Washington, DC – With Honor Action strongly urges lawmakers to pass the appropriations package, which includes key provisions from the Afghan Allies Protection Act, bipartisan legislation led by For Country Caucus co-chair Rep. Jason Crow and member Rep. Brad Wenstrup. The bill would authorize an additional 12,000 Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) and extend the Afghan SIV program through 2025.
Since the fall of Kabul in 2021, tens of thousands of our Afghan allies have been forced to evacuate Afghanistan due to the brutality of the Taliban. During a recent committee hearing, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark A. Milley, and former CENTCOM Commander, General Kenneth F. McKenzie, testified that these brave men and women who served beside American troops are being systematically hunted, tortured, and killed because we have failed to keep our word to have their back. Due to their assistance to the U.S. military in Afghanistan, over 100,000 Afghans currently qualify for SIVs, but there are only an estimated 7,000 remaining in the program. If passed, this bill would secure the largest-ever increase in Afghan SIVs and provide the program with a much-needed extension until December 31, 2025, allowing the State Department to continue its work to resettle our wartime allies.
“Our Afghan allies stood with us through our nation’s longest war, fighting side by side with American troops against the Taliban. We can’t abandon them now,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “With Honor Action is urgently calling on Congress to pass this bipartisan legislation and do right by our Afghan allies. We thank For Country Caucus members Rep. Crow and Rep. Wenstrup, as well as House Appropriations Chairwoman Kay Granger for their steadfast support of the Afghans who fought alongside us for nearly 20 years.”
In Congress, With Honor Action has been at the forefront of the fight to support our Afghan allies. Working alongside the members of the bipartisan For Country Caucus and the Honoring Our Promises Working Group, With Honor Action supported the passage of key legislation in the 117th Congress, including the HOPE for Afghan SIVs Act, the ALLIES Act, and the WELCOMED Act. We will continue to advocate on behalf of the over 80,000 Afghans who have come to America seeking a better life and for the tens of thousands of Afghan allies still stuck in Afghanistan and abroad. This bipartisan legislation is supported by The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, No One Left Behind, as well as the American public, 89% of which said they support keeping our pledge to Afghans who helped U.S. forces against the Taliban.
###
With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at WithHonor.org
With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.