Rep. Calvert: President Biden Has Forgotten Our 13 Fallen Heroes

Statement

Today, Representative Ken Calvert, the Ranking Member of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement:

"Last night, Americans listened as President Biden spoke for more than an hour and uttered more than 6,000 words. Despite the length of his remarks and wide range of topics, President Biden never mentioned the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, never thanked the Afghan Evac Coalition, and never acknowledged the loss of 13 brave American servicemembers.

The bombing at the Abbey Gate was the deadliest single attack on our military in nearly a decade, yet President Biden either forgot to mention it or, even worse, intentionally failed to mention our fallen heroes because it would have been politically embarrassing. You shouldn't have to be the son of a President for your service and sacrifice to be recognized.

This is yet another sign of a troubling and, frankly, despicable effort by the Biden Administration to cover up its extraordinary and deadly failures in the withdrawal of Afghanistan. To date, no military or civilian national security officials have been fired, relieved, or resigned as a consequence to the avoidable tactical and strategic mistakes made in Afghanistan last year. Now six months after the bombing at Kabul Airport, the Biden Administration has still not officially named the ISIS-K bomber. I believe that not only has the Biden Administration identified the bomber, they did so relatively soon after the attack. The only reason to keep this information a secret is to avoid political backlash, a cowardly choice by this President.

The Gold Star families deserve so much better. Last night provided another clear sign that President Biden hopes Americans forget about what happened in Afghanistan. I will never forget. As the top Republican on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I will continue to do everything in my power to hold them accountable.

President Biden failed to mention their names, but I will always remember the service and sacrifice of:

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California.

Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California.

Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska.

Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California.

Navy Fleet Marine Hospital Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio.

Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee.

Never forget."

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