A bipartisan group of 51 lawmakers is urging House negotiators to keep dollars flowing toward a visa program for Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover of their country.
Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo., and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, wrote to top House appropriators as they continue negotiating federal funding for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2025.
“We write to urge you to maintain critical provisions for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program1 in the fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations package. Authorizing new Afghan SIVs is critical to vetting and relocating key qualified Afghan applicants that are currently being processed,” they wrote to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., and others.
It comes as President-elect Trump vowed to work toward deep spending cuts in upcoming fights over federal funding. Last week he wrote in Truth Social: “America will cut hundreds of billions of dollars in spending next year through Reconciliation!”
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Lawmakers are calling for the preservation of a visa program for Afghans as President-elect Trump promises deep spending cuts. (Getty Images)
People in Trump’s orbit, including some House Republicans, are pushing for him to have greater control over how funds appropriated by Congress are spent.
Meanwhile, Trump tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy last month to lead a cost-cutting advisory panel called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The duo have also already positioned themselves as influential players in spending discussions in Congress, having led the revolt against a 1,547-page government funding bill that was the product of bipartisan negotiations. However, they have not said where they want Congress to reduce spending.
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Reps. Jason Crow and Zach Nunn, both military veterans, led the bipartisan letter. (Getty Images)
The 51 lawmakers pushing to preserve the Afghan SIV program argue that it is “a life-saving path to security for Afghan citizens who face grave dangers as a result of their work alongside American troops, diplomats and contractors.”
“Congress must continue this work so that the State Department can issue visas to eligible Afghans who face imminent threats from the Taliban, the Islamic State, and other hostile groups because of their services to the United States and our allies,” they wrote.
The Afghan SIV program was first enacted in 2009, but took on new importance after the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, which precipitated the US withdrawal after decades in the Middle Eastern country.
Congress authorized additional visas under the program each year since fiscal year 2019, according to the letter.
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Congressional negotiators have so far failed to reach an agreement on fiscal 2025 spending, forcing lawmakers to approve two extensions of last year’s funding levels to avoid a partial government shutdown.
The most recent extension, called a continuing resolution (CR), gives lawmakers until March 14 to reach an agreement.
