WHA Letter to Chairs and Ranking Members on NDAA Priorities

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The Honorable Jack Reed                                                    The Honorable Roger Wicker
728 Hart Senate Office Building                                         425 Russell Senate Office Building
U.S. Senate                                                                              U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510                                                         Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mike Rogers                                                The Honorable Adam Smith
2469 Rayburn House Office Building                                 2264 Rayburn House Office Building
U.S. House of Representatives                                            U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515                                                         Washington, DC 20515

To the Chairs and Ranking Members:

For more than 60 years, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has been a model of bicameral, bipartisan lawmaking. As our country faces extraordinarily complex national security challenges, from Ukraine to Taiwan and in the realms of cyberspace and artificial intelligence, the world once again looks to us for leadership. This defense bill is essential to our success in meeting those challenges, defending the homeland, and supporting our warfighters and their families.

Central to that mission, With Honor Action is advocating for the inclusion of these four priorities in the final version of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act.

  • S. 903 – Department of Defense Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve Act
    • Incorporated as Senate NDAA, Sec. 1216 – Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve pilot project
  • H.R. 2597/S. 1095 – Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act
    • Incorporated as House NDAA, Sec. 601 – Parental leave parity for members of certain reserve components of the Armed Forces
  • House NDAA, Section 1118 – Including military service in determining family and medical leave eligibility for federal employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993
  • S. 2678 – Outbound Investment Transparency Act of 2023
    • Incorporated as Senate NDAA, Sec. 1085 – Protection of covered sectors

As you work to finalize this bill, we appreciate your consideration of the above provisions and respectfully request they be retained in the final draft. We are grateful for your leadership, the dedication of the Members to our national security, and the diligence of your staff members.

 

Appendix: Further Information

  • S. 903 – Department of Defense Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve Act
    • Incorporated as Senate NDAA, Sec. 1216 – Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve pilot project

Modeled upon the recommendations of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission and the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, this provision would create a pilot program to recruit qualified cybersecurity professionals to supplement the federal workforce. Led by For Country Caucus Founding Co-Chair Rep. Jimmy Panetta in the previous Congress, the provision tasks the Department of the Army to establish a pilot program where they may appoint up to 50 reservists drawn from private industry with demonstrated cybersecurity expertise.

  • H.R. 2597/S. 1095 – Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act
    • Incorporated as House NDAA, Sec. 601 – Parental leave parity for members of certain reserve components of the Armed Forces

Led by For Country Caucus members Reps. Zach Nunn and Jeff Jackson, the Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act would align National Guard and Reserve parental leave eligibility with active duty standards. Under current policy, only birthing mothers are eligible for parental leave– this provision would expand leave eligibility to include fathers and adoptive parents. 

  • House NDAA, Section 1118 – Including military service in determining family and medical leave eligibility for federal employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993

Led by For Country Caucus member Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, and in partnership with the Bipartisan Policy Center, this provision would allow military service time to count towards the 12-month eligibility requirement for federal employees to receive benefits under FMLA. 

  • S. 2678 – Outbound Investment Transparency Act of 2023
    • Incorporated as Senate NDAA, Sec. 1085 – Protection of covered sectors

This would require U.S. firms to notify the Treasury Department of certain investments in countries of concern while protecting confidential business information. Covered investments include joint ventures, know-how and greenfield investments in certain sectors including advanced semiconductors and microelectronics, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, satellite-based communications, dual-use network laser scanning systems and hypersonics.

With Honor Action to Congress: Support Bipartisan NDAA Priorities

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, With Honor Action sent a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Member of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, calling for the inclusion of four key legislative priorities in the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

“For over 60 years, the National Defense Authorization Act has been the cornerstone of our national security,” said Rye Barcott, CEO and Co-Founder of With Honor Action. “We hope to see our common sense bipartisan solutions, which focus on military quality of life, cybersecurity and emerging technology, included in the final passage of the bill. Our national security is too important for partisanship.”

With Honor Action is advocating for the inclusion of the following four bipartisan priorities in the final version of this year’s NDAA, some of which are being led by members of the For Country Caucus.

