Veterans & Military

All Americans owe a debt of gratitude to our country’s bravest individuals – those who have served and given their lives in defense of freedom and liberty. The passage of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill reiterated a Congressional commitment to provide for the needs of the nation’s veterans and their families, and the provisions of this bill have been extended through March 27, 2013. As a country, we must remember the sacrifices of our veterans and their families who have bravely served our nation, and I remain committed to providing the best care possible for them and uniformed service members.

H.J.Res.117 – Continuing Appropriations Resolution of 2013

H.J.Res.117 is a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the federal government until March 27, 2013. The funding measure maintains funding levels and was signed into law on September 28, 2012. The pre-cursor to the CR was H.R.5854, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act which passed the House with my support on May 31, 2012. This legislation set the levels at which H.J.Res.117 would extend funding. H.R.5854 provided a total of $71.7 billion in non-emergency discretionary spending in FY 2013 and included $60.7 billion in discretionary funding for Veterans Affairs. Additionally, it authorized $54.5 billion in advance FY 2014 appropriations for the Veterans Health Administration for medical services, support and facilities. The funding levels fulfill the commitment to remaining a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars in a time of historically high deficits without compromising the services provided to our veterans.

National Defense Authorization Act of 2013

The conference report on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2013 was signed into law on January 2, 2013. The legislation authorized $552.2 billion for the base national defense budget and $88.5 billion for overseas contingency operations in Afghanistan. NDAA also authorized a 1.7% military pay increase, maintained current TRICARE fees and prohibited the transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to the United States. The funding levels provide our war fighters and their families with the care and support they need, deserve, and have earned while ensuring that proposed drawdown plans do not cut to the heart of the Army and Marine Corps.  It also provides our military with the resources and authorities it needs to win the war in Afghanistan and continue to prosecute the wider War on Terror.

H.R.8 – American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 & the Sequester

The American Taxpayer Relief Act, which was signed into law on January 2, 2013, provided fiscal certainty to American taxpayers by permanently extending tax rates and protecting as many Americans as possible from being subject to a tax increase. The legislation also postponed the sequester mechanism enacted as part of the Budget Control Act (BCA) for two months until March 1, 2013. At this time, the defense budget is slated to be cut by $55 billion, or 10 percent in addition to the $487 billion in cuts over ten years proposed in President Obama’s budget.

In May 2012, I introduced H.R.5652, the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012, to provide mandatory spending reductions in order to replace automatic cuts to discretionary spending in 2013 under the BCA and to reduce the deficit. To reaffirm the commitment to our nation’s veterans and make good on sacred promises to care for their health and well-being, H.R.5652 included a provision removing veterans’ medical care from the accounts subject to sequester to ensure that these accounts remain fully funded. The bill passed the House by a vote of 218 – 199 on May 10, 2012 but was never brought up in the Senate.

I also cosponsored H.R.5872, the Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012, which was signed into law on August 7, 2012. The Sequestration Transparency Act required President Obama to detail how the Administration planned to implement the budget sequestration cuts scheduled to take place in January 2013. The arbitrary, across-the-board cuts – now expected to take effect on March 1, 2013 – would have a devastating impact on our national security and key domestic priorities. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has stated that the sequestration cuts “would do catastrophic damage to our military and its ability to protect the country.” As we continue to address the looming sequestration in the 113^th Congress, rest assured that I will not lose sight of the promises that have been made to the veterans that have bravely served our country and their families that depend on their safe return home.

Path to Prosperity

The Path to Prosperity budget passed the House on March 29, 2012. The resolution reaffirms a commitment to the men and women in uniform and ensures that national security remains the government’s top priority.  The budget rejects proposals to make across-the-board cuts in funding for national defense, and provides $554 billion for national defense spending in FY 2013, an amount consistent with America’s military goals and strategies.

The Path to Prosperity acknowledges that defense spending needs to be executed with effectiveness and accountability; however, government should take care to ensure that spending is prioritized according to the nation’s needs, rather than treated indiscriminately with regard to cuts. Moreover, the House-passed budget fully funds the President’s budget request for veterans, and actually exceeds the President’s request over ten years with respect to funding for discretionary and mandatory accounts for veterans programs.  The Path to Prosperity recognizes the sacrifices that veterans and their families have made to ensure the continued security of our nation, and provides funding to afford the best care possible that veterans have bravely earned.

H.R.4057 – Improving Transparency of Education Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2012

Acknowledging the difficulties that veterans face with regard to educational opportunities, Representative Gus Bilirakis introduced H.R.4057, the Improving Transparency of Education Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2012. This legislation directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop a comprehensive policy to improve outreach and transparency to veterans for education, providing veteran students with the necessary information to make informed educational decisions. The Senate amendment to the bill was agreed to in the House on December 30, 2012 with my support and was signed into law on January 10, 2013.

H.R.4114 – Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2012

The Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act was introduced by Representative Jon Runyan on February 29, 2012 and increases the amounts paid to veterans for disability compensation and to their survivors for dependency and indemnity compensation by the same cost-of-living adjustment payable to Social Security recipients. This legislation acknowledges the sacrifice that veterans make through their service to the country, and ensures that they receive the benefits that they have bravely earned. The bill was agreed to in the House by voice vote on July 9, 2012 and was signed into law on November 27, 2012.

World War II Prisoners of War (POWs)

Throughout the course of World War II, American POWs were mistreated by the Japanese. In September 2010, Japan officially acknowledged and apologized for repeated violations of the Geneva Convention. Janesville was the home of Company A of the 192^nd Tank Battalion, which fought in Bataan during the Battle of the Philippines. Following their surrender, soldiers were forced to march to San Fernando as involuntary participants of the infamous Bataan Death March.

On June 24, 2011, Representative Michael Honda (CA) introduced House Resolution 333, which commends the Government of Japan for extending an official apology to former United States Pacific War POWs, and establishes a visitation program to Japan for surviving veterans, family members and descendents. After discussing the legislation further with my employers – specifically veterans from the First District – I agreed to co-sponsor this legislation. On August 2, 2011, the bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific within the Committee on Foreign Affairs. In order to be signed into law, this legislation will need to be reintroduced in the 113^th Congress.

Supporting our Veterans

The brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who have served our country have made tremendous sacrifices on behalf of our nation. While streamlining Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs budgets is critical to the fiscal wellbeing of our nation, Congress must not lose sight of the promises that it has made to our troops, our veterans at home, and the families of all those who serve. Our troops overseas must be provided with the tools they need to complete their mission and return to their families as quickly and as safely as possible. Further, we must also work to ensure that our veterans and their families receive the care and services they need in a timely, convenient and efficient manner. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the 113^th Congress to ensure that these goals are fully met.

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