House Republicans demanded a vote on legislation on Tuesday that would keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan until all Americans were rescued, a day after the Pentagon announced that the last soldier had flown out of Kabul airport.
About 20, including veterans of the Afghan war, attended a brief House session during the chamber's summer recess in an unsuccessful effort to pass a bill that would delay the withdrawal.
Afterwards, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the bill would ensure that a Taliban government was not recognized and that there was a plan to rescue as many as 200 Americans that the State Department believes were left behind.
'Never in my lifetime would I ever believe America would have an administration, knowingly, make a decision to leave Americans behind,' he said.
'Speaker Pelosi now was not the time to act like you could not see us on the floor. Now was not the time to hide.
'We were a co-equal branch. Now is the time for leadership in Congress, and we will lead.'
House Republicans, led by Kevin McCarthy, demand that U.S. troops stay in Afghanistan until all remaining Americans have been rescued
U.S. Army Major General Chris Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, steps on board a C-17 transport plane as the last U.S. service member to leave Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, shortly after midnight local time
President Joe Biden will thank military commanders and service members in his first remarks since the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan on Tuesday afternoon but he is under pressure to explain how the withdrawal was handled
At the same time he is under pressure from the Freedom Caucus and the right of his own party to demand the impeachment of President Joe Biden.
In a sign of the risks faced by people left behind in Afghanistan, Taliban soldiers held mock funerals for Western forces to celebrate the final withdrawal of foreign troops.
The five-minute pro forma House session include a moment's silence for the 13 service members who died in the Kabul suicide attack last Thursday.
The House was then adjourned much to the anger of Republicans who wanted to vote on rep. Mike Gallagher's bill to delay the Afghanistan withdrawal.
It would have prohibited troop reductions until all Americans and green card holders were evacuated unless they faced 'imminent hostilities.'
A day earlier, Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted that U.S. nationals remained in Afghanistan.
'We believe there are still a small number of Americans - under 200 and likely closer to 100 - who remain in Afghanistan, and want to leave,' he said.
Negotiations are under way with other nations to develop a pathway out of Afghanistan, said President Biden in a statement.
'I have asked the Secretary of State to lead the continued coordination with our international partners to ensure safe passage for any Americans, Afghan partners, and foreign nationals who want to leave Afghanistan,' he said.
The president is expected to return to the theme when he delivers remarks on Tuesday afternoon.
But Republicans have kept up a steady stream of angry criticism at the decision to stick to an arbitrary timeline when Americans remain in harm's way.
'It is time for Congress to step up because of the administration bungling this withdrawal,' Gallagher said.
'This is a matter of life and death. We don't leave our people behind.'
Taliban special forces fighters arrive inside the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the U.S. military's withdrawal
The House is not scheduled to sit until September 20 and Pelosi's office said the bill would be akin to be 'tying the hands of the commander-in-chief.'
'President Biden ended the longest war in American history while Minority Leader McCarthy spent the week putting self-promotion over the safety of American soldiers risking their lives to evacuate more than 120,000 from a war zone,' Pelosi’s office said in a statement, according to The Hill.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus held their own press conference to demand Biden's impeachment.
'Blame starts at the top with Biden and his hand picked vice president, who bragged that she was right there, making the same bad decisions,' said Rep Lauren Boebert.
'If not for her own dereliction of duty she should be impeached for not demanding we invoke the 25th amendment.
'It is time for actions: Impeach Biden, impeach Kamala Harris'
The caucus strategized over whether to call for impeachment last week, according to Politico.
With Republicans in the minority in the House and with Vice President Kamala Harris next in line to the White House some had reservations.
But one source said: 'Doing nothing is not an option at this point.'