As the budget process continues in Congress, the Estonian American National Council (EANC) is tracking the status of funding related to Estonian and Baltic security and calls on Estonian Americans to contact Members of Congress to show support for the funding.  Our main item of interest for fiscal year 2022 is the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI).

BSI is a new authorization introduced in August by House Baltic Caucus co-chairs Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Representative Don Bacon (R-NE).  According to Rep. Gallego’s press release on August 31^st, this $175 million authorization “will go toward ensuring the security of the Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, which are critical to the security of the NATO alliance.”  (Please see tinyurl.com/BSIpressrelease for the full press release.)

While legislation authorizing security funding is important, the funding also needs to be appropriated.  EANC’s current focus is on ensuring that the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are aware of BSI and that the funding remains in the FY22 Defense Appropriations bill through its final approval.  We are in regular contact with staff members for both committees and our Baltic caucus allies in the House and Senate to ensure BSI stays on their radar. 

We invite our community members to also contact your Senators and Representative with the message that robust Baltic security funding and the Baltic Security Initiative are important to you.  Your help would be especially effective if you’re a constituent of one of the members of either Appropriations Committee or their respective Defense subcommittees.

Key Appropriations Defense Subcommittee members on the Senate side include Senators Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Jon Tester (D-MT). Full committee membership is listed at appropriations.senate.gov/about/members.  Subcommittee information is linked from the tabs at the top of the page.

On the House side, please check the Appropriations Committee website at appropriations.house.gov/about/membership to see if your Representative is on the committee.  The committee’s main page also has a link to the Defense subcommittee, where you might also find your Representative listed.

If you do make contact with an office, please let EANC’s Washington, DC Director know so that she can follow up and reinforce your message.  Karin Shuey can be reached at karinshueyeanc@gmail.com.  We appreciate your support in our advocacy mission!