White House urges Americans abroad to tell it what matters most

The White House is reaching out to Americans in the Netherlands and elsewhere as part of a process to “build out as robust a universe to engage as possible” through a survey about their lives abroad.

In particular, officials say they “would love to learn what matters most to you”.

The Office of Public Engagement says it plans to start engaging with Americans abroad through regular newsletters and quarterly zoom briefings which will focus on the issues of most importance to them.

Take part in the survey here

One of the biggest issues is likely to be the increasing restrictions on what Americans abroad can and cannot do financially.

Many US banks and investment brokers are refusing to accept US citizens as clients once they have left the country because of the increased compliance burdens they face. And the same applies to Dutch banks.

Americans living permanently in the Netherlands and those who are only American by birth have also been involved in a campaign against citizenship-based taxation (FATCA), which means they are required to file taxes in the US even if they no longer live there.