Rep. Calvert and Rep. McCollum Express Concerns with DoD Plan to Provide Afghan Interpreters and Allies with a Path to Safety

Today, House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Ken Calvert (CA-42) and Chairwoman Betty McCollum (MN-4) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressing their concerns regarding the processing backlog of the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program as troops are permanently withdrawn from Afghanistan.

"Unless quick and expedient action is taken, thousands of Afghans who put themselves in harms way to serve alongside U.S. troops are facing imminent, life-threatening danger," said Rep. Calvert. "With reports suggesting our U.S. troop withdrawal in Afghanistan is proceeding ahead of schedule and indications that the SIV program is backlogged, we are watching a humanitarian crisis develop in slow-motion. This isn't a partisan issue. Chairwoman McCollum and I, along with many of our colleagues, want and expect to see the Defense Department fulfill our commitments to those who stood by our side on the battlefield."