Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) signed on as an original cosponsor of H.R. 2723, the Embassy Security and Enhancement Act of 2013.

Congressman Deutch joined with all 20 of his fellow Democratic colleagues on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to cosponsor this bill. Following the tragic death of four Americans at the Benghazi, Libya diplomatic post in 2012, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, the Department of State tasked Ambassador Pickering and Admiral Mullen to establish the Accountability Review Board and investigate the incident. The Board issued recommendations that would improve the Department’s decision-making and information-sharing processes to bolster security in dangerous diplomatic posts.

H.R. 2723 builds on these recommendations. It orders the State Department to better focus on those high-risk locations, and provide sufficient security components and funding for them. In addition, this bill would provide improved benefits for family members of U.S. employees killed abroad. Congress must work to ensure the protection of American diplomats and personnel around the world, in order to prevent tragedies like the attack in Benghazi from occurring again.

To read more about H.R. 2723, click here.