Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), released the following statement on the announcement of U.S. military forces being fully withdrawn from Afghanistan while hundreds of Americans are left waiting to evacuate.

“I am horrified and heartbroken by the Administration’s hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan," said Burgess. "Simply accounting for every American service member leaving does not equate to accomplishing our primary mission of evacuating every American and our faithful allies. Completely withdrawing our military before our primary mission was complete puts the fate of remaining Americans and allies in the hands of the Taliban. The August 31, 2021, deadline declared by the Biden Administration led to an ultimatum from the Taliban – not even a real government – that all American forces must evacuate by this date. The American Armed Forces do not answer to foreign governments, let alone foreign terrorist organizations.

America deserves a full accounting from President Biden and his senior advisors on why they chose to withdraw from Afghanistan in this manner and to explain how the situation became fatal.