Republican representatives are blasting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) after they say she blocked them from reading the names of the 13 U.S. service members who were killed in Afghanistan on the House floor.
“How badly do Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats want to cover up this Afghanistan debacle? They just blocked Members of Congress from reading the names of the service members who sacrificed their lives in Afghanistan last week,” posted Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) on Tuesday. “Don’t you think our military deserves better?”
How badly do Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats want to cover up this Afghanistan debacle?
They just blocked Members of Congress from reading the names of the service members who sacrificed their lives in Afghanistan last week.
Don’t you think our military deserves better?
— Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) August 31, 2021
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), a wounded combat veteran from Afghanistan, said the same to The Floridian.
“We gaveled in, had a prayer, said the Pledge of Allegiance, took a moment of silence with pretty much all Republican veterans, then asked to be recognized to read names and bring up Afghanistan legislation,” Mast told the outlet. “They did not acknowledge us, and just closed the House down.”
Fellow Florida Republican combat veteran, Rep. Greg Steube, slammed House Democrats for the same.
“House Democrats just refused to recognize Republican veterans on the House Floor to read the names of our fallen service members in Afghanistan,” Rep. Steube posted to social media on Tuesday. “That’s how far our nation has fallen.”
House Democrats just refused to recognize Republican veterans on the House Floor to read the names of our fallen service members in Afghanistan.
That’s how far our nation has fallen.
— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) August 31, 2021
President Joe Biden has also come under fire for not properly honoring the fallen. Gold Star families have railed against POTUS for allegedly blowing them off, speaking of his own grief and not listening to theirs, and appearing to check his watch while he attended the dignified transfer of 13 U.S. troops killed by ISIS terror attacks in Afghanistan.
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about Biden appearing to check his watch during the transfer and refused to give a direct answer.
“Some of the Gold Star families have criticized the president’s conduct at the dignified transfer,” Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich told the press secretary. “There was a father of one Marine who said the president shouldn’t be checking his watch every time a flag draped transport case came by the plane. And a sister of another Marine said that it felt like a fake and scripted apology.”
Emphasizing her question, Heinrich asked, “Was the president looking at his watch and does he have a message for those people who felt that they were offended?”
Psaki side-stepped the criticism and refused to address the question relating to Biden looking at his watch.
“Well, I would say his message to all of the family members, who were there, those who were not even in attendance, is that he is grateful to their sons and daughters, the sacrifice that they made to the country,” Psaki responded. “That he knows firsthand what it’s like to lose a child and the fact no one can tell you anything, or say anything, that there’s no words that are going to fill that hole that is left by that.”
“He’s not and I’m not going to speak to the private conversations, of course, they have the right to convey whatever they would like,” Psaki added. “But I will tell you, from spending a lot of time with him over the last couple of days, that he was deeply impacted by these family members who he met, just two days ago. That he talks about them frequently in meetings and the incredible service of their sons and daughters. That is not going to change their suffering, but I wanted to convey that still.”