Wenstrup-Backed Bill to Fund Capitol Police, National Guard Clears House & Senate; Heads to President's Desk
Press Release
oday, the House passed the Emergency Security Supplemental Appropriations, which includes funding for the National Guard and the U.S. Capitol Police. The bill also includes Congressman Brad Wenstrup's (R-Ohio) HOPE for Afghan SIVs Act and provisions from the ALLIES Act, which he co-led as part of the bipartisan Honoring Our Promises Working Group, to help evacuate Afghan interpreters and guides who aided the United States military.
"While emergency supplemental appropriations are not the best way to govern, this bill is necessary to continue funding our U.S. Capitol Police and the National Guard, which saw their budgets depleted following their mission to provide security to the Capitol Complex this Spring," said Congressman Wenstrup. "The bill also includes the HOPE for Afghan SIVs Act and several major provisions from the ALLIES Act, which I was proud to help lead through the House. We're weeks away from President Biden's announced withdrawal date, and it's important that we keep our promises to these brave men and women who risked their lives to help our warfighters.'"
He also added, "I'm pleased to note that this bill also reopens the Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa program so that Iraqi interpretors and guides can utilize the unused visas from the original Iraqi program. This is especially critical as the Biden administration recently announced an end to U.S. combat missions in Iraq by the end of the year. I know firsthand the importance of this program, as I sponsored two translators who served alongside my unit when I deployed to Iraq in 2005. The two men are now full U.S. citizens who continue to serve the American people as physicians."
You can read the text of the Emergency Security Supplemental Act here.
Reps. Wenstrup, Crow, Waltz, and Moulton published an op-ed in RealClearDefense about their efforts titled, "The U.S. Must Honor Our Promises and Protect Afghan Partners."
Congressman Brad Wenstrup has served in the U.S. Army Reserve since 1998, currently holding the rank of Colonel. In 2005-2006, he served a tour in Iraq as a combat surgeon and was awarded a Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge for his service. During his time in Congress, Brad is fulfilling his Reserve duties by treating patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda.
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