Digital that the administration remains "committed to accountability" for the withdrawal.
