In SOTU, Biden Will Face Fallen Marine's Relative Who Says He Ignored Her

In U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union (SOTU) address on Thursday night, he will face the mother-in-law of a Marine killed in Afghanistan who has said that the White House has not responded to her communication attempts.

Biden will address Congress and the nation on Thursday for the annual speech, in which he is expected to tout his accomplishments from the last year. It comes as he seeks to make his reelection case to the American people. Biden appears poised to secure the Democratic presidential nomination, setting up a likely rematch against former President Donald Trump in November. Republicans are expected to use the address to call attention to what they view as blunders from the administration over the economy and foreign policy.

Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who serves as chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is bringing Christy Shamblin, mother-in-law of Marine Sergeant Nicole Gee, who was among the 13 U.S. troops killed in an ISIS-K attack on Kabul in 2021 amid the U.S. departure from Afghanistan.

During a CNN appearance on Wednesday, Shamblin said the White House did not reach out to her family after Gee's death when asked about whether she had spoken with Biden.

"No. He has not reached out to our family. We've actually reached out to the White House and have never heard back. We asked to meet with them to kind of understand where their thinking was in calling this a success, and we've not received a response. It's been months," Shamblin said.

Shamblin added that she hopes to hear how Biden "is going to strengthen our armed forces and support them, and answer our questions, leading to a thorough investigation like they promised so that we can move forward in a positive way and make it better."

McCaul said in a statement to Newsweek that he believes "Christy's words speak for themselves."

"Unfortunately, Christy is not the only person to experience President Biden's apathy towards what happened during the chaotic and deadly withdrawal. He would rather try to sweep the whole thing under the rug than admit fault and offer some empathy to grieving parents and shell-shocked veterans," he said.

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email on Thursday.

Republicans have pointed to the widely criticized exit of Afghanistan as among the greatest failures of the administration, saying the president's decision allowed the Taliban to seize power in the country, bringing back policies cracking down on women's rights and democratic guardrails.

Democrats, however, have argued the agreement to withdraw from Afghanistan was brokered by Trump. The White House has said Biden's ability to execute the withdrawal was "severely constrained" by conditions created by Trump.

McCaul said in a press release that he hopes Shamblin's attendance "sends a clear signal to President Biden and the American people that I will not rest until a complete and thorough investigation has occurred—and that people are held accountable for what happened."

Shamblin has previously been critical of the Biden administration for calling the Afghanistan withdrawal a "success," describing it as "an ultimate disrespect for the very people who deserve every ounce of respect that we can give them" during a 2023 press conference.

"I live every single day knowing these deaths were preventable. My daughter could be with us today," Shamblin said. "And that wasn't just one decision, it was many decisions, many times over it could have been stopped."

Biden said in January 2022 that he makes "no apologies" for the withdrawal but has expressed regret for changes that have happened in the country under the Taliban's rule, as well as for the ISIS-K attack.