Congressional Caucus for Americans Abroad

Though we live abroad, we continue to vote and pay taxes in the U.S. We act as unofficial ambassadors and are often the first contact many foreigners have with ‘America’. What’s more we help increase exports of American goods and services because we traditionally buy American goods, sell American goods, and create business opportunities for U.S. business. Overall, we serve a vital role in strengthening the U.S. economy, creating jobs, and extending American influence abroad. Every day Americans abroad are involved in de facto public diplomacy and represent America in myriad and many settings all over the world.

Ironically, we have no direct representation in Congress though estimates of the number of American citizens living abroad range from 4-10 million — numbers that exceed the population of many states in the U.S. But we now have a voice in Congress.

On February 22, 2007, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) sent a letter to their colleagues in the House of Representatives inviting them to join the “Americans Abroad Caucus, dedicated to the estimated four to six million American citizens living and working overseas.” The caucus is bipartisan and will hopefully soon include the Senate and thus be bicameral.

As Congresswoman Maloney told the International Herald Tribune, “there is no committee that really focuses on Americans abroad. But I now have a list of (…) people who I know will put time and effort into expatriate issues.” According to her website, “The purpose of this bi-partisan caucus is to provide a forum for discussion of the issues that are important to overseas Americans including citizenship, census, voting, and taxation.”

Generally, a caucus is an informal group of legislators who share an interest in the same policy issues and represent this interest throughout the legislative process and generally seeks to influence the debate on the issue in the public policy arena, though it has no legislative power per se. Caucuses do not have separate office space or their own staff — committee or personal office staff are typically tasked with handling caucus issues — and caucuses cannot accept outside funding. There is at least one exception to this informality, the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control. The co-called Drug Caucus was formally established by law, and at various times has maintained its own office space and dedicated staff.

The new Americans Abroad Caucus is the first real forum for a constructive two-way exchange between Congresspersons and their global constituency. And according The Summer 2007 edition of The Forum, Newsletter of the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas, Inc. it will provide a “means for utilizing the on-the-ground experience of overseas Americans so that we can better work with and for this important and growing constituency.”

Representives Maloney and Wilson, the caucus’ co-chairs, were originally joined by Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Frank Wolf (R-VA), Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (“DCCC”) Chair Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and John Boozman (R-AR). The caucus now includes eleven members. Members that join the caucus take the position that they are familiar with and sympathetic to the challenges faced by Americans living and working abroad.

Members of the Americans Abroad Caucus
110th Congress
Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney and Joe Wilson, Co-Chairs

1. John Boozman (R-AR)
2. Donna Christensen (D-VI)
3. Steve Cohen (D-TN)
4. Kay Granger (R-TX)
5. Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
6. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
7. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY)
8. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
9. Henry Waxman (D-CA)
10. Joe Wilson (R-SC)
11. Frank Wolf (R-VA)

Democrats Abroad reports that Representatives Waxman and Patrick Murphy (D-PA) joined during the annual Overseas Americans Week door-knock during the week of June 18th, 2007. However, Representative Murphy is not yet listed in the “Americans Abroad Caucus Members in the 110th Congress” document available on Congresswoman’s website.

The Caucus will actively advocate for the concerns of Americans Abroad, including such fundamental issues as simply responding to constituent concerns – the bread and butter of most Congressional offices. As Sarah Abruzzese wrote in the International Herald Tribune earlier this summer, “It is hard to imagine the U.S. Congress ignoring a constituency as large as the state of Colorado, with its 4.7 million people, but this is the situation faced by overseas Americans – and a new congressional caucus is stepping up efforts to change that.” Indeed the caucus has acted on this issue. In June, Representatives Maloney and Wilson sent a Dear Colleague Letter regarding mail from overseas constituents:

“Unfortunately, many of these constituents often have to struggle to have their representatives in Congress respond to them. Constituent letters with foreign addresses are often quickly discarded or forwarded even when the text of the letter explains that they are indeed constituents. In addition to upsetting constituents who feel they are being ignored, these misunderstandings often prevent overseas constituents from obtaining timely casework services.”

The letter then offers two simple steps to facilitate contact with constituents who reside overseas or are serving in the military.

Ask your Representative to join and encourage your Senators to launch and/or join an Americans Abroad Caucus in the Senate. The August recess is typically a slow time on Capitol Hill and a flood of correspondence in August may more easily find its way up the chain of command. The Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas, Inc. has instructions, addresses and a sample letter here. When you contact your Representative in the House of Representatives, tell him/her to contact Jennifer Keaton with Representative Maloney at 225-7944 or Paul Callahan with Representative Wilson at 225-2452.

You can quickly and easily find your representatives (both Senators and your Representative) at Congress.org. You can also find your Representative by visiting www.house.gov and typing in the zip code (in the top left corner of the page) of your last place of residence in the U.S., and your Senators by visiting www.senate.gov and selecting your last state of residence from the drop-down list at the top right of the page.