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Lawmakers are furious with Biden on Afghanistan
President Biden is facing his first unforeseen crisis, and many leaders of his own party are horrified. The tumultuous events in Afghanistan have turned Biden's popular decision to end the decade-long war into a disaster.
Democrats are asking the same question as everyone else: How did this happen?
“I am bewildered and frustrated and, privately talking to a lot of House Democrats, they feel the same thing,” said one Democratic member of Congress who asked for anonymity to speak candidly.
“The scenes are absolutely horrific, and there is no explanation for how terribly State or the Defense Department or both utterly botched the evacuations and getting individuals out,” the House member fumed, expressing support for Biden's underlying decision to withdraw. Someone was soundly dozing off at the switch.”
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks (D-NY), said on Tuesday that his committee will hold hearings on the situation in Afghanistan. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are expected to testify, according to Meeks.
Other Democratic voices have been more strident.
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) has described the situation as a “disaster” that was “avoidable.”
CNN reported on Tuesday that the State Department and the Pentagon were pointing fingers at each other. According to a Politico article from the previous evening, the White House National Security Council was blamed for “not taking more control of the interagency process” surrounding the American pullout.
18 August 2021
