Friends,

I hope you had a blessed and safe Memorial Day! As families across our great nation gathered together this past weekend to celebrate the "unofficial start of summer," I hope that you and yours took a few minutes to remember why we're able to enjoy the freedoms we have. We owe so much to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending our great nation and its values.

I'd like to share with you my short, but important message about the significance of Memorial Day:

Honoring Our Fallen Servicemembers

Last Thursday, I joined my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to wash the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. My father was an Army Green Beret Vietnam combat veteran, so cleaning the tens of thousands of names carved into that granite - some of whom my father fought beside - was truly a humbling experience.

Countless American heroes, including all those listed on this wall, have died fighting to protect and defend our nation and our freedoms - they willingly gave their lives so that others can live in the greatest country in the world. I hope that you’ll join me today in reflecting upon the valor and sacrifice of those fallen servicemembers. We owe them, and their families, an eternal debt of gratitude that we will never be able to repay. 

We are the land of the free because of the brave.

Important Debt Ceiling Update

Like many of you, on Saturday I was encouraged to hear we finally have a debt ceiling deal that prioritizes American taxpayers, avoids a catastrophic default, and protects the economic future of our country. While I wish the President had agreed to start these negotiations back in January when Speaker McCarthy first called for them - rather than waiting until the 11th hour - I am thoroughly reviewing the bill text as the House prepares to vote on the deal this week. We must get our country back on track and restore fiscal sanity in Washington…!!

Integrity, transparency, and honesty in politics are incredibly important to me. Being your Representative in Congress is not something I take lightly, and I work very hard to ensure that you know exactly happening in Washington. That's why I was disheartened and quite frankly angered by all of the lies swirling around about actions taken in the House on the debt ceiling as Speaker McCarthy worked to get President Biden to the negotiating table. Please take a few minutes to hear directly from me about what really passed the House back in April:

I'll be heading back to Washington for a few days out of this previously scheduled district work week when they call Congress into session to vote on the bipartisan bill to avoid hitting the debt ceiling and cut wasteful spending.

Fighting for all our Veterans!

On Wednesday, my bill, the Filipino Education Fairness Act of 2023, passed the House as a part of H.R. 1669, the VET-TEC Authorization Act of 2023! This legislation ensures that veterans and their families can use the full scope of their GI benefits to pay for education in the Republic of the Philippines.

Under current law, veterans and qualifying family members who choose to attend educational institutes in the Philippines only receive $0.50 of assistance for every $1.00 they would receive if they were attending schools in the United States. We are blessed to have a large Filipino population in the Hampton Roads area, many of whom are veterans; it's wrong to discourage them - or anyone else - from using their GI Bill benefits to pursue degrees where they choose!

I was proud to introduce legislation to ensure all veterans can receive the education benefits they earned and am honored to see it passed out of the House. As a veteran, I will always fight to improve the lives of our nation’s heroes!

Hosting Friends from Japan

Did you know that before I was a Member of Congress, geriatric nurse practitioner, a mom, or a Navy helicopter pilot, I taught English in Japan for a year after graduating college?

As luck would have it, several years later my family was stationed there with the Navy. Japan will always hold a special place in my heart, which is why I was honored to host the Japanese Embassy's Congressional Minister, Tomoaki Ishigaki, in my Washington office last Tuesday! We discussed our important strategic partnership in the Indo-Pacific region and the enduring friendship between our two nations. As Minister Ishigaki so eloquently puts it, "the People to People exchanges are indeed at the core of our friendship."

Increasing Mental Health Resources for Veterans' Caretakers

In Virginia and across the country, caregivers play critical roles in the lives of our veterans. As a geriatric nurse practitioner, I know this genuinely rewarding role comes with immense emotional challenges. That’s why I introduced the Caregiver Outreach and Program Enhancement (COPE) Act to enhance mental health resources for veteran caregivers. By ensuring these men and women can properly take care of themselves, this bill will improve the lives of our nation’s heroes and solidify the support system they need to age with dignity. 

The COPE Act authorizes the VA to provide grants to organizations whose mission is focused on the mental healthcare of participants in the VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. Additionally, it requires that the VA must provide outreach to registered caregivers, as well as provide specific directives for meeting the need of underserved populations. Finally, the COPE Act requires the VA and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to provide Congress with research on the program and its outcomes. 

I’m proud to have my fellow veteran and colleague from the other side of the aisle, Congresswoman Houlahan, join me in this important effort and I look forward to getting it across the finish line...!

People's Choice Award Winner!

I'm excited to announce that Allison Bragg has won our Congressional Art Competition "People's Choice Award" held on Facebook for her piece "Juniper Forest"! Her artwork will go on display for the next year in one of my district offices. Thank you to everyone who submitted artwork... I'm still blown away by the level of talent displayed by our VA-02 high school students! I'm already looking forward to next year!

Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient of the Week

This week, I want to honor Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Major Charles Joseph Loring Jr. (Medal of Honor action date: November 22, 1952).

On November 22, 1952, Maj. Loring - while leading a flight of four F-80 type aircraft on a close support mission - was briefed by a controller to dive-bomb enemy gun positions which were harassing friendly ground troops near Sniper Ridge, Korea. After verifying the location of the target, Maj. Loring rolled into his dive bomb run. Throughout the run, his aircraft came under fire by enemy forces. Disregarding the accuracy and intensity of the ground fire, Maj. Loring continued to press the attack until his aircraft was hit. At approximately 4,000 feet, he deliberately altered course and aimed his diving aircraft at active gun emplacements concentrated on a ridge northwest of the target.

Maj. Loring elected to sacrifice his life by diving his aircraft directly into the midst of the enemy emplacements. His selflessness and heroism completely destroyed the enemy gun placement and eliminated a dangerous threat to United Nations ground forces. Maj. Loring's noble spirit, superlative courage, and conspicuous self-sacrifice in inflicting maximum damage on the enemy exemplified valor of the highest degree, and his actions were in keeping with the finest traditions of the U.S. Air Force.

Major Charles Joseph Loring Jr. was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on May 5, 1954 for his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. He was born on October 2, 1918 in Portland, Maine and is buried at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii. His Medal is located at the City Hall of Portland, Maine.

Five Fast Memorial Day Facts

1. The First Memorial Day was observed on May 5, 1866, a year after the end of the Civil War, in Waterloo, New York.
2. Memorial Day was originally called “Decoration Day,” ​​from the early tradition of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths, and flags of Civil War Soldiers.
3. After World War I, Memorial Day became an occasion for honoring those who died in all of America’s wars, and was then more widely established as a national holiday throughout the United States.
4. Until 1971, Memorial Day was observed on May 30th. Now it is observed on the last Monday of May annually.
5. Memorial Day is commemorated at Arlington National Cemetery each year with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Traditionally, the President or Vice President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact my D.C. Office at (202) 225-4215 or my Virginia Beach District Office at (757) 364-7650 with questions, concerns, or if you require assistance with a federal agency. And don't forget - if you’d like to stay up to date with what I’m working on, check out my website and follow my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages (linked below) to stay up to date!

Take care,

Jen A. Kiggans

Congresswoman, Virginia's Second District