  • S. 903 – Department of Defense Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve Act 
    • To create a pilot program to recruit qualified cybersecurity professionals to supplement the federal workforce. 
  • H.R. 2597/S. 1095 – Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act
    • To align National Guard and Reserve parental leave eligibility with active duty standards. Under current policy, only birthing mothers are eligible for parental leave– this provision would expand leave eligibility to include fathers and adoptive parents. 
  • House NDAA, Section 1118 – Including military service in determining family and medical leave eligibility for federal employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993
    • To allow military service time to count towards the 12-month eligibility requirement for federal employees to receive benefits under FMLA. 
  • S. 2678 – Outbound Investment Transparency Act of 2023
    • To require U.S. firms to notify the Treasury Department of certain investments in countries of concern while protecting confidential business information.

The NDAA is a critical piece of legislation that has historically passed by large, bipartisan margins and sets annual priorities for defending the homeland and arming our warfighters. It addresses challenges at home and abroad, including combatting Russian aggression in Ukraine, deterring Chinese encroachment on Taiwanese sovereignty, and developing new capabilities in the realms of cyberspace and artificial intelligence.

***Read the full letter here, detailing With Honor Action’s four major priorities.

Lawmakers push bill to help Afghan evacuees, allies still in Afghanistan 2 years after US withdrawal

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Lawmakers push bill to help Afghan evacuees, allies still in Afghanistan 2 years after US withdrawal
By Matthew Adams
September 14, 2023

https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2023-09-14/afghanistan-evacuees-legislation-house-withdrawal-11377146.html

WASHINGTON — Six House lawmakers said Thursday that they are still pushing for legislation that would help Afghans now in the U.S. gain citizenship and assist allies who remain in Afghanistan, two years after U.S. forces withdrew from the country.

“We have miles to go to fulfill our promise to those who fought and died with our soldiers in Afghanistan. Their bravery deserves more, so much more than legislative gridlock,” said Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, who sponsored the legislation in the House.

Miller-Meeks was joined at a news conference in front of the U.S. Capitol by Reps. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, Jeff Jackson, D-N.C., Michael Waltz, R-Fla., Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., to stress the need for legislation to be passed soon to help these Afghans.

The Afghan Adjustment Act was first introduced in the House and Senate in August 2022 but failed to pass. The bill was reintroduced in both chambers on July 13. Miller-Meeks is the sponsor for the House’s version, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is the sponsor in the Senate.

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which ended Aug. 31, 2021, concluded 20 years of war in Afghanistan for the United States. It also marked the return of Taliban rule in the country, rolling back many human rights in the past 20 months, particularly for women.

The American pullout included the evacuation of thousands of Afghan nationals who fled the country with the U.S. military. The chaotic withdrawal also led to the deaths of 13 service members who were killed at the Kabul airport by suicide attackers.

“After every major conflict, we’ve passed an adjustment act to make sure that we honor the obligation to the people who put their lives on the line to help us,” said Jackson, one of 35 co-sponsors on the bill.

Jackson, who is a major in the Army National Guard, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2002 and served in the Kandahar province in Afghanistan. He said Thursday that his missions in Afghanistan always included an interpreter. Everyone knew if something went wrong and they found themselves in an ambush, the interpreter would be the first person shot or killed.

“[The interpreter] also knew that when he decided to help us, he put his entire family at risk … and he was willing to do that because he felt it was the right thing for his country — helping us,” Jackson said. “The reason he was confident in doing that was because we told him that we would have his back. Having his back means not just what happens when you’re out there on a mission, [it] means what happens after the fight is over.”

There are more than 80,000 Afghan allies now in the U.S., said Rye Barcott of With Honor Action, the co-founder and CEO of the nonprofit that looks to promote and advance veteran leadership in public service.

Miller-Meeks said lawmakers are open to getting this bill in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, the annual Pentagon policy and spending priorities bill, or possibly adding it to another bill to get it passed. She said the bill is gaining momentum and hopes that the more exposure it gets, the more pressure it puts on members of Congress to act.

“We have to separate the people who came over in the airlift … and separate that from the botched withdrawal,” the congresswoman said. “These are people in the United States who we need to help, and we still have Afghan interpreters and allies who are in the Middle East … who we need to extract.”

ICYMI: With Honor Action Hosts Press Conference to Support our Afghan Allies

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WASHINGTON, DC — With Honor Action, along with members of the bipartisan For Country Caucus, held a press conference earlier today, calling for support for our wartime Afghan allies.

