A group of 51 bipartisan lawmakers is pushing for a House debate to keep dollars going to the visa program for Afghans fleeing the Taliban's grip on the country.
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, wrote to top House of Representatives representatives as they continue to negotiate federal funding for the remainder of the fiscal year (FY) 2025.
“We are writing to urge you to maintain the necessary arrangements for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV)1 program in the fiscal year (FY) 2025. The issuance of new Afghan SIVs is essential for checking and relocating eligible Afghan applicants is currently in process,” they wrote House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., and others.
It comes as President Trump has promised to work to cut spending in the coming federal budget wars. He wrote on Truth Social last week, “The United States will cut Hundreds of Billions of Dollars from spending next year on Reconciliation!”
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Lawmakers are calling for the preservation of the Afghan visa program as President Trump vows to cut spending. (Getty Images)
People in Trump's inner circle, including some House Republicans, are pushing 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 group called the Department of Government Operations (DOGE).
The two have already established themselves as influential players in Congressional spending debates and, to have he led the rebellion against the 1,547-page state budget bill that was the product of two debates. However, they have yet to say where they want to see Congress scale back on spending.
Rep. Jason Crow and Zach Nunn, both military veterans, led the partisan bill. (Getty Images)
The 51 lawmakers pushing for the Afghan SIV program to be preserved say it is “a life-saving measure for Afghan civilians who face grave danger as a result of their work alongside US forces, diplomats and contractors.” .”
“Congress must continue this work so that the State Department can issue visas to eligible Afghans who face threats from the Taliban, Islamic State and other hostile groups because of the their service to the US and our partners,” they wrote.
The Afghan SIV program was first implemented in 2009, but saw new importance after the Taliban quickly took over Afghanistan in 2021 – which hastened the withdrawal of the US after decades in the Middle Eastern country.
Congress has authorized additional visas under the program each year beginning in FY 2019, according to the letter.
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Congressional advocates have so far failed to reach an agreement on FY 2025 spending, forcing lawmakers to pass two extensions of last year's funding standards to block a portion. government shutdown.
The latest extension, called a continuing resolution (CR), gives lawmakers until March 14 to come to an agreement.