Legion backs Nevada senator’s push to pass VA funding law

        WASHINGTON (Sept. 16, 2011) -- The American Legion is lauding freshman Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada for his campaign to encourage colleagues to put aside their differences and pass quickly a bill to provide funding for military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

        The Senate and House of Representatives passed separate versions of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2055) in mid-summer, but minor differences remain that must be reconciled before the legislation can be combined and signed into law by President Obama.

        On Sept. 15, Heller, a new Senator but veteran Congressman, sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House John Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, urging them to pass the legislation as soon as possible so as to not endanger, among other things, the timely payment of benefits to veterans. 

        “The benefits owed to the men and women who have served in the Armed Services should not be jeopardized because Congress has not had the self-discipline necessary to pass a responsible budget,” Heller said.  “Both parties from the House and Senate need to work out their differences and pass this legislation so our veterans can be certain they will receive every benefit promised to them.  Moving this process forward is the least we can do for the men and women who have selflessly served our nation and risked their lives for the freedoms we enjoy today,” he said.

        “This is a point I’ll be making in my testimony before the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Sept. 21^st,” said Fang A. Wong, newly elected national commander of The American Legion. “It would be easy for Congress to include VA funding in a continuing resolution, but that won’t get the job done. They need to iron out a few minor differences in conference committee – this should be completed outside of a continuing resolution.”

        To date, a conference committee to settle the differences between the House and Senate versions of the Mil Con-VA Appropriations Act has not been formed.  “Our nation’s veterans didn’t take the easy way out while serving their nation,” Wong said.  “The best thing Congress can do is fund the VA for the entire fiscal year and stop playing political games with this issue.”

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Contact:  Marty Callaghan, 202-263-5758/202-215-8644 or Craig Roberts, 202-263-2982/ 202-406-0887.

Veterans seen as vital to jobs bill

Commander supports Obama's plan to deploy veterans in the battle to revive America's economy.

WASHINGTON (Sept. 8, 2011) - Pressing Congress to pass the American Jobs Act, which aims to reduce unemployment and stimulate U.S. productivity, President Barack Obama told a joint session of Congress Thursday evening to look to the nation's veterans, who have fought with their lives to defend our country. "The last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home," he said.

The president's words in a Thursday evening address to the nation echoed what he said Aug. 30 at the 93rd National Convention of The American Legion in Minneapolis when he announced a plan to offer tax credits to companies that hire veterans. There, he told about 10,000 Legionnaires and their families that he was calling on every state "to pass legislation that makes it easier for our veterans to get the credentials and the jobs for which they are so clearly qualified. This needs to happen, and it needs to happen now."

American Legion National Commander Fang A. Wong said the president's plan to get more Americans back to work falls in line with the Legion's ongoing efforts to reduce veteran unemployment, especially among those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Far too many of our young veterans are returning home to find they can't get back into the workforce - is that a proper way for our country to reward these men and women who have served us so well overseas?" Wong said.

According to a Joint Economic Commission report to Congress last June, the unemployment rate for male veterans aged 18 to 24 stood at 27 percent.

"We sponsor more than 100 job fairs per year for servicemembers and veterans," Wong said. "We press federal agencies to hire more veterans. We show veteran-owned small businesses how to get more federal contracting dollars. So The American Legion heartily welcomes the jobs plan initiatives pertaining to veterans announced by President Obama, especially since they reinforce the White House's commitment to get more veterans employed."

In the address, Obama said the American Jobs Act will "provide a jolt" to an economy that is now stalled. He pinpointed education, transportation and small business as areas that can make an impact in the recovery. He told lawmakers that the measure will make it easier for small businesses to procure federal contracts. The American Legion is now working with the government to improve compliance with a federal law mandating that no less than 3 percent of federal contracts be awarded to businesses owned by service-disabled veterans.

Obama also spoke of the power the GI Bill {editorial note: Written by the American Legion} poses to stimulate the economy, as it did after World War II. "Millions of returning heroes, including my grandfather, had the opportunity to go to school because of the GI Bill. Where would we be if they hadn't had that chance?"

Earlier in the day, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee passed the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act (known as the VOW Act), sponsored by Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida. The bill would improve transition counseling for service members leaving active duty, and also help veterans to obtain licenses or certificates for skills they learned in the military.

"Military training and experience needs to be recognized by civilian employers. This is an issue The American Legion has taken to the White House and Congress many times," Wong said. "Now we are seeing some results - in the president's new initiatives to get more veterans hired, and in the VOWS Act that is making its way to a vote on the House floor.

"We have got to convince the private sector to recognize the full value of military service. Taxpayers invest a lot of money in their training. Such a huge investment must not be wasted," Wong said.

The American Legion has been pushing Congress and the private sector for wider recognition of military skills and experience. The Legion's Economic Division is planning to host a conference early next year on licensing and certification issues for veterans.