August marked two years since the fall of Kabul, and much work remains to be done to support our Afghan allies, both at home and abroad. With Honor Action, along with members of the For Country Caucus, is committed to fulfilling America’s promises to those who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us for more than two decades in our nation’s longest war.

“America gave her word to our wartime allies: stand with us and we will stand with you,” said Rye Barcott, With Honor Action CEO & Co-Founder. “It’s time we keep our word. Leaving our allies behind is unacceptable and damaging to our national security.”

L-R: Rep. Fitzpatrick, Rep. Miller-Meeks, Rye Barcott, Rep. Nunn (at podium), Rep. Waltz, and Rep. Jackson

Press conference attendees included:

  • Rep. Zach Nunn (IA-03)
  • Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks (IA-01)
  • Rep. Jeff Jackson (NC-14)
  • Rep. Michael Waltz (FL-06)
  • Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01)
  • Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06)

Currently, there are two pieces of bipartisan legislation under consideration in the U.S. House focused on supporting our Afghan allies. The Afghan Adjustment Act, led by For Country Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, would provide Afghan refugees the opportunity to apply for permanent residence rather than being subject to traumatizing and complex asylum processes, expand eligibility in the special immigrant visa (SIV) program, and provide additional vetting to address any security concerns. The Afghan Allies Protection Act, led by For Country Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jason Crow and For Country Caucus member Rep. Brad Wenstrup, would extend the life of the Afghan SIV program, provide an eligibility exemption for those injured or killed in the line of duty, and authorize an additional 20,000 special immigrant visas.

These two pieces of legislation address our commitments to our wartime allies by: 1) granting them the ability to settle in the United States permanently through the Afghan Adjustment Act and 2) providing more special immigrant visas to those who have been left behind, through the Afghan Allies Protection Act.

With Honor Action Calls on Congress to Help Our Afghan Allies

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Check out this recent letter that With Honor Action and 23 other Veteran Service Organizations signed on to urging Congressional leadership to help our Afghan allies in their time of need.

August 15, 2023

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer                                 Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
322 Hart Senate Office Building                                 317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                                                 Washington, DC 20510

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy                       Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
2468 Rayburn House Office Building                         2433 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515                                                  Washington, DC 20515

Dear Senator Schumer, Speaker McCarthy, Leader McConnell, and Leader Jeffries,

We represent 24 unique veterans groups and write in support of protecting our Afghan allies. Tens of thousands of Afghans were left to the mercy of the Taliban when Kabul fell in 2021, unable to escape when coalition forces evacuated. They are interpreters who served in American units, members of the Afghan Air Force and Special Forces, female Afghan Security Forces members, judges, prosecutors, civil servants, journalists, teachers and more – they were our partners and friends, and they are fierce opponents of the Taliban. Today they are pursued by a murderous and radical regime set on revenge.

America gave these important allies and partners her word: stand with us and we’ll stand by you. To betray the trust that they placed in the United States would represent an intolerable moral failure and a stain on America’s conscience that would last generations. The compromise of our credibility and leadership on the world stage would be profound.

For two years, thousands of Afghans have been ruthlessly pursued by the Taliban and left in American bureaucratic limbo. The moral imperative is clear and the time to act is now.

We respectfully urge you to come to an appropriate legislative solution by the end of the calendar year 2023, whether it be in the National Defense Authorization Act, a consolidated appropriations bill (omnibus), or through regular order.

We ask that you prioritize the visa backlog for all at-risk Afghan allies and swift implementation of adequate vetting protocols in this agreement to protect our national security while keeping our promises.

We served and shed blood alongside many of these brave Afghans, whose only sin was to pursue a better democratic future for their country. Please do not allow them to be ignored and unprotected for another legislative calendar year. Their lives could well depend on whether America keeps her promise.

With respect and gratitude,

With Honor Action
No One Left Behind
POLARIS National Security
Moral Compass Federation
REACT DC
Operation Pineapple Express Relief
Task Force Argo
Blackfeather Foundation
1208 Foundation
Save Our Allies
Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches
Afghan Free
Flanders Fields Limited
Project Exodus Relief
Special Operations Association of America
Heart of an ACE
Operation Recovery
Operation Sacred Promise
NATO Afghanistan Justice Sector Project
UNCN
Operation Allies Refuge Foundation
Badger Six
Lifeline Foundation
Freedom Bird

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