Dear Friends,On March 19th we will mark 20 years since the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Twenty years—and we are still paying the price today.  I opposed the invasion of Iraq—and the war in Afghanistan—from the very beginning. I understood the tremendous toll it would take on our veterans and the millions of innocent civilians whose lives and families were torn apart by the war and continue to face the consequences of destabilization.  Prior to President Biden becoming elected, the Trump administration made a series of disastrous decisions regarding Afghanistan. They approved the release of thousands of Taliban prisoners and set up an unworkable timeline for the U.S. withdrawal. President Biden came into office with virtually no way to secure an orderly transition of power and military withdrawal.  I continue to insist that the U.S. keep our promise to help the brave Iraqi and Afghan interpreters, translators, and civil society leaders who risked their lives serving alongside our soldiers. It’s why I created the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Program with the late Senators Ted Kennedy and John McCain—a program that has helped tens of thousands of Iraqi and Afghan men and women and their families arrive safely here in the U.S. and rebuild their lives.  This work is ongoing. Today I’m working together with the Evacuate Our Allies Coalition, the American Legion, Blue Star Families, and more, to help those who helped us by leading the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA). This bill will establish a pathway to permanent legal resident status for tens of thousands of Afghans who have resettled in U.S. communities since the 2021 U.S. military withdrawal.  Congress must deliver on our promise by sending this bill to the President’s desk this year. Nothing less will do.  The need is urgent—real peoples’ lives and futures are at stake. This anniversary marks the opportunity for all of us to roll up our sleeves and enact the AAA this year.