Making sure your government is accountable for its recent decisions regarding the withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan is the goal of Rep. Mike Gallagher. The Wisconsin Republican and Marine veteran has been critical of the Biden Administration since the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years was made two weeks ago. Only portions of his House Resolution asking for more transparency when it comes to the number of Americans that are still in Afghanistan and the number of refugees wanting to escape possible persecution survived after its initial introduction. Those pieces were included in a defense bill that will be discussed more in the coming weeks. Gallagher’s frustration is with House Democrats who support the measures behind closed doors only to vote against them later.

In a different position, Gallagher says he would have kept Bagram Airfield under American control and brought in more troops on the onset of the withdrawal to ensure every American and refugee were able to get out safely. With many veterans feeling betrayal and disappointment from the pullout, Gallagher hopes they know that their 20 years of service in the region were not a waste.

Gallagher believes more of the focus in Congress right now is on the infrastructure plan and the budget reconciliation bill, which will spend more time in the Senate before it comes back to the House.

Picture courtesy of Mike Gallagher's Congressional Office