Stars and Stripes’ Sarah Cammarata reports on the passage in the U.S. House today of the Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs Act, also known as the ALLIES Act, a major legislative priority for Colorado’s Rep. Jason Crow to help get interpreters who served with American forces during the two-decade war in Afghanistan out of the country before the final withdrawal of American troops:
The House on Thursday approved legislation that would increase the number of visas for Afghan interpreters who worked with U.S. personnel, a potential lifeline for thousands waiting for application approvals as Taliban fighters continue to seize more territory in Afghanistan.
The bill from Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., would streamline the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program by boosting the number of visa slots by an additional 8,000. It would also speed up the process by removing the requirement that applicants must prove they are under threat as a result of their work with the U.S. government during the nearly 20-year war in Afghanistan.
The measure passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 407-16.
“The phrase life and death gets tossed around a lot in this chamber. But this bill is truly that for thousands of our Afghan friends. The Taliban is intent on hunting down and killing Afghans who have served alongside Americans the past 20 years,” Crow said on the House floor ahead of the vote.
However you feel about the war in Afghanistan, there’s no question that Afghan citizens who assisted American forces in battling Al-Qaeda and the Taliban deserve to be protected from almost certain death at the hands of the resurgent Taliban after Americans troops are gone. To fail to honor this basic obligation would put all future attempts to obtain cooperation from local populations in a military action in jeopardy.
That’s the polite way of saying it would make us look like complete assholes in the eyes of the entire world.
And yes, you guessed it–that’s Rep. Lauren Boebert’s cue:
The House passes the bill, 407-16.
Colorado delegation votes:Boebert – No
Buck – Yes
Crow -Yes
DeGette – did not vote
Lamborn – Yes
Neguse – Yes
Perlmutter – Yes#copolitics— Caitlyn Kim (@caitlynkim) July 22, 2021
Why was Lauren Boebert one of only 16 votes in Congress to let Afghan interpreters die at the hands of the Taliban? We haven’t seen a statement yet. But much like voting against preventing senior scams, carbon monoxide prevention, and bone marrow transplants, this is Boebert at her inexplicable worst. We honestly have no idea who this vote is supposed to appeal to–voters who want America to not be trusted by allies who risk their lives to help us? Even Ken Buck and Doug Lamborn agree we’re better than that.
How many bipartisanly indefensible votes does Boebert get before even her beet-red district has had enough?
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People in our beet-red district would have to know about her vote. The hate radio so many listen to won't mention it. Neither will Fox, OAN, Newsmax or their silo social media like parler.
Perhaps news releases sent to GJ's teevees, the Daily Sentinel and Montrose Daily Press might get the word out to some.
She is a disgusting piece of work.
What I’d give to see a debate between Reppy La PewPew and Senator Duckworth on this legislation.
Take it from Senator Duckworth (a real hero, not a “I found this glock and wear it low on my hip” hero).
Abdullah has more patriotism in his pinkie than PewPew has in her entire being.
Hmmm. Protect allies or admit immigrants, and Muslim one's at that. Not a tough call assuming you're a rabid America Firster as Boebert is. My bet is it plays well with her base.
That said, what is DeGette's excuse? That seems like a vote you don't miss out on in CD1.
Missing a vote in CD1?
Unless the redistricting process is going to result in a dramatically different CD1, CD1 is one of the safest seats in 'merica. Current representative could do anything and be safe.
Why she does not get more aggressive or vocal in general is the mystery that frustrates progressive voters in the district.
DeGette is in Denver with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland today.
I looked at the votes. Bobo voted Nay, but the pedophile from Florida voted Yea?
Florida has a vocal block of voters who need to know that helping America over sea is going to be rewarded with status in the US.
If that status comes with an inferred promise to one day go back and restore a just and glorius freedom, all the better.
She really is one of the five worst Representatives in the House, which is really saying something.
“Five worst”…..? Hard to say where she fits. But look at her competition, assuming you’re referring only to Rs……..
Mo Brooks (AL), “Gym” Jordan (OH), Louie Gohmert (TX), M. T. Greene (GA), Andy Biggs (AZ), Paul Gosar (AZ), Matt Gaetz (FL).
At least Gaetz “seems” to get it on climate issues, so I’ve been told. Given that he lives in a state with a natural high point of 345′, he had better be getting it.
My bad. How could I forget Devin Nunes for this list.
I think Gaetz only " gets it " because it's in his own interest. If he represented a landlocked state at a higher altitude, he'd be telling everyone its their own fault for living near the water. Fuck you, I got mine, is the entire Republican party platform these days.
It depends on whose interest it is. Unfortunately for the Florida House delegation, Rep. Francis Rooney retired last fall. Rooney was an arch-conservative Republican on many issues.
He mostly got it on climate change. He wasn’t always a ‘good vote’ on the environment. But did have an op-ed about it in Politico in 2019. Also in 2019, he was the only House Republican to vote yes on a bill to repeal the authorization to drill in ANWR that was in Trump’s tax-cuts-for-billionaires law in 2017.
It's a shame that common sense, sensible people like Rep. Rooney are becoming more and more scarce, and mindless Trump bootlickers are becoming more plentiful. In the end the nutters like MTG, Gym, and Boebert may destroy the Republican brand, which is good, but they also may destroy our country, which of course is not.
Destroying our country is bad enough. The Trumpers are destroying our planet.
[Channelling a perturbed Rodney Dangerfield]
Who?
Because he didn't make it into the 5 worst? Maybe he'll sue Pols for that.
I hope he does jail time for obstructing justice. as well as his role in extorting Ukraine to manufacture dirt on Biden.
This list is full of bad guys and douche weasels to be sure. Please add Russ Fulcher, Kelly Loefler and Richard Burr.
Assaulting a Capitol Police officer, and covid profiteering aka insider trading.