InterAction Statement Welcoming H.R. 5305

In response to the introduction of the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act, InterAction released the following statement:

InterAction welcomes H.R. 5305, the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act. We appreciate that the bill provided supplemental funding to support Afghans who have left Afghanistan and calls urgent attention to help those who remain. The much-needed support for the processing of Afghan evacuees and their resettlement in the United States as well as vital humanitarian assistance for those inside Afghanistan, Afghan refugees, and victims of the conflict will reduce suffering and save lives.

We are particularly grateful to Congress for recognizing the needs of Afghan partners and NGO staff who are still at risk. Many, if not most, of those referred by employers for the Priority-2 program under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, remain in Afghanistan and are at grave risk due to their work on U.S. Government-funded programs and/or with U.S. NGOs. InterAction feels strongly that the Biden Administration must do more than submit a report to Congress as required by H.R. 5305. The Administration must expeditiously develop a plan to evacuate P-2-referred Afghans and other at-risk Afghans, such as journalists, civil servants, and those who worked on sub-grants and sub-contracts, who wish to leave and to bring them to safety in host countries.