I greatly appreciate those working sincerely on this!
I'm posting this from my bath tub where I spend half of my day generally due to injuries.
What are the offsets being added to the bill?
I get the call for civility, I see it as well and try to keep myself on the correct side, but understand this civility is an act by 54,000 of us. There is a massive amount of justified rage behind the kind posts and gentle requests.
You have to understand where the lack of civility comes from. We aren't bots. We're actual people, with serious medical issues due to our service, and being robbed every month by the same government we swore to defend. Our families make hard choices everyday, while the same people who tell us "it's too expensive", blow 10x the amount on a random weekday into a foreign country on a whim.
These foreign countries don't have to "trust the chairman", no "we need to find offsets". Foreign aid gets blasted through like the world will end if we don't act immediately.
This is more than my mortgage payment every month.
I've lost more than the value of my house since retirement due to this.
I understand the lack of decorum can be off putting. But it's righteous anger and I feel it's important for those in DC to understand their continued delays and outright lies are only adding fuel to this fire.
Be honest.
Be open.
But the time frame for expecting blind trust is long passed.
What are the offsets? What do we have to lose to get our earned retirement? This is what is being discussed behind closed doors. What can we take from veteran's right pocket to put into their left. That's the current action plan.
We've seen these same politicians bragging for the last month over a bill that further erodes everyone's VA mortgage to benefit a deserving but small group. No foreign country gave up any aid. The ONLY people to pay for this are other veterans. Think about how sick that is. Then imagine seeing your rep bragging about it. The anger is justified.
What was the offset to send $9 billion to Ukraine's discharge petition almost immediately?
We're simply sick of the bullshit double standards.
The current NDAA is 1.15 Trillion. The same voices championing this bill for the defense industrial complex donors, tell us our earned retirement is too expensive.
I'm starting to think there is no civil solution here.
@RepBost@HouseGOP@HouseVetAffairs@davidmedic81@DavidWarrenVet@bricecrawford@elonmusk@AirForceDad50@RepMillsPress@DonJBacon@repvanepps@54KVeterans@kniftarqr9y@passmajstaract
I believe that the discharge petition is the push that we need to pass my brother's bill in normal order. We will get a much better bill, my brother's bill. Normal order and let this discharged petition be the looming thunder cloud as a backup reserve plan. The problem with the discharge petition is the wording of it. It watersdammed the benefits and the eligibility group. It also has no identifiable offsets and therefore will be dead on arrival in the US Senate
The discharge petition says that after the build paths it has 3 days to be delivered to Senate, it does not provide a path forward within the Senate. I Have been up to the hill multiple times in the last month and I will return multiple times this coming week. We are very close. I would rather keep the discharge petition right where it is now with 15 representatives away from invoking it. Once that discharged petition goes forward, we only have 1 hour of debate to push amendments to it 30 minutes on each side of the aisle. We will not be able to secure the proper amendments to bank this bill. The best Bill that I can be. My brother came to the hill with his last breath to fight for this bill and I will and have campaigning to fight for our combat window veterans. But I fight with civility. The representatives always open the door to me and invite me back because I am civil. We do not need a lack of decorum in regards to my brother's bill. It only closed those doors.
This week, I will again demand passage of the Major Richard Star Act on the Senate Floor, & plan on forcing votes on the legislation during the NDAA markup. 1/
Thomas Massie delivers the truth about the intentional Israeli attack against the USS Liberty on the House Floor on the 59th year anniversary of the attack and calls for a real investigation.
He says there was a 17-hour delay in receiving help after they were under attack by Israel.
“It was intentional murder by the state of Israel.”
“The Israelis were intent to leave no survivors.”
“This was an effort to kill everyone on board.”
Thank you to @RepPressley, @RepNickBegich, and @RepCleaver for recently cosponsoring the #MajorRichardStarAct.
Your support brings H.R. 2102 to 334 House cosponsors, an extraordinary level of bipartisan support.
The next step is simple:
Please sign the H.Res. 1247 discharge petition and help bring this legislation to the House floor for a vote.
54,000+ combat-injured veterans are counting on Congress to finish the job.
@cole_adria49217 I called the VA for an emergency psych for PTSD. The lady on the phone said, "Are you crazy? We cannot get you in this week". I said, "Yes, I am crazy, thus trying to get a psych appointment.
