Washington, D.C. – This week, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Smith (D-WA) led all 27 of his Committee Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee urging the Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee to conduct oversight of President Trump’s plans to house migrants on military bases.
“I am deeply concerned that the Department of Defense is preparing to house tens of thousands of migrant families and children in tents on military bases,” said Smith. “Congress must fulfill its oversight duties and demand answers from DoD. To this end, my colleagues and I are requesting that the Republican lead House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations immediately look into the support and infrastructure DoD intends to provide.
“It is appalling and unacceptable that the federal government is planning to detain migrants in tents at such an unprecedented scale in the first place. Individuals do not have to be held in detention at all; there are safe, humane, and effective alternatives to detention that we can and should be implementing, such as the Family Case Management Program. While I continue to push for an end to the mass detention of individuals and families, DoD must provide answers regarding their plans to house up to 32,000 migrant families and unaccompanied children on military bases. We must hold the Trump Administration accountable.”
All Armed Services Committee Democrats joined the letter: Rep. Robert A. Brady (D-PA), Rep. Susan A. Davis (D-CA), Rep. James R. Langevin (D-RI), Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN), Rep. Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU), Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), Rep. Marc A. Veasey (D-TX), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI), Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH), Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-VA), Rep. Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA), Rep. Anthony G. Brown (D-MD), Rep. Stephanie N. Murphy (D-FL), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), Rep. Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA).
The letter can be found at this link, and its contents read as follows:
The Honorable Mac Thornberry
Chairman
House Armed Services Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Thornberry:
We write to express concern over the Administration’s handling of unaccompanied minors, migrant families, and those seeking asylum in the United States. While the Committee on Armed Services does not maintain jurisdiction over immigration matters, the Department of Defense has been tasked with providing temporary housing for up to 32,000 unaccompanied minors and migrant families at military installations. In addition, the Department has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Justice to provide military lawyers to assist civilian federal prosecutors in immigration-related proceedings.
The Committee on Armed Services has valid equities in the Administration’s tasking of the Department of Defense in its handling of these issues, given the Department’s broad support to several outside agencies including the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security. Therefore, we request that the Committee conduct focused oversight, to include open hearings, to examine the support that the Department of Defense has provided or will provide to other Federal agencies on border and immigration-related matters. Normally, an issue of this magnitude should be handled at the full committee level, but given the intensity of conference and the need for immediate oversight, we feel the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation (O&I) is uniquely postured to conduct a robust investigation into these matters.
An earnest subcommittee effort would afford Members the opportunity to hear from the Department of Defense and to derive answers to the following critical questions:
1) What forms of assistance to other Federal agencies related to unaccompanied minors, migrant families, and those seeking asylum in the United States have been requested of or tasked to the Department of Defense?
2) How has the Department of Defense, including the military departments, assessed these requests or tasks and how have determinations been made for accommodating or fulfilling such requests or tasks?
3) What funding accounts and legal and regulatory authorities is the Department of Defense using to provide support until such support is reimbursed under sections 1535 and 1536 of Title 31, United States Code?
The use of military infrastructure, real property, and personnel for functions outside of core Department of Defense mission areas, warrants Congressional oversight from this Committee. With these pressing concerns in mind, we request that that you promptly initiate an O&I Subcommittee investigation, and we look forward to your response. Thank you for your kind attention.
Sincerely,
Adam Smith
Ranking Member, House Armed Services Committee
Seth Moulton
Ranking Member, House Armed Services Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee
Robert A. Brady
Susan A. Davis
James R. Langevin
Rick Larsen
Jim Cooper
Madeleine Z. Bordallo
Joe Courtney
Niki Tsongas
John Garamendi
Jackie Speier
Marc A. Veasey
Tulsi Gabbard
Beto O’Rourke
Donald Norcross
Ruben Gallego
Colleen Hanabusa
Carol Shea-Porter
Jacky Rosen
A. Donald McEachin
Salud O. Carbajal
Anthony G. Brown
Stephanie N. Murphy
Ro Khanna
Tom O’Halleran
Thomas R. Suozzi
Jimmy Panetta
Washington, DC – This evening, Representatives Adam Smith (D-WA) and Dave Reichert (R-WA) spoke on the House floor in support of their legislation, the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Act (H.R. 1791). Shortly after, the House of Representatives passed the bill unanimously.
