United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 12 R · 6 D cosponsors

HR 2157 — To provide that members of the Armed Forces performing services in Kenya, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad shall be entitled to tax benefits in the same manner as if such services were performed in a combat zone.

Last action — Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced March 14, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 18 sponsors

    1 primary, 17 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (12 R · 6 D) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

This bill treats Kenya, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad as combat zones for purposes of determining eligibility for certain federal tax benefits available to members of the U.S. Armed Forces. (Conditions apply.)Specifically, under the bill, a qualified hazardous duty area is treated as a combat zone for purposes ofdetermining the filing status of an individual whose spouse is missing in action;excluding compensation received by a member of the Armed Forces serving in a combat zone from gross income and wages subject to withholding;forgiving the income tax liability of a member of the Armed Forces who dies in a combat zone;certain estate tax rules applicable to a member of the Armed Forces who dies in a combat zone or as a result of an injury, wound, or disease suffered while in a combat zone;the exemption from the federal excise tax imposed on certain telephone services for telephone calls originating from a combat zone by a member of the Armed Forces; andpostponing certain federal tax deadlines (e.g., filing a tax return, paying taxes, and claiming a tax refund) for a member of the Armed Forces serving in a combat zone.The bill defines a qualified hazardous duty area as Kenya, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad if any member of the U.S. Armed Forces is entitled to special pay (e.g., hostile fire pay and imminent danger pay) for services performed in such locations.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 17 co-sponsors · 529 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (17)

Not signed on (529)

529 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 529 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

taxation veterans
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Frequently asked questions

What does HR 2157 do?
This bill treats Kenya, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad as combat zones for purposes of determining eligibility for certain federal tax benefits available to members of the U.S. Armed Forces. (Conditions apply.)Specifically, under the bill, a qualified hazardous duty area is treated as a combat zone for purposes ofdetermining the filing status of an individual whose spouse is missing in action;excluding compensation received by a member of the Armed Forces serving in a combat zone from gross income and wages subject to withholding;forgiving the income tax liability of a member of the Armed Forces who dies in a combat zone;certain estate tax rules applicable to a member of the Armed Forces who dies in a combat zone or as a result of an injury, wound, or disease suffered while in a combat zone;the exemption from the federal excise tax imposed on certain telephone services for telephone calls originating from a combat zone by a member of the Armed Forces; andpostponing certain federal tax deadlines (e.g., filing a tax return, paying taxes, and claiming a tax refund) for a member of the Armed Forces serving in a combat zone.The bill defines a qualified hazardous duty area as Kenya, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad if any member of the U.S. Armed Forces is entitled to special pay (e.g., hostile fire pay and imminent danger pay) for services performed in such locations.
Who sponsors HR 2157?
HR 2157 is sponsored by Panetta, Jimmy (Democratic), Scott, Austin (Republican), Moore, Blake D. (Republican), Kelly, Trent (Republican), Hudson, Richard (Republican), Carbajal, Salud O. (Democratic), Nunn, Zachary (Republican), McCormick, Richard (Republican), Messmer, Mark B. (Republican), Schneider, Bradley Scott (Democratic), Davis, Donald G. (Democratic), Van Orden, Derrick (Republican), Kiggans, Jennifer A. (Republican), Houlahan, Chrissy (Democratic), Moulton, Seth (Democratic), Mills, Cory (Republican), Fallon, Pat (Republican), and Fitzpatrick, Brian K. (Republican).
What is the current status of HR 2157?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced March 14, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HR 2157?
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