Enduring Welcome Act of 2025

Bill Number: H.R. 4995
Origin Chamber: House
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 1
Policy Area: International Affairs
Status: Introduced
Latest Action: 2025-08-19: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Last Updated: 2026-04-15T08:06:13Z

AI-Generated Summary

## Purpose This legislation aims to strengthen and expand the role of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts by establishing a dedicated office, adding specific operational duties, and requiring better data collection and reporting on Afghan relocation processes.

## Key Provisions

Establishes an Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts within the Department of State and expands the Coordinator’s duties to include supporting voluntary departures from Afghanistan, coordinating vetting and case processing across agencies, facilitating resettlement logistics, addressing family reunification (especially for active-duty military and veterans), providing integration support, maintaining a centralized database, and reporting to Congress.
Requires collection of detailed metrics on Afghan applicants (such as numbers in SIV, refugee, and parole pipelines, family reunification cases, processing times, denials, and military-linked cases) and mandates a secure, centralized database that may include classified information but must support operational use and congressional reporting every 90 days.
Defines “covered persons” broadly to include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, approved SIV applicants and their families, certain refugees and parolees from the Operations Allies Welcome program, and primary caregivers of surviving children.
Sets a five-year sunset for the Act’s authorities, with a conforming change extending the underlying coordinator provision from three to five years.
Includes congressional findings highlighting the security of the Enduring Welcome program, the importance of Afghan ally resettlement, and the effectiveness of existing vetting processes.

## Significant Changes to Existing Law

Modifies section 7810 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 by explicitly creating a State Department office for the Coordinator and adding seven new enumerated responsibilities.
Introduces mandatory data collection and database requirements not present in the prior authorization.
Extends the program’s duration from three to five years.

## Potential Impacts

Government agencies: Increases interagency coordination demands on the Departments of State, Homeland Security, and Defense, while requiring ongoing reporting and database maintenance.
Citizens and affected individuals: May improve processing speed and family reunification for U.S. servicemembers, veterans, and Afghan applicants, along with better transparency through regular congressional updates.
International relations: Supports continued U.S. commitments to Afghan allies, potentially affecting perceptions of U.S. reliability in future partnerships.

## Main Stakeholders Affected

Afghan nationals in relocation pipelines (SIV, refugee, and parole categories).
U.S. active-duty military personnel and veterans seeking family reunification.
Federal agencies involved in immigration, vetting, and resettlement (State, DHS, DoD, and resettlement support organizations).
Congress, through enhanced oversight and reporting requirements.

## Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

Emphasizes interagency coordination and data transparency without altering core immigration statutes or constitutional authorities.
Reflects a bipartisan framework for fulfilling prior U.S. commitments to Afghan partners while maintaining national security vetting standards.
The sunset provision and consultation requirements for database termination provide built-in legislative oversight mechanisms.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37]

Cosponsors (43)

Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17], Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1], Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10], Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-50], Rep. Bera, Ami [D-CA-6], Rep. Nunn, Zachary [R-IA-3], Rep. Crenshaw, Dan [R-TX-2], Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5], Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4], Rep. Stanton, Greg [D-AZ-4], Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large], Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large], Rep. Sherman, Brad [D-CA-32], Rep. Keating, William R. [D-MA-9], Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7], Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1], Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20], Rep. Johnson, Julie [D-TX-32], Rep. Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-5], Rep. Levin, Mike [D-CA-49], Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12], Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51], Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10], Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6], Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9], Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7], Del. Radewagen, Aumua Amata Coleman [R-AS-At Large], Rep. Auchincloss, Jake [D-MA-4], Rep. Subramanyam, Suhas [D-VA-10], Rep. Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1], Rep. Dunn, Neal P. [R-FL-2], Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large], Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25], Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3], Rep. Huizenga, Bill [R-MI-4], Rep. Walkinshaw, James R. [D-VA-11], Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1], Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9], Rep. Fleischmann, Charles J. "Chuck" [R-TN-3], Rep. Hudson, Richard [R-NC-9], Rep. Trahan, Lori [D-MA-3], Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9], Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]

Recent Actions

2025-08-19: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2025-08-19: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2025-08-19: Introduced in House
2025-08-19: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

Enduring Welcome Act of 2025 — issued 2025-08-19 — PDF (10 pages)