“In my home state of Washington, we know well how spectacular the Mountains to Sound Greenway is and why this area is so deserving of this National Heritage Area designation,” said Rep. Reichert. “Today’s vote confirms this area is special to people from all across the country and globe who come to Washington State eager to experience its lush forests and rugged mountains. After years of working on this designation with my colleague, Representative Smith, I am proud to see this bipartisan legislation overwhelmingly pass the House. Now, I urge the Senate to take up this important legislation, so that the Mountains to Sound Greenway receives the full recognition it deserves.”
“The passage of the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Act, the first such designation in the Pacific Northwest, reflects the sustainable relationship between Washington state residents and nature in the Puget Sound Region,” Rep. Smith said. “The Mountains to Sound Greenway will help preserve and promote the area’s scenery, resources and history for future generations. I thank Congressman Reichert for his stalwart leadership, the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust for their tireless advocacy, and the engaged community members that made it possible for us to join together in preserving this natural treasure.”
This legislation was first introduced by Representatives Reichert and Smith in the 113th Congress as H.R. 1785, the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area Act. In November of 2014, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed the bill, but the full House never considered it. After receiving feedback over the past four years, Reps. Reichert and Smith reintroduced an improved and strengthened bill in March of 2017. This new bill (H.R. 1791) includes important protections for individual rights, private property owners, and tribal communities. It has the support of over 6,000 individuals and groups from government agencies and officials, businesses, outdoor recreation groups, and conservation and heritage organizations, including the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and Outdoor Alliance. In June, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed the bill.
“The Greenway is a model for working cooperatively to conserve the environment while supporting a strong economy,” said Jon Hoekstra, Executive Director of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust. “We’re ecstatic that Congressman Reichert and Congressman Smith have succeeded in ushering this bipartisan bill to passage in the House. With Senators Cantwell and Murray as champions in the Senate, our region will soon reap the benefits of this innovative designation.”
Background
National Heritage Areas are congressionally designated partnerships between the National Park Service, states, and local communities through which the Park Service supports local and state efforts to preserve natural resources and promote tourism. National Heritage Areas are not part of the National Park System. No federal regulations are imposed, and no private land is affected or acquired. Rep. Reichert’s legislation does not force private property owners to participate in any activity or provide public access on their land; it does not affect land use planning; and it does not alter, modify or extinguish treaty rights, water rights, or limit the authority of the state to manage fish and wildlife, including hunting and fishing regulations.
Heritage Area designations are eligible for federal grants and this designation can help draw financial contributions from state, local, and private sources. On average, each Heritage Area generates about $263 million in economic activity and supports about 3,000 jobs, primarily through tourism and visitor spending.
Washington, D.C. – In light of reports that military bases are being considered to house migrant children, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith and Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed sent the following letter to Defense Secretary Mattis requesting assurances that Members of Congress will be able to conduct necessary oversight over any Department of Defense sites used to house migrant children.
Ranking Member Smith released the following statement on the letter, “I will continue to do everything I can to stop this administration’s inhumane policy toward children and their families. It’s unconscionable that we are even in this position in the first place and we must hold the federal government accountable for the care of children within their custody.”
“President Trump’s new Executive Order doesn’t solve anything. Congress must exercise meaningful oversight and the Pentagon and the administration must be transparent about the true costs of housing these individuals on military bases,” said Senator Reed.