Telling Congress that "we are tougher than the times we live in," Obama echoed his Aug. 5 speech at the Washington Navy Yard. Before a largely military audience, he outlined four proposals to reduce the jobless rate among Post-9/11 veterans, including tax credits for firms that hire veterans who are unemployed or have service-connected disabilities.

"The president has challenged the private sector to hire or train 100,000 jobless veterans by the end of 2013," Wong said. "We join the president's call to action, but would like to up the ante. The American Legion is challenging America to bring veterans unemployment below the 5-percent mark before Election Day of 2012. Hiring veterans is one of the best ways to honor their service."

Contact: Marty Callaghan at 202-263-5758/202-215-8644 or mcallaghan@legion.org .

Pelosi: Veterans benefits not on the table

       MINNEAPOLIS (Aug. 31, 2011) -- When the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction sits down in the coming weeks to look at ways to cut more than $1 trillion from the federal budget, veterans benefits won’t be one of the casualties.

        Addressing The American Legion’s 93^rdNational Convention in Minneapolis today, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi told convention delegates that the interests of veterans will be protected during the budget crisis.

        “In the weeks ahead … Congress will take up the budget at a table of 12,” Pelosi said. “I want The American Legion, and all of America to know – that the values of America’s veterans will have a strong presence at that congressional table. I want to assure you that as we reduce the deficit, America’s veterans will not be short-changed. Meeting the needs of our veterans … is a value of the American people that we will protect in those negotiations.

“Supporting our veterans is a bipartisan cause. That’s the beautiful part of it. It’s a place we can all come together. America’s veterans have earned our respect by their actions, their bravery and their valor, their willingness to step forward and serve on our behalf.”

Pelosi also touched on the unemployment crisis facing U.S. veterans – including an unemployment rate of more than 12 percent for post-9/11 veterans. “Our work will not be complete until every American who has fought for our country abroad can find a job when they come home,” she said. “We must build an economy that welcomes our service members home with an opportunity for a paycheck and a fair shot to succeed. “

        Pelosi said one way to create more jobs is to stop exporting them to other countries. “It is a national security issue that we stop the erosion of our manufacturing base in our country,” she said. “We must be self-reliant. We cannot defend our country when we are depending on other countries supplying us with the means to produce what we need to defend.”

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Contact: Craig Roberts or Joe March,(612)335-6900;(202) 406-0887.

Miller: Military, veterans among nation’s highest funding priorities

       MINNEAPOLIS (Aug. 31, 2011) -- The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction has been tasked with slashing more than a trillion dollars from the U.S. budget. But according to U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, that task shouldn’t include slashing from two critical programs: veterans benefits and national security.

        Miller, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, told The American Legion National Convention today that the U.S. military and those who once served in it shouldn’t be on the chopping block when it comes to budget cutbacks.

        “The Constitution provides for spending for the common defense and providing for the welfare of our common citizens,” Miller told convention delegates in Minneapolis. “Funding for America’s veterans programs, I believe, is a critical element to the common defense of this nation, and I believe you will see that reflected in the spending priorities in this Congress. While we tighten our belts, let us remember that we are still engaged in two wars, and that we are in conflicts around the globe. Funding for our military and our veterans is and will remain one of this nation’s highest priorities.

        “As chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I promise that I will … stand steadfast in assuring that America’s veterans are not political pawns in this process. “

        Miller said that protecting veterans benefits isn’t his only priority. Finding them jobs also is critical. Miller referenced legislation he’s introduced – the “Veterans Opportunity to Work Act of 2011or the “VOW Act” – as a step in this direction.

        “The VOW Act will assure that we have the most trained, the most skilled work force since the second world war,” he said. “Our soldiers, our Marines, our sailors, our airmen and our Coast Guard returning from Afghanistan and Iraq face higher unemployment than the national average. Nearly 1 million veterans are out of work, and I’m sure that you’ll agree with me that number’s unacceptable.”

Miller said the VOW Act has five components – enhancing the Transition Assistance Programs (TAP), increasing the number of veterans attending college, protecting the jobs of reservists and National Guardsmen who are placed on active duty, breaking down the barriers between military job skills vs. civilian job skills, and task incentives for small businesses that employ veterans.

        “The government’s role is not to create jobs,” Miller said. “But what the government can do is create the right environment for the job market itself to flourish. We do this by releasing the burdens of overreaching regulations that encumber America’s small businesses – the engine of our economy.”

        Miller also said that veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries cannot be forgotten. “These can be some of the hardest wounds to treat,” he said. “But we can, and we will, help these men and women get on the track to recovery. Either we take action to address deficiencies in the current system – which many opt out of before even receiving treatment – or we maintain the status quo. The status quo with a rising suicide rate is not acceptable.

        “We need to transform the culture of (the Department of Veterans Affairs) so that all veterans feel welcome. It’s not an easy task, but I believe it can, and must, be done. It is incumbent upon all of us to reach out to those who are in pain, and we’ve also got to make them get as well as possible and stop just masking the symptoms with drugs.”

        Miller also addressed VA’s disability claims backlog. “We have heard for too many years too many promises,” he said. “This Congress will turn the corner and make VA accountable to assure accuracy the first time a claim is submitted.”

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Contact: Craig Roberts or Joe March,(612)335-6900 ;(202) 406-0887.

Walz sees Legion as a “model for how this nation can function”

MINNEAPOLIS (Aug. 31, 2011) --  Lauding members of his audience for “loving your country with all of your heart,” Congressman Tim Walz today characterized The American Legion as a model for political behavior. He was speaking at the 93^rd National American Legion convention, “the most special place to be in America today,” in Walz’s words.

Contrasting the conduct of Legion leadership with that of his Washington colleagues, the Minnesota Democrat, a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said, “Your leadership is on point with this, they understand that when politics are broken, people tend to retreat to their corners and believe in an either-or answer. You bring a common sense approach to tackling our nation’s problems.  You stand up to them in Washington.  You understand you don’t get an either-or choice with national security. You get it right or you get it wrong.  We simply won’t accept the choice to get it wrong.”

Walz is a retired Command Sergeant Major from the Minnesota National Guard and member of The American Legion. “My colleagues, my constituents and you are the heart and soul of this country. I see the members I serve with as colleagues and I respect and cherish them, but it’s for the people in this room that I measure and analyze my performance, the language I use, the outcomes and the effectiveness of what I do. Consider the sacrifice that our soldiers are making -- and we saw 63 of them make the ultimate sacrifice this month. It is a disservice we do to their memory and to their honor by taking our politics to the level that it has been taken. This absolutely has to end.

“Being here with you and watching how this organization operates, seeing the successes you’ve had -- there’s a model in this room for how this nation can function; there’s a model in this room for how we can eliminate the divisions and false choices that don’t make us any safer, don’t make us any more prosperous and, quite honestly, don’t make us any happier as a nation,” he said. 

“The Associated Press reports that Congress has a 12% approval rating. I want to know, ‘who the hell are those 12 percent?’     

Walz ended his remarks by echoing President Barack Obama who, in addressing the Legion convention Tuesday said, “We cannot, we must not, and we will not balance the budget on the backs of our veterans.”

“We can discuss cutting benefits for those with TRICARE by increasing their co-pays, but only after we remove the mortgage deductions for yachts,” Walz said. “I feel very strongly about programs like Medicare and Social Security, but people who rely on these programs are on a different level than those who rely on veterans’ benefits because of what it took to earn those benefits. It took something above and beyond; the willingness to sacrifice time, career and in some cases, their life for this nation. That’s not a bribe, it’s not an entitlement, that’s a grateful nation understanding that we’re going to keep our strength as a nation. We have to let them (the veterans) know that we’re going to keep the faith for them.  Promises made are promises honored.”

Media contacts: Marty Callaghan (Cellular) 202-215-8644 or Craig Roberts (Cellular) 202-406-0887.

Legion: Reserve flag honors for military

National commander says Congress should “think twice” about bill to present U.S. flags to honor fallen civil servants

        WASHINGTON (Sept. 7, 2011) – The American Legion is denouncing a bill the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on today allowing for payment of “expenses incident to the presentation of a (U.S.) flag” for civilians who are killed while working for the federal government.

        The Civilian Service Recognition Act of 2011 (H.R. 2061) was introduced May 31 by Rep. Bill Hanna of New York. Noting that 3,000 federal employees have died since 1993, Hanna said, “Like members of the armed services, civilian federal employees are often in harm’s way. Ours is a grateful nation, one that values the sacrifices made in honor of this country. A life can never be repaid, but it can be honored.”

        Fang Wong, newly elected national commander of the Legion, said the bill is a misguided attempt to equate civil service with military service.

        “Congress needs to think twice before acting on this hastily written bill,” Wong said. “Civil service workers do not sign a pledge to defend America with their lives, they are not forced to serve in combat zones, and their work routines do not include engaging enemy forces overseas.”

        The bill’s advocates and the Committee of the Whole noted that presentation of a United States flag “is an appropriate way to honor Federal employees’ contributions to the American public. The Committee believes these individuals are no less deserving of our respect than members of our armed forces.”  They point to legislation passed in 1993, allowing for civilians working with the military to be afforded the same privilege.

        “This bill leaves far too much to be determined by a few individuals,” said Tim Tetz, legislative director of The American Legion.  “It allows agency heads to determine who may be eligible upon their deaths.  It allows them to determine ‘next of kin.’  It doesn’t clearly identify associated costs, and it leaves far too much to be decided without any public feedback.”

        “We certainly respect the service and dedication of those who sign up for civil service,” Wong said, “but these individuals pledge much less than our servicemembers and veterans.  If federal employees die or are killed in service to America, they should be honored by a grateful nation. Just not in the same way as our military or veterans.”

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Contact:  Marty Callaghan, mcallaghan@legion.org or 202-263-5758/202-215-8644.