US Senate Passes Afghan Returnee Support Act

(Photo by The Hill)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The U.S. Congress has passed a bill to support American citizens returning from Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

On the 31st (local time), according to the political news outlet The Hill, the U.S. Senate held a temporary session presided over by Vice President Kamala Harris and unanimously passed the "Emergency Repatriation Assistance Act for Returning Americans" (HR 5085), which provides support for U.S. citizens who returned following the evacuation operation at Kabul Airport.

The bill was passed less than a day after the completion of the troop withdrawal, processed swiftly within minutes without a single objection. Upon Senate approval, if President Joe Biden signs it, the bill will take immediate effect.

This bill, which amends Section 1113 of the Social Security Act, increases the amount of support temporarily provided to Americans returning from abroad.

Vice President Harris’s presiding over the Senate’s temporary session was considered unusual. Currently, the U.S. Senate is evenly divided with 50 seats each held by the Democratic Party?including Democratic-leaning independents?and the Republican Party.

Previously, in cases such as the infrastructure bill pushed by President Biden, the Vice President typically attends to cast a tie-breaking vote when there is a deadlock due to sharp partisan differences.

Harris’s presiding is interpreted as an effort to emphasize the administration’s commitment to supporting American citizens following the Afghanistan withdrawal.

The Biden administration has faced intense public criticism since the withdrawal announcement, due to the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan, the loss of U.S. troops in terrorist attacks during the evacuation operation, and the failure to evacuate all remaining American citizens on the aircraft.

On the previous day, the U.S. declared the end of its longest overseas war, which lasted 20 years, as it completed the Afghanistan withdrawal. Through the Kabul Airport evacuation operation, approximately 123,000 Americans, allied personnel, and Afghan collaborators were evacuated, including 6,000 American citizens.

However, about 100 to 200 American citizens were left behind, unable to be evacuated, raising concerns that this could become another critical issue for the Biden administration.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.