Afghanistan Vetting and Accountability Act of 2025
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Hawley introduced the following bill; which was read twice …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Afghanistan Vetting and Accountability Act of 2025 requires the Department of Homeland Security to verify the identity and conduct in-person security vetting of every individual evacuated from Afghanistan during Operation Allies Welcome (January 2021 - January 2022). It creates a federal database to track these individuals' criminal records, benefits usage, and vetting status, with quarterly reports to Congress.
Who Benefits and How
Immigration enforcement agencies and the national security apparatus benefit from expanded surveillance and tracking capabilities over Afghan evacuees. Biometric technology companies and security contractors may see increased demand for vetting services and database systems. Government oversight functions are strengthened through mandatory GAO audits and regular congressional reporting.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Afghan evacuees face the heaviest burden: they must submit to biometric data collection and in-person vetting, and those who have not completed the vetting process are barred from receiving unemployment benefits or any federal means-tested assistance (like SNAP, Medicaid, or housing assistance). The Department of Homeland Security must build and maintain a comprehensive database and conduct in-person vetting of tens of thousands of individuals. State unemployment agencies and federal benefits administrators must implement eligibility verification systems tied to DHS vetting status.
Key Provisions
- Mandates DHS to verify personal and biometric information of all Afghan evacuees and conduct in-person vetting
- Creates a federal database tracking each evacuee's personal information, biometrics, criminal records, and benefits usage
- Requires quarterly reports to Congress on vetting progress and individual case details
- Bars any evacuee who has not completed vetting from receiving unemployment compensation or federal means-tested benefits
- Requires GAO audits within 2 years of enactment and 1 year after DHS certifies completion of vetting
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to verify personal and biometric information and conduct in-person vetting of all individuals evacuated from Afghanistan during Operation Allies Welcome (January 20, 2021 to January 20, 2022), and conditions eligibility for unemployment compensation and federal means-tested benefits on completion of this vetting.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Impose mandatory vetting requirements on Afghan evacuees as a condition for receiving federal benefits, with GAO oversight and Congressional reporting requirements"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Immigration enforcement agencies
- National security apparatus
- DHS bureaucracy
Likely Burden Bearers
- Afghan evacuees from Operation Allies Welcome
- Department of Homeland Security (administrative burden)
- State unemployment agencies
- Federal benefits administrators
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Homeland Security
- "the_comptroller_general"
- → Comptroller General of the United States (GAO)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A Federal means-tested public benefit within the meaning of section 403 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1613)
Any individual, other than a United States citizen or member of the United States Armed Forces, conveyed out of Afghanistan into the United States in coordination with the Government of the United States during the period beginning on January 20, 2021, and ending on January 20, 2022; includes those evacuated as part of Operation Allies Welcome
The Secretary of Homeland Security
Has the meaning given the term in section 85(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology