A provision attached to the fiscal year 2022 appropriations omnibus bill would reimburse Dulles International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport for expenses incurred while supporting Operation Allies Welcome.
Congress provided $13.85 billion for the operation that aided the evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghans.
Nonprofit organizations, aid groups, and regular volunteers have been reimbursed, but the airports have not.
Collectively, the airports have spent more than $2 million and welcomed more than 300 flights and 80,000 evacuees since Operation Allies Welcome began in August. The airports increased staffing capacity, enhanced public safety measures, and established makeshift centers for medical screenings and vaccinations.
U.S. Reps. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) introduced the bill.
“Both Philadelphia International Airport and Dulles International Airport answered the call when our federal government asked them to aid vulnerable Afghans arriving in the United States — knowing these efforts would surely add staffing, logistical, and financial challenges to their operations,” Scanlon said.
“Our region stepped up big time to help our Afghan allies and vulnerable families safely resettle here in the U.S.,” Wexton said. “But while Dulles Airport increased staffing, enhanced security, and stood up screening centers within days, they were inadvertently locked out of federal funding that was intended for exactly this kind of effort.”