Title: Censuring and condemning President Joseph R. Biden.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This concurrent resolution condemns and censures President Joseph R. Biden for the military withdrawal from Afghanistan, which the resolution states was executed in a haphazard manner.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 49 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 49

          Censuring and condemning President Joseph R. Biden.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 27, 2021

Mr. Van Drew (for himself, Mr. Banks, Mr. Posey, Mr. Gimenez, Mr. Rice 
  of South Carolina, Mr. Crenshaw, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, Mr. Rouzer, Mr. 
  Smith of New Jersey, Mrs. McClain, Mr. Crawford, Mr. Mann, and Mr. 
Moore of Alabama) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 
             was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
          Censuring and condemning President Joseph R. Biden.

Whereas it is the responsibility of the President, in his capacity as Commander 
        in Chief, to ensure the national security of the United States of 
        America and its citizens, at home and abroad;
Whereas the Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamic group, controlled Afghanistan from 
        1996 to 2001, over which period it established Sharia law and provided 
        safe harbor to members of the al-Qaida terrorist organization, who used 
        Afghanistan as a base of operations to plan the September 11, 2001, 
        attack on the United States, which resulted in the death of over 3,000 
        Americans;
Whereas the Biden administration had sufficient warning that the withdrawal of 
        United States forces from Afghanistan could precipitate Taliban control 
        of Afghanistan, according to--

    (1) a State Department document signed on July 13, 2021, by 23 staff 
members of the United States embassy in Afghanistan, warning the Biden 
administration of the potential collapse of the Afghan capital of Kabul 
soon after the President's withdrawal deadline; and

    (2) comments from the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee 
on Intelligence made on August 23, 2021, following a classified briefing, 
stating that ``there were any number of warnings that the Taliban might 
take over, and some that included a potential of a very rapid takeover.'';

Whereas despite sufficient warning, the Biden administration proceeded with a 
        haphazard military withdrawal that directly resulted in the Taliban 
        regaining full control of Afghanistan in only 9 days, beginning with the 
        initial seizure of the province of Nimroz on August 6, 2021, and 
        concluding with the capture of the Afghan capital of Kabul on August 15, 
        2021;
Whereas through the course and nature of the withdrawal of United States 
        military forces from Afghanistan, and the resulting rapid takeover of 
        Afghanistan by the Taliban, the Biden administration has compromised the 
        physical security of tens of thousands of United States military 
        personnel, United States Government operatives, United States civilians, 
        Afghan allies, other international allies, and billions of dollars of 
        advanced United States military equipment;
Whereas, on August 26, 2021, the terrorist organization ISIS-K executed a series 
        of suicide bombing attacks against United States military forces 
        conducting emergency evacuation operations at the Kabul airport, which 
        attacks resulted in the deaths of 13 United States service members, the 
        injury of an additional 18 United States service members, and the deaths 
        of 60 Afghans, including children;
Whereas these events have substantively diminished the national security of the 
        United States of America and its citizens, both at home and abroad;
Whereas these events have likewise substantively diminished the international 
        reputation of the United States, which further limits the United States 
        ability to ensure its national security; and
Whereas the aforementioned executive military decisions and resulting 
        consequences constitute a failure to meet acceptable standards of 
        behavior relating to the national security responsibilities of the 
        Commander in Chief, and it is the responsibility of the Congress to 
        reprimand such failure through censure: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress does hereby condemn and censure President Joseph R. Biden 
for the decision to execute a haphazard military withdrawal from 
Afghanistan, despite sufficient warning as to the probable and 
deleterious consequences that this decision would have on the national 
security of the United States and its citizens, which decision 
constitutes a failure to meet acceptable standards of behavior relating 
to the national security responsibilities of the Commander in Chief.
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