What do US presidential candidates pledge to change for Americans abroad?

As the US presidential election nears its end, both candidates have been appealing for Americans abroad to get out and vote. 

Nearly five million Americans live overseas, including some 153,000 in France according to an analysis by federal US body Fvap. The number of Americans moving to France has risen in recent years. 

Americans overseas vote in the state where they last lived in the US, which means they are not one unique voting bloc, and are often overlooked. However, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have made direct appeals to overseas voters in the past few weeks. 

Ending double taxation 

In early October, Republican candidate Mr Trump urged Americans living abroad to vote, and pledged to end the double-taxation treaty they are subject to. 

“I support ending double taxation on overseas Americans,” he said in a statement, though offered no specific details. 

The current US system requires Americans to file their taxes both in the US and in the country where they live. While there are tax agreements in place with certain countries, such as France, to ensure people are not double taxed, people can still end up paying more, including to use expensive accountants to make sense of the often opaque returns. 

Taxation has long been one of the biggest issues for Americans abroad as Doris Speer, president of the non-partisan Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO), who is based in Paris, told The Connexion in October.

“American citizens are taxed on their worldwide income in a way unlike any other country in the world,” she said. “And the tax returns are so complicated – there is no help for us overseas at the embassies – that many of us have to hire accountants to help us do it, and the average price every year is about €2,000. So people have to file all this paperwork and even those who earn below the threshold and who don’t pay US tax still pay an accountant.” 

The nonpartisan American Citizens Abroad said it “welcomed” Trump’s pledge to end the “onerous double taxation” of Americans living and working overseas and called on Kamala Harris to make a similar promise. 

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported Trump’s pledge, said it could make it easier for wealthy Americans to move abroad. 

The courting of the votes of Americans abroad was a U-turn for Trump, who had previously criticised the fact Americans living abroad were allowed to vote and accused Democrats of preparing to “cheat” by encouraging overseas voters. Some Republican lawsuits are even targeting the rules of voting for overseas voters. 

Unique challenges 

Democratic candidate Kamala Harris recognised the “unique challenges faced by Americans living overseas” and encouraged people to exercise their right to vote in a letter addressed to Americans living abroad in October.

She pledged that, if elected, she would work on common concerns such as “improving access to consular services, addressing the complex challenges you face with banking, taxation and financial services, and ensuring equal treatment in immigration and citizenship processes”. 

She said “we welcome your counsel on how best to address these concerns in a new administration”. 

Read more: US election: what are the big issues for Americans in France?

American Citizens Abroad said it “welcomes” Harris’ recognition of the unique challenges faced by Americans overseas, and her commitment to work with the community to address these issues. 

US military 

Some 1.4 million uniformed services members and 600,000 military spouses and vote-age dependents live abroad, according to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC).

So what have the two candidates said about issues that could have a knock-on effect on US military personnel abroad? 

It is likely VP Harris would follow the norms of previous presidents and the national defence strategy under President Biden, according to CBS news. But Trump’s statements have been more extreme, including suggesting he may use the military on American citizens (“the enemy from within” and “radical left lunatics”). 

On Ukraine, Harris has pledged her “unwavering” support and promised to “stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies”. Mr Trump, meanwhile, has called for negotiations to end the war and claimed he would end the conflict 24 hours after being elected (without detailing how). During the presidential debate with Ms Harris in September, Mr Trump refused to say if he wanted Ukraine to win the war, instead saying “I want the war to stop” and urging Ukraine and Russia to negotiate a deal. He would also likely reduce US financial support for Ukraine. 

VP Harris has expressed her support for the US’ membership of NATO, whereas Trump has long criticised some NATO members that do not meet the 2% of GDP target on defence spending NATO set in 2014. 

Are you an American living in France? What are the biggest issues for you in the election and who do you think will best address them? Let us know your thoughts at feedback@connexionfrance.com