EXCLUSIVE: Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, says overseas conflicts have escalated under the Biden administration.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken testified before the committee the following December a report on the government’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, where he was pressured to “take responsibility” for the widespread conflict that erupted around the world after the deadly event.
Speaking to Fox News Digital on Monday, Lawler delved into the report that claimed the Biden administration has “left the world in a worse position than it inherited” — 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 view, it unfolds on a series of events around the world that have put us in the most precarious situation since World War II, too starting with that disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan that resulted in the deaths of thirteen American service members,” 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, US, 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 in the Indo-Pacific from China and the “illegal” oil trade between China and Iran who, according to Lawler, ‘finance terrorism’.
“This government has left the world in a worse position than it inherited. And that, in my opinion, is the legacy of the Biden-Harris administration and that of Secretary Blinken,” the New York Republican said.
Lawler added that while national security is in its most “precarious” position since World War II, foreign policy will soon look different under the coming crisis. Trump administration.
A sign with photos and names of the 13 service members killed in an Abbey Gate terrorist attack outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul is seen during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on September 9, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura)
“I think President Trump has clearly had four years of greater peace and prosperity around the world. And the difference between Biden and Trump is that Biden is unable to stop conflict. Trump is ready to take action,” Lawler told Fox. “If you are strong, if your opponents recognize and understand that you are willing to take action and strike. They will think twice about it.”
Lawler also said he thinks “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, Sunday, December 22, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scooteri)
Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., will chair the Foreign Affairs Committee in the next Congress, where Lawler says “much of the focus will be on reauthorizing the operations of the State Department,” such as how the programs of agencies work and how their funds are used.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“I obviously think that with the arrival of President Trump, the foreign policy of the United States will change,” Lawler said of the new administration. “It will be much stronger and more ruthless for our opponents. And we will certainly try to put an end to these conflicts.”
