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VETERANS NEWSLETTER

My Friend,


It's been a busy few months in Washington, DC, and across our congressional district. From introducing legislation to raise awareness of military and veteran suicide, calling for more accountability from the VA, and working to securing WiFi and other critical upgrades at our local VAMC, I will always have the backs of our men & women who've served.


Additionally, I joined a bipartisan group of colleagues in voting for several pieces of legislation to help our nation's veterans and military, including the National Defense Authorization Act that gives our service members the largest basic pay increase in over twenty years, and a bill to make veterans' health care more affordable.


My office will be sending regular updates about the work I'm doing to support our veterans and active duty service members in and around New York City, so please be sure to share this and encourage others in your network to sign up to stay up to date with everything I'm doing for you.


Sincerely,

Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis

NEW FOOD BANK AT FORT WADSWORTH

Our office joined Blue Star Families, TV show Moving With The Military and local elected officials in unveiling a new food pantry at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island that serves more than 300 U.S. Coast Guard families every month. I'm proud to have voted for legislation to give our military the largest pay raise in twenty years so our service members don't have to rely on food support to survive.

BROOKLYN VA RECEIVES SURPRISE VISIT

This week, the Investigative Counsel for the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations for the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs conducted a field visit to the Brooklyn Veterans Affairs Hospital. During the visit, my staff was present and brought up multiple issues that you have relayed to us. We hope that this leads to more improvements at the hospital and we will be working closely with the Committee to follow up.

Additionally, during our previous Veterans roundtables, it was brought to our office's attention that the Brooklyn VA Medical Center was lacking reliable guest WiFi services. We have followed up with Executive Director Timothy Graham about these concerns and he informed us that they have started the process of executing a contract for guest WiFi and have committed funds to upgrade these services. It is their hope that all three New York City VA campuses have guest WiFi networks up and running within the next several months.

GETTING ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE VA

I joined the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs in calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough to hold VA attorney Ms. Shekeba Morrad accountable for a video she posted online mocking Israelis who asked for the return of hostages taken by Hamas terrorists. As an attorney for the VA, Ms. Morrad is responsible for making key decisions that effect the benefits of all veterans, including the many proud Jewish veterans who've served our nation. I believe the VA should hold her accountable for her antisemitic rhetoric - our veterans deserve to know that the services they are receiving from the VA are free from bias or discrimination.

THE PACT ACT AT WORK

Since Congress passed the PACT Act last year, five million veterans have been or have started potentially life-saving care and treatments for exposure to burn pits, Agent orange or other toxic substances. I'm proud to have supported this critically important legislation.


To learn more about the PACT Act or to see if you qualify for VA benefits, click HERE.

BILLS I'M SUPPORTING

H.R.2670 - National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): I joined a bipartisan group of colleagues in voting for the NDAA that:

  • Strengthens our defense capabilities and military readiness
  • Provides funding for the World Trade Center Health Program to provide health care for our 9/11 first responders
  • Gives our service members the largest basic pay raise in over twenty years (5.2%) on top of the 4.6% raise they received last year
  • Includes language I introduced that requires the Secretary of Defense to examine the calculation for Staten Island's Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) that's been historically lower than other boroughs. Since coming to Congress our Staten Island military families have received an increased BAH of $500 more, but this study will hopefully put them on par with the rest of New York City.
  • Gives law enforcement the tools to counter terrorism and crack down on fentanyl trafficking
  • Forces the Biden Administration to use border wall materials or give them to border states that will
  • Guts the woke ideology infiltrating the Pentagon


H.R.542 - Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act: This bill significantly improves and expands home care, caregiver programs and community based services for disabled or aging veterans. I was proud to cosponsor this bill and see it pass the House with overwhelming bipartisan support.


H.Res.899 - Recognizing the Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Flag: This resolution officially recognizes the Suicide Awareness and Remembrance (SAR) flag, designates the flag as the nation's symbol to raise awareness of military and veteran suicide and honor the lives and service of service members and veterans who have died by suicide. I am an original cosponsor of this bill.

Washington DC Office

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Washington, DC 20515

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(718) 568-2870

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