Biden’s Foreign Policy Failures One Year In

Washington, D.C. - House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul has released the following documents outlining some of President Biden's many foreign policy failures since taking office one year ago in Afghanistan, Cuba & Venezuela, Iran, Russia, and regarding the investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Weakness invites aggression, so it's no surprise the president's weakness on the world stage has only emboldened our adversaries to become more aggressive in their rhetoric and their actions," stated McCaul. "After only one year of President Biden being in office, we have seen the complete collapse of Afghanistan and a return of the Taliban rule; Russia on the verge of war with Ukraine, in what could be the largest invasion in Europe since World War II; the rise of authoritarianism in Latin America; the failure to hold anyone accountable for the COVID-19 pandemic; and Iran's continued build-up of its nuclear program. This is a stunning list of failures in such a short period of time and demonstrates serious flaws in the president's foreign policy."

Afghanistan
President Biden's poorly planned withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemembers and the abandonment of hundreds of American citizens behind enemy lines; dealt a substantial blow to our counterterrorism mission; significantly weakened America's credibility on the world stage; and has resulted in an even more devastating humanitarian crisis in the country.

Cuba & Venezuela
As the Biden administration closes out its first year in office, its incoherent and tepid policies towards Cuba and Venezuela undermine its ability to counter authoritarianism in the Western Hemisphere and beyond. While the administration has occasionally used strong rhetoric towards Cuban leadership, its application of duplicative sanctions against individuals and entities already sanctioned call into question President Biden's commitment to Cuban freedom. In Venezuela, the administration has refused to sanction a single Venezuelan official or entity despite flagrant sanctions violations and their continued criminality and corruption. Meanwhile, these authoritarian leaders are expanding their relationships with U.S. adversaries like China, Iran, and Russia, and intensifying their ability to wield influence throughout the Americas.

Iran
One year into the Biden administration, Iran is charging forward with its nuclear program, exporting oil to China in violation of U.S. sanctions, and supporting its proxies as they attack the U.S. and our partners.

Russia
As the Biden Administration completes its first full year in office, its strong rhetoric condemning Putin's aggression has not been matched by equally strong action. This has emboldened Putin - as evidenced by Russia's destabilizing military buildup in and around Ukraine.

Origins of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than five million people and devastated economies around the world. We know the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) covered up the outbreak, turning what could have been a local epidemic into a global pandemic. We know the World Health Organization's (WHO) missteps and misleading statements about the origins of the virus delayed the global response. And we now know U.S. taxpayer money was used to fund gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), who has a history of conducting this type of research at dangerously unsafe biosafety levels. Yet, to date, the Biden administration has done very little to hold anyone responsible for the pandemic accountable.