Congressman JEFF FORTENBERRY came to me with the idea. and I agreed. and we introduced broad. farreaching legislation on this issue. We are taking up the bill before us today because the Senate already passed this by unanimous consent. and the urgency of the situation requires us to act now. This legislation will help quickly address this crisis by authorizing up to 500 special visas for Iraqis and Afghanis who put their lives at risk by working with the U.S. military and the U.S. embassy in Iraqi and Afghanistan. We all realize this is not a partisan issue. and I am pleased to have worked with the ranking member of the Judiciaryj Committee on helping to get this bill before us today. The original special visa legislation included in the 2006 Defense Authorization Act has proved wholly inadequate. authorizing only 50 visas a year. creating a backlog estimated to take 9 years to clear at the current rate. As of last week. nearly 500 Iraqis and Afghanis have gone through the requisite background checks and have been approved for the visa. Because of the backlog. they are stuck in limbo waiting for a visa that may never come. These people need us to act. The Senate passed this legislation over a month ago. and the administration is supportive of taking this action.
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