ACA Launches “America at 250: Citizens Everywhere. Home and Abroad Always American” Campaign

Washington, D.C.
June 15, 2026

American Citizens Abroad (ACA) Launches “America at 250: Citizens Everywhere. Home and Abroad Always American” Campaign to Raise $250,000 for Advocacy in D.C. for Americans Abroad.

American Citizens Abroad, Inc. today announced the launch of “Americans Abroad at 250: Citizens Everywhere. Home and Abroad Always American!”, a six-month campaign to raise $250,000 in support of advocacy for the millions of U.S. citizens living and working outside the United States. America at 250: Citizens Everywhere. Home and Abroad Always American” campaign will support advocacy for residence-based taxation, FATCA reform, secure voting from abroad, and research demonstrating the positive economic impact of Americans overseas.

Timed to coincide with America’s 250th anniversary, the campaign calls attention to a central civic reality: Americans abroad remain part of the American community, economy, and democracy, yet they are too often overlooked in policymaking.

“America’s 250th anniversary is an opportunity to recognize every American citizen, including those who live beyond U.S. borders,” said Marylouise Serrato, Executive Director, of American Citizens Abroad. “Americans abroad vote, pay taxes, build businesses, promote U.S. exports, strengthen American influence, and serve as informal ambassadors for the United States every day. They deserve modern laws and practical representation that reflect how Americans live and work in the world.”

ACA’s “America at 250: Citizens Everywhere. Home and Abroad Always American” campaign will support advocacy and public-policy work focused on five priorities:

1. Residence-based taxation (RBT).
   ACA is advocating for a modernized tax system that treats Americans abroad fairly and moves the United States toward residence-based taxation. The current citizenship-based taxation regime imposes complex filing, reporting, and compliance burdens on many U.S. citizens who live permanently outside the United States. ACA will use its research and data to help support our advocacy for RBT.
   
   
2. FATCA reform, improvement, or elimination.
   ACA will continue to press for reforms to the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and related financial-reporting rules that have created banking, compliance, and financial- access problems for many ordinary Americans abroad.
   
   
3. Secure and accessible voting from abroad.
   ACA will continue to support policies that protect the right of U.S. citizens overseas to vote securely, reliably, and effectively in federal elections. Americans abroad should not face unnecessary procedural barriers to civic participation.
   
   
4. Research on the economic benefits of Americans abroad.
   ACA will continue to support and promote research showing how Americans abroad contribute to U.S. exports, trade, investment, entrepreneurship, tourism, public diplomacy, and the U.S. economy as a whole. 
   
   
5. Healthcare policy and access to Medicare.
   ACA will work to ensure that access to healthcare policy is extended to Americans Abroad, from access to latest medical technology to better reimbursement and coverage from programs like Medicare.

“Americans abroad are not a problem to be managed,” said ACA Global Foundation Chairman Charles Bruce, “They are an American asset. They open doors for U.S. companies, create demand for U.S. goods and services, build cross-border networks, and deepen America’s global reach. The policy framework should recognize that value.”

A 250th Anniversary Call to Action

ACA is asking Americans abroad, family members in the United States, professional advisers, businesses, and civic supporters, other advocates and political action committees to contribute to the campaign. With suggested giving levels from $25 to $25,000 there is an opportunity for everyone to participate. ACA is already starting strong with commitments from long time supporters and ACA management. The campaign will run for six months, with a goal of raising $250,000 to expand ACA’s advocacy, communications, coalition-building, outreach, and policy engagement in Washington.

“Two hundred and fifty years after the Declaration of Independence, Americans abroad should be fully recognized as part of the American story,” said Jonathan Lachowitz, Chairman of American Citizens Abroad. “Their citizenship does not end at the border. Neither should the country’s attention to their rights, responsibilities, and contributions."

Open Use of ACA Data and Research

ACA has one of the largest comprehensive data sets about residence-based taxation and populations of Americans Abroad. ACA does not restrict use of its information or data. ACA’s work on the subject spans nearly 50 years with white papers, proposals, modeling, research and data.

About American Citizens Abroad
American Citizens Abroad, Inc. is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan advocacy organization representing the legislative and regulatory concerns of U.S. citizens living and working overseas. ACA advocates on issues including taxation, financial access, compliance, voting representation, and the fair treatment of Americans abroad.
For more information about the America at 250: Citizens Everywhere. Home and Abroad
Always American campaign, visit America at 250: Citizens Everywhere. Home and Abroad Always Americans.

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