With Honor Action Urges Congress to Support Our Afghan Allies

Posted on by dcadmin

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.

With Honor Action Endorses the Building Civic Bridges Act

Posted on by dcadmin

Washington, DC – With Honor Action is proud to endorse the bipartisan Building Civic Bridges Act, led by Rep. Derek Kilmer and Rep. Andy Barr. This bill would establish a new pilot program within AmeriCorps that would focus on building relationships between people and communities, in an effort to address the root causes of polarization.

The country is divided right now, and organizations like With Honor Action and AmeriCorps could be key to fixing this issue. The Building Civic Bridges Act would take a step in healing our divisiveness by establishing the Office of Civic Bridge Building within AmeriCorps, a long-time friend and partner of With Honor Action. This new program would support bridge building efforts across the country, train members in these programs, and support research on effective bridge building.

“With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress with principled bipartisan veterans who are united in the conviction that our country can be reunited through service,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “We are proud to endorse the Building Civic Bridges Act and we look forward to working with AmeriCorps to enable more Americans from all walks of life to serve.”

With Honor Action Urges Lawmakers to Support the Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act

Posted on by dcadmin

March 4, 2024,

I am writing to inform you of With Honor Action’s endorsement of the bipartisan Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act, which is led by Representative Brian Fitzpatrick and your colleagues in the For Country Caucus, Representatives Don Bacon, Jared Golden, and Don Davis. I urge you to cosponsor H.R. 7372 – Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act. 

Representatives Fitzpatrick and Golden recently noted that this is a major opportunity for Congress to address some of today’s most pressing issues. From fentanyl flowing across our southern border to Russia’s relentless march westwards across Ukraine to the unsustainable burden of barely mitigated migration and resurgent threats in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East, our citizens and our allies must know that Congress can still rise to the moment.

Last June, Admiral John Aquilino, the former Commander of INDO-PACOM, likely noted to you during a For Country Caucus meeting the unfunded needs of the combatant command, which are indispensable to a strategy of deterrence in the Pacific theatre. We are especially supportive of the $542 million appropriated to address critical, unfunded operations for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. 

This legislation is an investment in America’s security at home and abroad and is the core of what is still achievable in this historically difficult Congress. By pairing responsible border policy reforms with much-needed foreign aid, Congress and America can underscore our commitment to securing the southern border and our allies worldwide. 

Sincerely,

Rye Barcott

Co-Founder & CEO, With Honor

With Honor Action Endorses the Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act

Posted on by dcadmin

With Honor Action Endorses the Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act

Washington, DC – With Honor Action is proud to endorse H.R. 7372 – Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act, bipartisan legislation led by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and previous For Country Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jared Golden. This bill would take the first steps in securing aid to our allies around the world who desperately need our help and secure our southern border.

Our national security is in a fragile state, both at home and abroad. The southern border is experiencing issues the likes of which we’ve never seen, and conflicts continue to flare up in different corners of the globe. Our allies in Ukraine and Israel are fighting for their very right to exist, and Taiwan faces a resurgent power across the Strait, which threatens the freedoms it has enjoyed for decades. The Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act would suspend the entry of inadmissible illegal immigrants into the US and ensure that any attempts to cross the border are detained and expelled, as well as provide $66.32 billion in defense funds to our allies in Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel.

“This can’t wait any longer; our national security is on the line,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “Our allies across the world are running out of money, ammunition, and time, and their enemies don’t plan on slowing down. We wholeheartedly endorse this bill and urge Congress to pass it immediately.”

The Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act is bipartisan legislation with support from members of the For Country Caucus, including Rep. Jared Golden, Rep. Don Bacon, and Rep. Don Davis. With Honor Action applauds Rep. Jared Golden and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick for introducing this crucial piece of legislation and urges Congress to put politics aside and act fast to strengthen our national security.

###
With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to service 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.

