This bill requires the U.S. State Department to make information about the 2021 withdrawal of U.S. personnel from Afghanistan available to Congress and the public. Specifically, it mandates the release of a dissent cable from foreign service officers and the official State Department response, as well as the declassification of an after-action review of the withdrawal.
Latest Action
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
AI Summary
Plain-English explanation of this bill
This bill requires the U.S. State Department to make information about the 2021 withdrawal of U.S. personnel from Afghanistan available to Congress and the public. Specifically, it mandates the release of a dissent cable from foreign service officers and the official State Department response, as well as the declassification of an after-action review of the withdrawal.
Last updated: 12/30/2025
Official Summary
Congressional Research Service summary
<p>This bill requires the Department of State to make certain information regarding the 2021 withdrawal of U.S. personnel from Afghanistan available to Congress and to the public.</p><p>Specifically, the State Department must provide Congress with the July 13, 2021, dissent channel cable regarding the likely consequences of a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the official State Department response to the cable. (The dissent channel is a tool that foreign service officers may use to communicate alternative or dissenting views about foreign policy matters with senior State Department officials. )</p><p>The unredacted cable and official response must be provided to Congress within five days of the bill's enactment, except that the names of the cable signatories may be redacted.</p><p>The bill also requires the State Department to complete a declassification review of (1) the dissent channel cable and official response, and (2) the after-action review developed with respect to the Afghanistan withdrawal. After determining what information may be declassified, the State Department must publish such information online within 60 days of the bill's enactment.</p><p> </p><!--tinycomments|2.1|data:application/json;base64,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-->
Key Points
Main provisions of the bill
The bill orders the State Department to provide Congress with an internal dissent cable and the official response, with only the names of the cable signatories redacted.
It also requires the State Department to complete a declassification review and publish the dissent cable, official response, and the after-action review on its website within 60 days.
The goal is to increase transparency and accountability around the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
How This Impacts Americans
Potential effects on citizens and communities
This bill would primarily impact the U.S. State Department, as it would compel the agency to publicly release internal documents related to the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Members of Congress and the general public would also be affected, as they would gain access to previously classified information about this significant foreign policy decision.
Policy Areas
Primary Policy Area
International Affairs
Scope & Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Level
federal
Congressional Session
119th Congress
Citation Reference
5006, 119th Congress (2025). "Health Privacy From Global Bureaucrats Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-5006
