Congressmen Seth Moulton and Peter Meijer in “secret” Kabul visit amid evacuations

Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) visited Kabul on Tuesday as evacuation efforts continued from Afghanistan.

Why it matters: They had not previously announced their trip but said in a joint statement to news outlets that as Congress members they “have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch.” The State Department and U.S. military personnel had to “divert resources to provide security and information to the lawmakers,” U.S. officials said, per AP.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

Driving the news: President Biden said earlier Tuesday that the U.S. and its allies were on track to finish evacuating Americans and some Afghans from the country by his administration’s full military withdrawal date of Aug. 31.

• Moulton tweeted that he and fellow Iraq War vet Meijer came into their visit “wanting, like most veterans, to push the president to extend” the withdrawal deadline.

What else they’re saying: “We did this visit in secret to reduce risks and impact on the mission and we insisted on leaving in a plane that was not full, in a seat designated for crew so that we didn’t take a seat from someone else,” Moulton tweeted.

• “Washington should be ashamed of the position we put our service members in, but they represent the best in America,” he continued, calling the service members’ empathy and dedication “truly inspiring.”

For the record: Moulton served in the Marine Corps in Iraq, Meijer in the Army.

Editor’s note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.