June 20, 2018
The Honorable James N. Mattis
Secretary
U.S. Department of Defense
1100 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301
Dear Secretary Mattis:
We understand that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is considering using Department of Defense (DOD) sites to temporarily house unaccompanied migrant children. We write to request assurances that Members of Congress will have access to any DOD lands and facilities, including those on military bases, being used to house unaccompanied migrant children to facilitate appropriate and necessary Congressional oversight.
Pursuant to requests from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) at HHS, it is our understanding that DOD provides information about potential facility and land options for HHS to consider for housing unaccompanied migrant children. While we recognize that these children are in the custody of HHS, we expect DOD to work with HHS to ensure that Members of Congress will be able to exercise Congressional oversight over any housing of unaccompanied migrant children on DOD property. Given the expected continued increase in the number of children in the custody of ORR, and the importance of ensuring appropriate care and safety of these children, it is essential that Members of Congress have access to these facilities even in circumstances where short-notice is provided.
The Administration’s “zero tolerance policy” is simply cruel and inhumane. It is unconscionable that children are being separated from their parents at the border, many of whom are legally seeking asylum or humanitarian aid from violence they face in their home country. This abhorrent policy does nothing to improve our national security or address the factors that led these families to flee their home country. It is detrimental to our standing in the world and directly counter to the values our country was founded on. We will continue to fight against the separation of children from their families.
Congress must be able to conduct direct oversight to ensure these children are receiving the care they need and deserve while they are in the custody of the federal government. Given the Administration’s continued implementation of this objectionable policy, we request your confirmation that Members of Congress will have access to DOD sites selected by HHS for temporary housing of migrant children.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Adam Smith Jack Reed
Ranking Member Ranking Member
House Armed Services Committee Senate Armed Services Committee
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Adam Smith introduced the Aviation Impacted Communities Act. As airline travel has increased, communities near airports across the country have been experiencing an increased and disproportionate share of noise and other environmental impacts stemming from commercial aviation. This has been the case even as many other areas have experienced reduced overall noise burdens. The concerns of residents of these increasingly impacted areas are not being adequately addressed.
The Aviation Impacted Communities Act seeks to help cities, localities, and neighborhoods to better and more productively engage with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This legislation would require that the FAA communicate directly with residents and locally nominated leaders on issues of aviation noise and environmental impacts. Through the creation of community boards, affected areas will more effectively work toward achieving relief from the impacts of civil and commercial aviation.
“The burden of airplane noise and environmental impacts should not fall disproportionately on any single group, neighborhood, or community. The Aviation Impacted Communities Act will help to bring some relief by streamlining the FAA’s engagement processes, allowing residents to bring their concerns directly to the FAA and airport operators, comprehensively assess the effects of aviation in a given area, and seek mitigation for those impacts,”said Congressman Adam Smith. “Community engagement by the FAA on the negative impacts of aviation is long overdue and this legislation will provide a pathway to solutions and much needed relief for my constituents and communities across the country.”
“Rep. Smith’s aviation impacted communities will help our beloved Seattle Beacon Hill neighborhood and other affected neighborhoods. We are under the flight path. Airplanes fly over us every 1-3 minutes. 70% of inbound flights go over our heads. The noise is obnoxious, bad for our health and is disruptive. We are a poor vulnerable neighborhood and this bill will help relieve this unjust burden,” said Estela Ortega, Executive Director, El Centro De La Raza, located in Seattle, Washington.
“The Aviation-Impacted Communities Act comes at a critical time and crossroads for our national aviation system. The Act provides an essential new voice and role for communities that have supported, and have been disparately impacted by, aviation industry growth. By seating impacted communities at the same table with government and industry, the Act provides a meaningful tool-kit for better, balanced, collaborative decision-making that can include noise and emission studies, long-term regional plans for reducing impacts, and expanded eligibility for mitigation. Quiet Skies Puget Sound supports and endorses the Aviation-Impacted Communities Act! We greatly value the work, advocacy, and leadership of Congressman Adam Smith on this legislation that so directly targets the preservation of our environment, human health, and quality of life,” said Sheila Brush, Founder of Quiet Skies Puget Sound.