With Honor Action Urges the Passage of the Defense Supplemental

Posted on by dcadmin

Washington, DC – With Honor Action is urging Congress to come together to pass this critical defense supplemental legislation. From the war in Ukraine and aggression of the Chinese Communist Party, to standing up for our wartime Afghan allies, national security needs to remain a top bipartisan priority for our lawmakers in Congress.

“With Honor Action has made defending our national security a top priority. It’s critical that Congress uphold our nation’s word to our Afghan allies and continue to defend democracy across the globe,” said With Honor Action Co-Founder and CEO, Rye Barcott. “We are urging Congress to pass the defense supplemental quickly to address these issues. Our national security cannot wait any longer.”

With Honor Action Announces First Round of Legislative Priorities for 2024

Posted on by dcadmin

Washington, DC – With Honor Action continues to focus on four major areas of legislation as we head into 2024: national security, national service, military quality-of-life, and countering the Chinese Communist Party. These four areas are critical as we look to strengthen our national security, support our military, and create a more united nation at home. With Honor Action is excited to roll out our first legislative endorsements of the year that tackle these significant issues:

Supporting Our Afghan Allies 

  • Following the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, tens of thousands of Afghans whose support of American troops put their lives in grave danger were evacuated to the United States and granted temporary residency via humanitarian parole. Unfortunately, this is only a temporary solution that prevents these refugees from being able to move forward with their lives. The only pathways to lawful, permanent residency are claiming asylum and the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, neither of which were designed to respond to a crisis of this scale, and both of which are plagued by backlogs of thousands of cases. 
  • Legislation to adjust the immigration status of these Afghans, such as the Afghan Adjustment Act, would provide them with the opportunity to apply for permanent legal residence, expand eligibility in the SIV program, and provide additional vetting to address any national security concerns. In April of last year, the State Department estimated that we left behind over 152,000 allies. To help them escape the perils of Taliban rule and ensure America keeps her word, the Afghan Allies Protection Act would authorize an additional 20,000 SIVs to those remaining in Afghanistan and neighboring countries. 
  • Our Afghan allies stood beside us in our longest war and it is well past time that we uphold our promise to take care of them. The world is watching and our sacred national honor is at stake. 

Segal AmeriCorps Education Award Tax Relief Act

  • Unlike most service-connected scholarships, including Pell Grants and education benefits from the GI bill, stipends paid to AmeriCorps volunteers are subject to federal income tax, penalizing Americans who choose to pursue public service through AmeriCorps. This bill would remove the income tax on the education award granted to AmeriCorps service members, following states like Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa, which have passed laws to exclude the AmeriCorps education awards from state income tax.

Military Food Security Act of 2023

  • Rep. Bacon notes in his opening comments in the video below that at least 15% of our military are currently considered “food insecure” and lack consistent access to nutritious meals for themselves and their families. Bipartisan legislation we are championing to fix this issue includes the Military Food Security Act led by Reps. Bacon and Jimmy Panetta, who together also founded the For Country Caucus 4 years ago. This bill would increase benefits to an estimated 27,000 service members and their families who are currently struggling.
    • The video can be viewed here.

The Five AIs Act

  • The bipartisan bill would direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a working group to develop and coordinate an artificial intelligence initiative within the Five Eyes framework, America’s closest and strongest intelligence alliance between the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada. The Chinese government is rapidly expanding their AI capabilities and we need to be prepared to counter any threats they may throw at us and our allies. This bill is sponsored by Rep. Mike Gallagher, a member of the For Country Caucus and chairman of the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

“We had a busy year in 2023 and we don’t plan on slowing down. We managed to get 63 of our priorities in last year’s defense bill, and we hope to use that momentum to keep affecting real, bipartisan change in Congress,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “Our organization looks forward to a year of improving national security, expanding national service, helping service members and their families, and countering the Chinese Communist Party.”

With Honor Action remains committed to our goal of advancing principled veteran leadership in Congress. The priorities and endorsements outlined above are bipartisan solutions to real problems we face as a nation, and we strongly encourage lawmakers to consider them for passage.

###

Join Us Now

    * Required Field(s)