American Citizens Abroad, Inc. (ACA) has filed with the U.S. Federal Elections Commission to create a political action committee to help U.S. citizens living overseas.
The new PAC will “focus its attention on members of the Americans Abroad Congressional Caucus and other House of Representatives Members and Senators who can help the cause of U.S. citizens living abroad. It also will make independent expenditures to the same end,” according to a recent statement.
‘UP ITS GAME’
ACA Executive Director Marylouise Serrato says in the statement: “After carefully considering this step, we have concluded the community needs to ‘up its game.’ The time has come to provide tangible support to Members and candidates who will help U.S. citizens abroad with real things – legislation, hearings, communications with the Treasury Department and the IRS and the like.”
ACA has long participated in the legislative and rule-making process by meeting in person with decision-makers, testifying at hearings, submitting comments, and a long list of other activities.
The time has come to provide tangible support to Members and candidates who will help U.S. citizens abroad with real things – legislation, hearings, communications with Treasury Department and the IRS and the like.
As found by ACA in its recent study of 2022 figures, there are 3.9 million U.S. citizens abroad. Also, according to the Federal Voting Assistance Program, there was an estimated 4.8 million U.S. citizens living overseas in 2018, including government employees and government contractors, and the total number of these voting was approximately 2.9 million. If they were a state, they would rank 25th by population, ahead of Louisiana but below Alabama.
POLITICALLY POTENT
U.S. citizens overseas are a politically potent community and one that can command a great deal of attention in Washington.
“We need to wake up to this fact and make our presence known in ways Members of Congress and others in practical ways will appreciate,” ACA Chairman Jonathan Lachowitz says. “Just complaining will not get the job done.”
On the treatment of U.S. citizens overseas, ACA says no one is better positioned in Washington or better acquainted with all the participants, including Members, Congressional and Treasury Department staffs and journalists, than ACA.
“We need to put our shoulder to the wheel and push. ACA-PAC will be a big help,” says ACA-PAC Treasurer Charles Bruce.