The Aviation Impacted Communities Act will:
The Aviation Impacted Communities Act is cosponsored by Representatives Ro Khanna (CA-17), Jackie Speier (CA-14), Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (DC) Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and Stephen Lynch (MA-08). The Act has been endorsed by both Quiet Skies Puget Sound and the Beacon Hill Community Group.
Rep Smith has worked directly with impacted communities and taken extensive action to mitigate noise and environmental impacts in the 115th Congress. You can read more about his work HERE.
A section by section of the bill can be found HERE.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to provide for noise mitigation for the Highline School District. Amendment #538 clarifies that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can provide funding for noise mitigation to schools that are outside the current noise contours if the FAA entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the schools before September 2002.
“Highline School District has been working tirelessly to meet the terms of the agreement with the FAA to help mitigate noise pollution that the schools experience. Today’s amendment, crafted with bipartisan support and in coordination with the House Transportation Committee will help ensure that promises made to our local schools are kept. Having grown up in SeaTac myself, I know it is important to fight for our children’s right to a safe and healthy learning environment.”
Background:
Smith authored the amendment to ensure that funding for noise mitigation agreed upon in a 2002 MOA between the Port of Seattle, the FAA, and Highline School District was provided to two remaining schools that were recently deemed ineligible for funding. Since the MOA was signed, the noise contours around the airport changed, leaving the two schools in areas where the FAA could not legally provide mitigation despite the prior agreement being in place. This amendment will allow for the FAA to provide the promised funding to the remaining schools so that they can acquire insulated doors, windows, and other forms of sound mitigation.
Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement today in opposition to the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, known as the Farm Bill.
“This week, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, known as the Farm Bill. This Farm Bill is a missed opportunity to put forward a bipartisan bill that addresses our food insecurity challenges and supports conservation, agriculture, and related programs that are vital to preserving the environment and strengthening our economy.
“The cuts and changes this Farm Bill makes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are drastic and harmful. People from every walk of life – children, veterans, seniors disabled, and hard-working families – rely on SNAP every day, including 930,000 people from across Washington state. The changes made to SNAP, such as implementing stricter work requirements and restricting the ability for states to extend SNAP benefits to low-income working families based on the high cost of utilities, housing, childcare, or medical care, will result in an estimated $23 billion cut to SNAP benefits, taking essential support away from 2 million Americans.
“Claims that this Farm Bill will get SNAP recipients back to work are misguided and fail to recognize the realities facing working families. SNAP already has strict work requirements, and roughly 80 percent of those benefiting from SNAP who are already required to work, do so in the year before or the year after being on SNAP. Furthermore, many individuals who rely on SNAP don’t have full-time or year-round work, especially in a diverse economy like Washington. The work requirements in this bill would place an immense burden on states, as the bill fails to provide adequate resources or time for states to comply with the bill’s timeline to institute the new work programs.
“This untested and unfunded expansion of employment and training (E&T) programs would put successful E&T programs at risk, such as Washington’s Basic Food Education and Benefit (BFET). BFET has been remarkably effective in providing education and training to help individuals obtain employment. Washington is one of ten states currently participating in an expanded E&T pilot program. If Congress is serious about improving workforce training and getting more Americans back to work, we should continue to invest in these pilot programs to determine what works instead of creating a new massive bureaucracy to manage untested mandatory programs.
“Republicans have also used this Farm Bill as an opportunity to once again undermine our environmental laws and diminish conservation programs. The bill would threaten our clean water by eliminating the Clean Water Act General Pesticide Permit Program, which provides much needed oversight of pesticides sprayed into our waterways. Instead of strengthening conservation programs, it makes an overall cut of $800 million to the Conservation Title. Lastly, this Farm Bill would attack environmental protections for public lands and forests vital to Washington, such as the inclusion of provisions exempting environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for over 45 activities on public lands nationwide.
