Read this and act Statement of Ron F. Hope, DAV National Commander DECEMBER 9, 2014 On the Inclusion of Legislation to Protect Veterans’ Benefit Checks as part of the FY 2015 Omnibus Appropriations Bill Introduced in Congress December 9, 2014 Just over a year ago during the partial government shutdown, it became clear that when Congress and the Administration fail to pass the federal budget on time, benefit checks for veterans, their families and survivors are put at jeopardy. Today, thanks to an extraordinary coalition of veterans and military service organizations, working together with key Senate and House leaders, Congress is on the verge of passing legislation to ensure that mandatory veterans benefits are never again threatened by unrelated budget battles or partisan gridlock. Following a year-long campaign by our VSO coalition, and a remarkable flurry of meetings we held on Capitol Hill last week, legislation to provide advance appropriations for mandatory veterans’ benefits was agreed to by Congressional negotiators and included in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill that was introduced today. The advance appropriations provision comes from the Putting Veterans Funding First Act (S. 932 / H.R. 813), legislation that had overwhelming bipartisan support in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Once enacted, this legislation will authorize Congress to fully fund all veterans’ benefit payments a year in advance, so that they are never again threatened by political stalemates or government shutdowns. Today’s great news results from the extraordinary collaboration of more than twenty veterans and military service organizations that shared a common purpose: to protect the benefits of veterans, their families and survivors. In addition to DAV, the coalition included the VFW, TAL, PVA, AMVETS, VVA, MOAA, IAVA, TMC, AFA, AFSA, AUSA, AUSN, BVA, FRA, JWV, MOPH, NAUS, NGAUS, TREA, USAWOAA, USCGPOA and VetsFirst. Our success was made possible by tens of thousands of grassroots supporters of our organizations around the country who have called, emailed and visited their Senators and Congresspersons with our message of putting veterans funding first. This historic agreement came together quickly, thanks to bipartisan leadership and support in Congress from a number of people, most notably Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-FL). Without Senator Mikulski’s personal involvement and commitment to ensure that veterans’ benefits are protected first, this breakthrough would not have occurred. Congressman Miller’s leadership and vision have been the guiding force behind the push for advance appropriations since he first introduced the Putting Veterans Funding First Act (H.R. 813) last year and he was directly involved in brokering this deal through the House. Many others also played key roles and deserve special recognition. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was dedicated to protecting veterans’ benefits checks and helped lead this effort in the Senate. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mike Michaud (D-ME) has been a champion for veterans, a leader on advance appropriations and cosponsored the House legislation. Senators Mark Begich (D-AK) and John Boozman (R-AR) sponsored the companion legislation (S. 932) in the Senate and both fought to get it passed. This agreement also would not have been possible without the critical efforts of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who promised a vote on advance appropriations, and the support of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), as well as House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY), House Appropriations Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY), Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Mark Kirk (R-IL). We are also grateful to the unsung heroes, the many dedicated professional staff on Capitol Hill who worked with DAV and our coalition partners to make this agreement possible to protect veterans’ benefits. We look forward to working with them in the coming years to ensure that we fulfill all our promises to the men and women who serve.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 07:57:42 +0000
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