Bid to Save Visa Program for Afghan Allies Blocked in Senate

The Washington Free Beacon reports:

An amendment to the defense bill that would preserve the U.S. refugee program for endangered Afghan military interpreters was blocked from a vote in the Senate late last week, prompting outrage from advocacy groups and military veterans.

The amendment to the defense authorization bill would authorize the State Department to issue up to 4,000 additional U.S. visas through the Special Immigrant Visa program. The program is designed to provide visas to Afghans who worked with the United States in Afghanistan and are now under threat from the Taliban.

The State Department has said it is on track to run out of its current allotment of visas, potentially stranding thousands of Afghan interpreters and their families who are still on the waiting list.

After a dispute over which proposed amendments should be voted on, the Senate moved on Friday morning to end debate and proceed to vote on the defense authorization bill without added inclusions.

Imagine that.