Issa Calls for Emergency Return of House Following Biden Administration Disaster in Afghanistan

Washington, DC— Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50) today called on Speaker Pelosi to reconvene the House of Representatives in Washington to receive emergency testimony from and conduct oversight of the Biden Administration in the unfolding aftermath of America’s chaotic and disastrous pullout from Afghanistan.

“Our departure from Afghanistan did not have to descend into this: A forced flight, the need for emergency military reinforcements and panicked calls for international aid. The extent of the Biden Administration’s foreign policy naïveté hasn’t been seen in a White House since Jimmy Carter’s administration,” said Congressman Issa.

Specifically, Congressman Issa directed Speaker Pelosi’s attention to the fact that President Biden remains on vacation and largely absent over the course of the weekend.

“When Americans and our allies are under attack, leaders shouldn’t stay on vacation, where the White House apparently remains. I thus request you call on Congress to immediately return to Washington for emergency oversight briefings by senior level executive branch officials. Congress must have a full and complete accounting of the chaos unfolding and the failing response efforts now underway. We need a face-to-face dialogue and the full truth of this fiasco. Anything less is insufficient to conduct appropriate oversight and Congressional activity.”

He also specifically referenced a briefing for Members of Congress held yesterday by Biden Administration officials that Congressman Issa described as “woefully insufficient.”

“The telephonic ‘briefing’ to Congress on the deeply troubling failures was little more than a summary of publicly available talking points and media statements shared in previous forms. Current administration officials also continue to place all blame on their predecessors, an embarrassing refusal to take responsibility for events that this White House alone set in motion.”

The Congressman’s correspondence can be found here.

Darrell Issa is the Representative of California’s 50th Congressional District. The District encompasses the central and northeastern parts of San Diego County and a portion of Riverside County, including the communities of Fallbrook, San Marcos, Valley Center, Ramona, Escondido, Santee, Lakeside, El Cajon, Temecula, and the mountain and desert areas of the San Diego-Imperial County line. Issa served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2011-2015.

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