EXCLUSIVE: Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, alleges that overseas conflicts escalated under the law Biden administration.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken subsequently testified before the committee in December a report about the government’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, where he was urged to take “responsibility” for the widespread conflicts that erupted worldwide after the deadly event.
Speaking to Fox News Digital on Monday, Lawler addressed the report that claimed the Biden administration has “left the world in a worse state than it inherited it” – starting with the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“The report on the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan is his legacy and that of the Biden administration because, in my assessment, it is a series of events around the globe that have put us in the most precarious situation since World War II.” This catastrophic withdrawal in Afghanistan that resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. soldiers,” Lawler told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican from New York, during a press conference at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Tierney L. Cross)
The congressman described several tragic events under the Biden administration that followed the withdrawal from Afghanistan, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the October 7 terrorist attack in Israel, threats from China in the Indo-Pacific and the “illegal” oil trade between them According to Lawler, China and Iran are funding terrorism.
“This administration has left the world in a worse state than it inherited it. And that, in my view, is the legacy of the Biden-Harris administration and Secretary Blinken,” the New York Republican said.
Lawler added that while national security appears to be in its most precarious position since World War II, foreign policy will soon look different under coming conditions Trump administration.
A sign with photos and names of the 13 service members killed in a terrorist attack at Abbey Gate outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport is seen during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on September 9, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura)
“I think President Trump has obviously had four years of greater peace and prosperity around the globe. And the difference between Biden and Trump is that Biden is unable to stop conflict. Trump is ready to act,” Lawler told Fox. “When you are strong, when your opponents recognize and understand that you are ready to act and strike. You think twice about it.”
Lawler also said he believes that “President Trump will be a very strong leader when it comes to foreign policy when it comes to ending these conflicts.”
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at AmericaFest on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scooteri)
Rep. Brian Mast, R-Florida, will serve as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the next Congress, where Lawler says “a big focus will be on reauthorizing the State Department’s operations,” such as which agency programs operate and how theirs funds are used?
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I certainly believe that as President Trump takes office, the foreign policy of the United States will change,” Lawler said of the new administration. “It will be much stronger and much more merciless against our opponents. And certainly strive to end these conflicts.”
