Foreign Affairs
PLEASANTON, CA – U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) announced that his work to allow military bands to once again perform at community events was successful, with the signing into law of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last month. A provision in the NDAA, based on an amendment Swalwell passed in the House, would fix a bureaucratic problem at the Department of Defense (DoD) which had been preventing events, like the Scottish Games in Pleasanton, from hosting military bands even when their sponsor agrees to pay the cost.
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) joined Reps. Mike Thompson (CA-5), Joe Heck (NV-3), and Darrell Issa (CA-49) to introduce H.R. 3771, the bipartisan Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act. This legislation would incentivize American assistance for Philippines relief and allow donations made before March 1, 2014 to be deducted on 2013 taxes. U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Dean Heller (R-NV) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) today honored Sergeant 1st Class Jason Manella of Hayward on the House Floor for winning the Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year Award during the Army's Best Warrior Competition. The Army's Best Warrior Competition is a three-day event that tests a soldier's physical and mental toughness. Sergeant Manella is the first ever reservist to win this prestigious Army-wide title.
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Air Force should air drop humanitarian supplies and food to the most remote and inaccessible areas of the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda, several lawmakers wrote to the US defense secretary and the USAID head.
U.S. Representatives Eric Swalwell (CA-15) and Jackie Speier (CA-14) wrote to Department of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator Raj Shah, requesting the airdrops. The bipartisan letter was signed by 36 members of Congress.
Filipinos currently in the United States should be allowed to remain temporarily after their visas expire due to Typhoon Haiyan's devastation of the Philippines, say members of Congress from both sides of the aisle.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee, led 28 other members in calling upon the Obama Administration to grant visiting Filipinos "temporary protected status" given the extraordinary circumstances.
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representatives Eric Swalwell (CA-15) and Jackie Speier (CA-14) today sent a letter to Department of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Raj Shah requesting that the U.S. Air Force administer airdrops of humanitarian supplies and food to the most remote and inaccessible areas of the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda. They were joined on the bipartisan letter by 36 Members of Congress.
PLEASANTON, CA – U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) released the following statement on the possibility of American military intervention in Syria:
"I spent the last week in the Middle East and Afghanistan where I was briefed by generals and intelligence officials on the situation in Syria. The evidence is overwhelming that the Assad regime used chemical weapons to massacre innocent civilians, including children.
It's been a travel-heavy recess for freshman Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Pleasanton.
Just weeks after his trip with a congressional delegation to Israel and the West Bank, Swalwell returned Thursday from another co-del to Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates.
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) returns today from a four-day Congressional Delegation visit to Afghanistan and the UAE. The delegation was led by the House Armed Service Committee's Senior Democrat Adam Smith.
Rep. Eric Swalwell left Sunday for Israel and the West Bank as part of a massive Democratic congressional delegation "to gain a firsthand understanding of some of America's most pressing foreign policy challenges," his office reported.