“The bottom line is that if this bill were enacted, an estimated 25,000 households or 60,000 people in Washington state would lose their SNAP benefits. It’s appalling that just a few months after passing a corporate tax cut bill that costs Americans 1.5 trillion dollars, Republicans can justify taking essential nutrition support away from individuals and families that desperately need it.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Armed Services Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following statement about President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran:
“This decision will make us less safe by allowing Iran to quickly acquire a nuclear weapon, separating us from our allies, and fueling instability in the region. The JCPOA has so far been successful in preventing Iran from advancing toward the acquisition of nuclear weapons. It did not cover issues such as ballistic missiles or Iranian support for terrorism, but President Trump has offered no alternative that would do a better job at securing America’s vital security interest in preventing a nuclear-armed Iran while avoiding the possibility of an unnecessary and potentially catastrophic clash. Without question, this decision runs the risk of far greater conflict and in the short term, at a minimum, far greater destabilization of the Middle East.”
Washington, D.C. – House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) released the following statement about President Trump’s policy on transgender military service:
“President Trump’s decision to ban transgender military service is vicious, inhumane, and utterly wrong. There are scores of transgender men and women serving in the military right now, under a policy that had already been established and vetted by DOD and validated by the courts. There is zero credible evidence that this policy has negatively affected readiness.
“By issuing this decision, President Trump has engaged in an act of pure discrimination against people who sacrifice every day to serve their country—and who have been doing so for years. Stripping patriotic service members of their ability to serve openly in this way goes against American values. I condemn this decision and will continue to fight it with all of my abilities. Congress should start by passing the bipartisan bill I introduced last October that would protect transgender members of the U.S. military by preventing DOD from removing currently serving members of the Armed Forces based solely on their gender identity.”
Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement today in response to his vote to oppose the Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus spending package:
“Today the House of Representatives passed an omnibus spending bill that funds the federal government through the end of September. This bill will give more certainty to our federal agencies, but unfortunately it underfunds key areas of the budget and takes us further down our current path of fiscal irresponsibility by ballooning our federal debt and increasing our already unmanageable deficit.
“Many vital environmental programs that protect our health and public lands will not be sufficiently funded. It also underinvests in our core diplomatic and aid missions which are essential components of our national security. As rates of displaced individuals across the world reach historic highs on top of worsening famines, disease outbreaks, and weakening fragile states, it is critical that we focus on global engagement and not allow diplomacy and development efforts to stagnate.
“Additionally, the omnibus ignores a number of critical policy priorities. The bill does not provide any solution to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) crisis the President created last year. It also chips away at the core tenets of the Affordable Care Act, without providing any meaningful solutions to improve our health care system. We also missed the opportunity to provide protections for Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 election.
“The omnibus took a small step in addressing the epidemic of gun violence by strengthening the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) but this is not enough. Our communities have made it clear that they want significant and comprehensive policy solutions to the gun violence that remains pervasive through our country. Overall, this bill does not deliver the solutions that will provide opportunities for and protect the livelihoods of all Americans.”
WASHINGTON – Representatives Adam Smith (Wash.) and Chris Smith (N.J.), , along with U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Mazie K. Hirono (Hawaii), today introduced the bipartisan Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2018. The legislation would close a loophole in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA), which has prevented internationally-adopted children, who are now adults, from receiving U.S. citizenship despite being raised by American parents.
“I am proud to introduce the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2018 with a bicameral and bipartisan group of my colleagues,” said Adam Smith. “Closing the existing loopholes in the Child Citizenship Act will ensure international adoptees are treated equally under U.S. law. This bill will positively impact thousands of Americans, by granting citizenship they should have had in the first place and fostering stability in their lives and communities. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance this important legislation.”
“I have been working in adoption my entire career and I know that significant obstacles still persist in the daily lives of those who don’t benefit from the Child Citizenship Act purely because of their age, despite their having been legally adopted by U.S. citizens and raised in the United States,” said Chris Smith. “This important law will fix those obstacles for many residents here who meet its standards and who should be granted citizenship.”
“The Child Citizenship Act left thousands of internationally-adopted children, who are now adults, in an untenable position, facing everything from difficulty applying for a passport to possible deportation,”said Blunt. “These men and women were raised by American parents in the United States, and should have the same rights provided to other adoptees under the CCA. By fixing current law to meet the original goal of the CCA, we will help ensure these individuals have the security, stability, and opportunity their parents intended for them when they welcomed them into their families.”
“International adoptees who were adopted by American parents and raised as Americans should have the same rights of citizenship as biological children,” said Hirono. “I’m proud to work with Senator Blunt to close the loophole in the Child Citizenship Act and right this wrong.”
The CCA guarantees citizenship to most international adoptees, but the law only applies to adoptees who were under the age of 18 when the law took effect on February 27, 2001. The loophole denies citizenship to adoptees who were age 18 or over in February 2001, even though they were legally adopted as children by U.S. citizens and raised in the United States. The legislation introduced today fixes this problem by granting international adoptees citizenship unless they have been found guilty of a violent crime and have been deported.
Without citizenship, these international adoptees face many barriers, such as having trouble applying for a passport, license, or student financial aid. In some cases, they have been deported to the country in which they were born, where they may have no known family and little chance of succeeding.
In addition to the broad, bipartisan congressional support for the Adoptee Citizenship Act, the bill has garnered widespread praise among the nation’s leading adoption advocacy organizations.
“The ACA of 2018 aims to implement automatic citizenship to internationally adopted individuals who from the time of adoption into American families, have lived without citizenship privileges and remain unprotected without the benefits intended by US Adoption Law,” said Raana Stiefel and Joy Alessi, Co-Directors, Adoptee Rights Campaign. “Passing the ACA 2018 will establish equality among adoptees and their adoptive families, prevent deportation, and promote economic stability. Adoptees will gain access to healthcare, educational, and retirement benefits. Citizenship recognition will also foster emotional healing for transracial adoptees who despite their American families, are not accepted by society as Americans. We thank our co-sponsors for their ongoing efforts to secure the basic right of citizenship to all intercountry adoptees of US citizen parents and the assurance of family permanency.”
“The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute is thrilled this legislative fix introduced by congressional champions for vulnerable children offers a long-needed solution to adoptees whose adoptive parents did not know they needed to take additional steps to seek U.S. citizenship for their children after their adoption finalizations,” said Becky Weichhand, Executive Director, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. “This correction reflects the powerful American legal precedent of treating children who are adopted as equal to biological children. The adoption community is grateful to Senators Blunt and Hirono, and Congressmen Adam Smith and Chris Smith, for their leadership in understanding and addressing this problem for adoptees.
“35,000 international adoptee children of American parents have lived without their U.S. citizenship for too long due to a glitch in a law that was intended to help them,” said Pankit J. Doshi, President, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. “Congress now has a chance to correct this oversight and change lives. We thank Senator Blunt, Senator Hirono, Congressman Adam Smith and Congressman Chris Smith for their leadership and commitment to these adoptees. We urge all Member of Congress to support the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2018.”
“As part of our mission and vision, National Council For Adoption supports U.S. citizenship for all individuals legally adopted by U.S. citizens,” said Chuck Johnson, President and CEO, National Council For Adoption. “The Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2018 takes strides to recognize citizenship to the many adopted individuals not covered by the Citizenship Act of 2000 due to their birthdate or visa type. We thank the bill’s co-sponsors for introducing this legislation, and we urge Congress to grant internationally adopted children and adults the same citizenship rights as any child born to U.S. citizens.”