My Friend,

It's been a busy few months in Washington, DC, and across our congressional district. From working to put Staten Island servicemembers' Base Allowance for Housing on par with the rest of New York City, to securing a Bronze Star for a WWII veteran, to regular meetings with NNU and the VA to address staffing issues at our medical center, I will always have the backs of our men & women who've served.

Going forward, 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

Yesterday, I joined Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro in a ceremony awarding Staten Island Resident and 100-year-old veteran Daniel Lawrence Holihan the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" for his service as part of Underwater Demolition Team Thirteen in the Pacific Theatre Operations during World War II.

I, like those I represent in New York's 11th Congressional District, am very proud of and grateful for Mr. Holihan’s service to our country and the bravery he displayed nearly 80 years ago. This week, I took the opportunity to recognize Mr. Holihan’s courageous service in a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, adding his story to the official Congressional Record. As we head into Memorial Day Weekend to honor those who did not return from war and gave the ultimate sacrifice, I also give thanks to service members like Mr. Holihan who were willing to give their lives but thankfully returned.

In March, I had the pleasure of meeting with the new Director of the Brooklyn VA Medical Center, Timothy Graham, about our push for more nurses to staff the facility, along with important investments the hospital has made into its surgical and rehabilitation suites and other renovations currently underway. I was proud to join our local veterans in fighting against this hospital's closure last year and will continue to work to improve care for those who've served!

In February, I joined Fort Hamilton Army Base Commander Col. Brian Jacobs in announcing significant investments the Department of the Army is making in U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hamilton, to begin the construction of a state-of-the-art Information Systems Node Facility to house essential voice and data communication capabilities and a new Child Development Center which will provide high-quality childcare services for servicemembers and their families.

This investment shows that the Department of Defense understands the vital role Fort Hamilton plays as a strategic hub for New York City and our country as a whole. We are incredibly grateful for everything Fort Hamilton does to support our community and the other military branches and I'm confident this investment will assist them in future missions!

This week, I joined my colleagues in voting for three key pieces of legislation to help our nation's veterans ahead of Memorial Day.

H.R. 1669 - VET-TEC Authorization Act of 2023: This bill requires the VA to implement a permanent educational training program for veterans and transitioning service members who wish to pursue high-paying jobs in the technology industry. So far, this pilot program has helped over 12,000 veterans enter the field with some of the highest-paying salaries in the United States!

S. 777 - the Veterans' Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2023: This bill increases the compensation rate for veterans with service-connected disabilities, along with the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children, allowing our service members and their families to keep up with inflation. Veterans' benefits increased by 8.7% last year, which is the largest cost-of-living adjustment in decades.

H.R. 366 - Korean American VALOR Act: This bill entitles certain veterans who served in the armed forces of the Republic of Korea to receive certain VA benefits, such as medical and dental care.

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