Legislative: Three Legislative Action Items

Legislative: Three Legislative Action Items

Many National and Department Auxiliary leaders recently attended the VFW’s Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. A highlight of the conference was VFW Commander-in-Chief Brian Duffy’s testimony before a joint hearing of the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committees. The room was packed with VFW and Auxiliary members who showed up in large numbers for the hearing.

Many of the questions posed pertained to the Veterans Administration’s health care policies. Chief Duffy was adamant in the position that the VA must do what is best for our veterans. Sequestration was another ongoing issue that was included in the Chief’s testimony. If you were unable to attend or watch the livestream, I encourage you to read the transcript of the testimony on the VFW website.

There are three and a half months before the end of the Program Year. Our efforts should not be declining; they should be as strong as they were at the beginning of the Program Year. Below are three action items for you to focus on during the remainder of the Program Year.

• Focus on the urgency to meet some, if not all, of the 2017 VFW Priority Goals. Be sure that you are knowledgeable about the goals. As legislative advocates for veterans, the Priority Goals are our guide when talking with legislators about veterans’ issues.

• Respond to any alerts you receive as part of Action Corps. Keep in touch with your elected officials. Keep the mantra that “all politics are local” foremost in your work.

• Know who your elected officials are and contact them to end sequestration NOW. Remember these individuals work for us. We need to unite and make our voices heard that we want, no, we insist, on what is best for those who defended our country and continue to do so.