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Troops and Veterans

I am working to ensure that New Mexico's veterans are properly honored and compensated for their service to our country.

 

Serving Those Who Serve the Nation

To honor the duty and service of our troops and veterans, I am working to increase funding and access to quality health care, to guarantee that all military personnel -- active and retired -- receive increased pay and benefits, and to recognize the contributions of the veterans of New Mexico to the nation.

Recent News Affecting Troops and Veterans

Sep 27 Domenici & Bingaman Say Doe Must Help Close LANL Budget Gap
Sep 20 Bingaman Talks To New Mexico Radio Reporters
Sep 14 Bingaman Provision Would Increase Port Hours At Santa Teresa
Sep 08 N.M. Delegation Continues Efforts To Turn Back Privatization Study At WSMR
Sep 07 Bingaman: Defense Spending Bills Contains Funding For New Mexico
  [MORE]

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS


  • Working to fix the budget hole in the Department of Defense’s Survivor’s Benefit Plan (SBP) to restore survivor benefits for those who receive compensation from both the VA and the Department of Defense
  • Cosponsored the Fulfilling Our Duty to America's Veterans Act of 2005 to help ensure that all veterans get the health care they deserve by closing the billion-dollar shortfalls the VA has faced the last several years
  • Cosponsored legislation called the “VetsRide Act” that will provide grants to state Veterans Service Offices and Veterans Service Organizations to help provide veterans with transportation options to VA hospitals and outpatient clinics
  • Voted for an amendment to the budget resolution to increase funding for veterans health care by $3 billion per year. Cosponsored an amendment to the VA spending bill, which increased funding for veterans health care by $600 million, bringing the total funding for veterans’ health programs to $19 billion
  • Cosponsored legislation that will ensure that National Guard service members who are also federal employees maintain their normal salary when called to active duty
  • Cosponsored the “Veterans Claims and Appeals Procedures Clarification and Improvement Act,” which clarifies that the VA has a duty to assist veterans in developing all facts pertinent to their claims. A compromise version of this bill became law in November 2000
  • Cosponsored an amendment in the emergency supplemental appropriations bill to ensure that wounded veterans recovering in military hospitals do not pay for their own meals
  • Cosponsor of legislation to amend part of the United States code in order to provide for the Purple Heart to be awarded to prisoners of war who die in captivity under circumstances not otherwise establishing eligibility for the Purple Heart
  • Cosponsored the law granting a federal charter to the American GI Forum, a national veteran’s family organization dedicated to addressing issues affecting Hispanic veterans and their families
  • Cosponsored the Veterans Benefits and Pensions Protection Act of 2003, which would protect our veterans from scams that offer one large payment in exchange for years of monthly veterans benefits checks
  • Cosponsored the Keep Our Promise to America’s Military Retirees Act, which would have extend federal employees health benefits to veterans who entered active duty before or on June 7, 1956, and who subsequently earned retirement
  • Cosponsored the Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2005, which amends US code to ensure that military retired pay should not be reduced because a military retiree is also eligible for veterans' disability compensation awarded for a service-connected disability

NEED HELP WITH THE VA?

My staff is trained to help New Mexican veterans with problems such as receiving benefits or medals. Review the casework section of my site or call my office at 1-800-443-8685. [MORE]

Small graphic image of a pen laid across a blank check.  This image is also a link to the Small Business Resource Guide.VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT

By sharing their stories with the VHP, New Mexico veterans can leave a second legacy. [MORE]

NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES

Read recent news about national security matters in the Congress and New Mexico, along with information on my legislative initiatives in veterans affairs. [MORE]

Navajo Code TalkersNAVAJO CODE TALKERS

During World War II, the Navajo developed the most successful military code of the time. [MORE]

OUTSIDE LINKS

Cannon Air Force Base - home of the 27th Fighter Wing, Clovis, NM

Holloman Air Force Base - home of the 49th Fighter Wing, Alamogordo, NM

Kirtland Air Force Base - home of the 377th Air Base Wing, Albuquerque, NM

White Sands Missile Range - tri-service test facility in southern New Mexico.