Media Contact 202-226-8467

Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul (R-TX) joined House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Lead Republican Mike Turner (R-OH) on ABC This Week this morning to discuss Republican national security priorities in the next Congress. McCaul highlighted the need for the Biden administration to get the right weapons into Ukraine immediately to avoid “a long and protracted war,” and promised “more oversight, transparency, and accountability” on U.S. assistance to the country. He also discussed the need for a full and complete investigation into the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling it “a disgrace to our veterans” and a “turning point” in foreign policy that emboldened U.S. adversaries. 

Watch the interview here. 

On the Importance of Providing the Right Weapons to Ukraine Quickly

“My criticism of this administration was before the invasion, we wouldn’t put weapons in, and since the invasion, we’ve slow-walked this process…The problem right now is Iranian drones are going into Crimea, but the Ukrainians can’t hit those Iranian drones unless they have the longer-range artillery called the ATACMS. For some reason…[the Biden Administration] will not put those weapons into Ukraine…When we give [Ukraine] what they need, they win. If we don’t, it’s going to be a long and protracted war.”

On the Priority of Oversight, Transparency, and Accountability

“We are going to provide more oversight, transparency, and accountability. We’re not going to write a blank check…We’re going to do this in an accountable way with transparency for the American people. These are American taxpayer dollars going in. Does that diminish our will to help the Ukrainian people fight? No. But we’re going to do it in a responsible way.”

On Why Ukraine Matters

“I think it’s very important that the American people understand what’s a stake here. If we lose in Ukraine, [Chinese Communist Party General Secretary} Xi is going to look at Taiwan. And the Ayatollah’s already all in with Russia and China in this fight. And Kim Jong Un now is providing artillery shells to Russia to fight the Ukrainians.”

On Importance of Accountability for Afghanistan Withdrawal

“The way it was done was such a disaster – and such a disgrace to our veterans who served in Afghanistan. They deserve answers to the many questions we have: Why wasn’t there a plan to evacuate? How did it go so wrong?… This was the turning point. When Afghanistan fell, Putin looked at Ukraine. And we saw the Russian Federation troop buildup around Ukraine right at the same time around August.”

###