Press Releases

Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Member and Representative Mike Lawler (NY-17) released the following statement after the attempted holiday weekend news dump by the Biden administration that showed they failed to foresee or react to the collapse of Afghanistan.

“In an epic holiday weekend news dump, the State Department released the long-awaited report regarding the Biden Administration’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan,” said Congressman Lawler. “What the report shows is a systemic failure up and down the board, especially in the State Department, with a full evacuation of Kabul being planned well in advance of its eventual collapse.”

“Most startling, however, is the lack of any direction from anyone at the State Department, with absolutely no one taking the lead,” concluded Congressman Lawler. “I look forward to holding the Biden Administration accountable for this tragic and embarrassing debacle in Congress and through my role on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.”

New York's 17th Congressional District is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties.