Representatives of three major overseas citizen advocacy organizations, AARO, ACA and FAWCO, once again met throughout the week with legislators and their staffers, and key government agencies and departments.  OAW reached out in particular to the White House as President Obama made an encouraging statement of support for overseas Americans during his election campaign. The OAW Delegation also met with the Consular Service in the State Department.

OAW aim was to draw Washington’s attention to other issues where current American law excludes, penalizes or denies access to overseas Americans. These issues involve Medicare, Social Security, Citizenship, Taxation and Access to U.S. and foreign banking facilities.

OAW enhanced its collaboration with members of the Americans Abroad Caucus. This Caucus currently represents the only structure in Washington focusing on “overseas Americans” issues.

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The Americans Abroad Caucus

Formed in 2007, the Americans Abroad Caucus now has 29 members who, in joining, have affirmed their understanding of the issues of concern to overseas Americans, such as voting, taxation, transmission of citizenship, access to Medicare. One of the first things the two Co-Chairs did was to urge their colleagues, in two letters to Congress, to change their websites to make them more accessible to their overseas constituents.

The members of Americans Abroad Caucus are:

Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) co-chair
Joe Wilson (R-SC) co-chair
John Boozman (R-AR)
Michael Capuano (D-MA)
André Carson (D-IN)
Donna M. Christensen (D-VI Delegate)
James Clyburn (D-SC)
Steven Cohen (D-TN)
Michael Conaway (R-TX)
Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA)
Susan Davis (D-CA)
Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Charles Gonzalez (D-TX)
Kay Granger (R-TX)
Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
Rush Holt (D-NJ)
Michael M. Honda (D-CA)
Eric Massa (D-NY)
James McGovern (D-MA)
Gregora Meeks (d-NY)
Jim Moran (D-VA)
Donald Payne (D-NJ)
Gregorio Sablan (MP)
Janice Schakowsky (D-IL)
Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Frank Wolf (R-VA)
David Wu (D-OR)

The 2010 Overseas Americans Week program was organized by the following overseas American action groups: