By Ethan Faverino |

Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) has introduced two new pieces of legislation aimed at strengthening America’s commitment to recovering U.S. citizens abroad and ensuring military equipment is properly secured during overseas withdrawals.

The measures, the No American Left Behind Act and the No Equipment Left Behind Act of 2026, were recently approved as amendments to the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by unanimous voice vote in the House Armed Services Committee.

The legislation is expected to be considered by the full House in late June.

The No American Left Behind Act seeks to establish a formal “No American Left Behind Doctrine” to guide future U.S. policy and planning regarding Americans detained or stranded overseas.

The legislation was inspired in part by the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle from Taliban custody earlier this year and Congressman Hamadeh’s ongoing efforts to recover the remains of Arizona humanitarian worker Kayla Mueller from Syria.

Congressman Hamadeh said the legislation is designed to improve coordination among federal agencies involved in hostage recovery and citizen repatriation efforts. The bill calls for reviews of collaboration between the Department of War, the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, and other government partners to strengthen whole-of-government response.

Hamadeh has made the recovery of Kayla Mueller a central focus of his congressional service. Mueller, a humanitarian aide worker from Prescott, Arizona, was abducted by terrorists in Syria in 2013 after leaving Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo.

Before taking office, Hamadeh pledged to work toward returning Mueller’s remains to her family. When he was sworn into Congress in January 2025, he honored Mueller’s memory by using her family’s Bible during his oath-of-office ceremony, attended by her parents.

That effort continued in August 2025 when Hamadeh made a trip from Jerusalem to Damascus to meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani. According to the congressman’s office, the discussions focused on ongoing efforts to bring Americans home and advance “Peace Through Strength” foreign policy agenda.

The legislation also draws from Hamadeh’s efforts to secure the release of Dennis Coyle. Coyle was detained by the Taliban in Afganistan in January 2025 and held in solitary confinement without charge or due process. Hamadeh publicly called for Coyle’s immediate release in February and Coyle was freed the following month.

“The bottom line is clear: the United States is finally making real progress in bringing Americans home,” stated Congressman Hamadeh. “This bill locks in those efforts — strong, coordinated, and enduring. Every American abroad must know that their country will never stop fighting for them. No exceptions. America First means no American left behind.”

The second proposal, the No Equipment Left Behind Act of 2026, addresses concerns stemming from the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and previous incidents in Iraq where American-funded military equipment was captured by hostile forces following the collapse of partner governments and security forces.

According to the Department of War findings cited in the legislation, at least $7.1 billion worth of U.S.-funded military equipment was left behind following the Afghanistan withdrawal. The report also found that the Taliban gained access to approximately $57.6 million in U.S. government funds and captured thousand of U.S.-provided vehicles and military assets after Afghan security forces collapsed.

The legislation further references similar events in Iraq in 2014 when ISIS seized large quantities of U.S.-provided military equipment, including hundreds of armored vehicles that were later weaponized against coalition and partner forces.

Hamadeh’s bill would establish enhanced reporting requirements, risk assessments, and accountability measures intended to ensure military assets are properly tracked, secured, transferred, or destroyed during future military withdrawals.

“The American people should never again be forced to watch billions of dollars in military equipment fall into the hands of our enemies,” added Hamadeh. “We’re still haunted by the shameful images of the Biden Administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan — weapons scattered across the battlefield, abandoned to terrorists and our adversaries. Those failures exposed dangerous gaps in leadership, accountability, and planning. Our service members and taxpayers deserve far better — and with this bill, we’re ensuring it never happens again.”

Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.