July 14, 2023

EOA Coalition lauds introduction of Afghan Adjustment Act

WASHINGTON D.C. – The Evacuate Our Allies coalition strongly supports the Afghan Adjustment Act (S.2327 and H.R.4627) reintroduced today by a bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives. Across the twenty-year war, Afghans who supported the U.S. mission stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our brave military veterans, and the Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA) honors the promise the United States and its forces made to them:  if they stood by us, we would forever protect them and their families. The AAA ensures that the United States Congress honors the sacrifice and commitment of our Afghan allies.

The Evacuate Our Allies coalition – which comprises more than 180 organizations and individuals from the veterans, Afghan-American, refugee advocacy, religious, and other communities – supported the AAA in the last Congress, and will strongly advocate for passage of the bill introduced today. The AAA, which has broad support from the American public, offers a pathway for Afghan evacuees to become legal permanent residents and continue rebuilding their lives in this country.

This must-pass legislation also includes protection mechanisms for at-risk Afghan allies.  These include the establishment of an interagency task force to implement a strategy for continued relocation and resettlement efforts and the expansion of SIV eligibility for Afghans who worked and served alongside U.S. forces (including members of the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command, the Afghan Air Force, the Female Tactical Platoon Teams of Afghanistan, and the Special Mission Wings of Afghanistan).

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), who served in the U.S. Army including in Afghanistan, has separately introduced a bill that includes provisions unrelated to the specific concerns of our Afghan allies. This explicit attempt to undermine AAA dishonors the sacrifices made by Cotton’s fellow service members and veterans. It is also antithetical to the legislative positions of the hundreds of faith groups, non-profits, employers, Afghan-Americans, and America’s largest veteran organizations that support our Afghan allies. This action only deepens the grave moral injury our sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan already inflicted on veterans and does too little to protect our Afghan allies.

The Afghan Adjustment Act was reintroduced in the Senate by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Senator Roger F. Wicker (R-MS), Senator Thomas Tillis (R-NC), Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL). The bill was also reintroduced in the House of Representatives by Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-6), Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO-6),  Rep. Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12), Rep. Maria E. Salazar (R-FL-27), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18), Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ-1), Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-4), Rep. Michael Lawler (R-NY-17), Rep. Scott H. Peters (D-CA-50), Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA-6), Rep. John R. Curtis (R-UT-3), Rep. Abigail D. Spanberger (D-VA-7), Rep. Zachary Nunn (R-IA-3), Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11), Rep. Blake D. Moore (R-UT-1), Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA-6), Resident Commisioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC-1), and Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-NC-14).