Mike McCaul

I do not believe in excuses. I believe in results.

The Biden Administration had thwarted our efforts on three different occasions to rescue Americans.

Congressman Ronny Jackson called me and told me about a mother and three children that were trapped in Afghanistan.

The Biden Administration was because they applied political optics over military strategy.

One of the reasons I ran for Congress is I got tired of people who sit here trying to make decisions that impact us as war fighters on the ground but, yet, they have no accountability, no understanding, and no actual on the ground…

Those aren't failures by the U.S. military and those who are wearing the uniform. It's the suits, not the boots, who are actually responsible for these types of failures and these collapses.

And by law they're required to come up with a plan and they did not and that's the point the chairman has made over and over.

I have not seen an evacuation plan. If they had it I'd think they would have produced it to this committee.

The President disregarded that--ignored that.

The President says we planned for all contingencies.

If you fail to plan you plan to fail.

You know, there's an old adage if you plan--if you fail to plan you're planning to fail.

There's no force in the world that have executed such a chaotic and difficult mission better than our U.S. and coalition forces did under the direst of circumstances.

I will hold people accountable and we will on this committee ensure that something like this never, ever happens again in the United States of America.

I will not rest until we get that.

To me, it's sad that after 20 years of blood and treasure where are we now with the women, the Taliban in control.

It was not driven by National Security. It was driven by politics.

There's an old adage if you fail to plan you plan to fail.

This unconditional withdrawal--I call it unconditional surrender to the Taliban.

True leaders own mistakes and this was a mistake of epic proportions.

The literal failure to plan was completely--completely erased the potential for on the ground diplomacy.

If this could only be won diplomatically then there is no other conclusion than the withdrawal was a complete and total loss.

This Administration said time and time again that Afghanistan was not a war that could be won militarily.

The President's withdrawal was a complete and utter catastrophe.

I now call up H. Res. 578, Calling for the immediate release of Eyvin Hernandez, a United States citizen, Los Angeles County public defender who was wrongfully detained by the Venezuelan regime in March 2022.