Congressman Horsford Calls for Answers, Accountability in House Armed Services Committee Hearing on Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Steven Horsford (D-NV-04) joined his colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee to hear testimony from U.S. military leaders about the end of the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan. The testifying witnesses included U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley, and U.S. Central Command Commander General Kenneth McKenzie Jr.

"As our war in Afghanistan came to an end, the United States had a moral obligation to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens and allies under our protection. I am deeply troubled by the difficulty my office experienced in evacuating our constituents, some of whom we are still fighting to bring to safety," said Congressman Steven Horsford. "I appreciate the time and effort that Secretary Austin, General Milley, and General McKenzie have devoted to their testimony to Congress over the last two days. While Congress will continue to have serious questions about the decisions made in Afghanistan, I remain grateful for the service and sacrifice of all those who fought in America's longest war."

During the hearing, Congressman Horsford asked General McKenzie several questions about the closing days of the American evacuation from Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA), including why contingency plans to evacuate American citizens were not implemented once it became clear that Americans would no longer be allowed through Taliban checkpoints. General McKenzie testified that U.S. forces attempted to work with the Taliban to allow American citizens to travel to the HKIA gates up until the final moments of departure, but he was unable to provide further information around why these efforts failed.

In additional questioning, General McKenzie also disclosed that U.S. forces had operational helicopters capable of air evacuation on the ground until the final moments of U.S. evacuation. Congressman Horsford also asked General Milley about the utilization of Global Response Force and the Immediate Response Force to better understand the resources available to commanders at the time and discuss ways to improve future usage of these forces.

The full video of Congressman Horsford's remarks can be found here.

Media Contact
Geneva Kropper | geneva.kropper@mail.house.gov | 202-849-0251