On her official congressional policy platform, .@RepTenney outlines a comprehensive blueprint to deliver for America’s veterans, explicitly listing her support for the #MajorRichardStarAct (H.R. 2102).
In her plan, Congresswoman Tenney states that passing this bill:
“…will remove the arbitrary 20-year service requirement for veterans to receive disability compensation concurrently with retired pay… This will ensure veterans who were disabled while serving our nation receive the benefits that they earned…”
Representative Tenney, you are exactly right.
It is an arbitrary penalty, and these combat-injured veterans earned every benefit they receive.
You have consistently supported the Major Richard Star Act as a cosponsor in the 117th, 118th, and now the 119th Congress.
Today, the opportunity exists to help move that support one step closer to a House floor vote.
H.Res. 1247 now has 203 signatures, leaving only 15 more needed to force consideration of this legislation.
Since this is a cornerstone of your published Veterans Plan, please help finish the mission.
Walk to the rostrum, sign the discharge petition, and help secure the final signatures needed for the 54,000 combat-injured military retirees affected by this offset.
https://t.co/529DjbFZ3f
Thank you for recognizing sacrifice, many of us are suffering today after being wounded in combat, then being forced to med retire from military service. When this happens, we loose our “earned through sacrifice” retirement paychecks, in leu of VA disability. These are two different things.. the #majrichardstaract will fix this, and allow us to receive retirement paychecks based on rank and years of service. In my case, was forced into med retirement after combat injuries at 17 1/2 years. Just 2.5 years before my twenty. Imagine my surprise when I saw the “ 0.00$ paycheck” all gone.. all of it! This must be corrected because a 20 year retired vet with at least 50% VA gets both. This means an admin person for instance who still has all his limbs, eyesight, hearing, and mental faculties could have developed sleep apnea on active duty (this is a 50% VA rating).. and ultimately that person gets VA disability pay and their military retirement. In my case, I walk with med devices, can’t hardly hear (mortar) and can’t sleep (sprinkle of PTSD) and suffer daily from cripling nerve pain after over a 1/2 dozen major surguries, (mortor) my prognosis remains grim.. but here I am, still in the fight, this time with my own leaders to take care of myself and my fellow combat wound warriors. All so we can buy groceries, pay the bills and lead our own families.. help oit this cause brother, sign the discharge petition and lead for us and recognize our sacrifices. I loved every day of my 17.5 years and fully intended to stay 30 years. Despite it all, I have faith that partisan politics will be set by the wayside and you and others (we only need 6 more signatures) won’t forget us 🫡🇺🇸
In Nov. 2023, .@RepDavidValadao stated:
“I’m proud to support the Major Richard Star Act, which ensures all veterans concurrently receive both retirement & disability pay.”
As a cosponsor in the 117th, 118th, and 119th Congress, your support for this legislation has never been in doubt.
Now we need to get it to the House floor.
H.Res. 1247 is only 15 signatures away.
Representative Valadao, please sign the discharge petition and help turn years of support into a vote.
Senator Kane, can you please have your staff reach out to me so I could meet with you in your office to discuss my brother's bill. I would like your help in pushing this through the Senate armed services committee and have this sented lead the way to establishing the final push for this vital bill to become law. 54,000 plus veterans are dependent upon it. They're very livelihood and the livelihood of their families. Ranking member Takano Chief of staff has my contact information.
Yep. At my very first VA appointment I had to explain what a deployment was LOL
I tried to see the psych, he asked to video tape our sessions so he could share them in his college class in pursuit of a degree.
This is military/VA healthcare. You are simply a guinea pig while they gather evidence to use against you.
@SecVetAffairs But wait there's more! You must first hire dr's that understand the Veteran- not fond of newbies who are practicing on me. Check for the creep factor too sir. We know. All of us know.
Uh oh. @Charles_Leclerc bashing the car after the brakes failed and caused his crash.
The old #Scuderia wouldn't tolerate a driver bashing the car. Maybe it's a kinder, gentler team these days.
@ChuckGrassley Where are you at on the Major Richard Star Act? I honestly could care less about a soccer game.
I do care about the government stealing $2000 a month from me.