Defense

During times of war, defense issues are important to New Yorkers as well as the rest of the country. Our troops provide heroic service to our nation and we must do all that we can to support them when abroad as well as when they return home.

Healthcare for our Military

Congresswoman McCarthy believes that we have to protect and care for those individuals who have sacrificed to keep the rest of us safe.  The Congresswoman is committed to providing our active duty military and our veterans with the highest standard of care possible.

During the 110^th Congress, Congress was able to include in the Emergency Supplemental funding measure signed into law in May, 2007, provisions to improve healthcare for our armed forces.  The legislation included funding for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury care and research.  It prevented health care fee increases for our troops, funded mental healthcare for veterans, and helped to address the backlog in maintaining VA healthcare facilities.

Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act

The Congresswoman is also a cosponsor of H.R. 1211, the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act.  This legislation would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study barriers encountered by women veterans to accessing care through the VA.  The legislation also requires the Secretary to take steps to improve VA health services directed towards women.

Supporting our Military

Recently, the House passed the 2009 Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan & Pandemic Flu.  The Congresswoman supported this measure, because the funding within this bill will give our military the tools they need to successfully stabilize and secure volatile regions and will help in President Obama’s mission to end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home safely.

On May 21st, the House passed the final version of S. 454, the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act, which substantially strengthens oversight of the Pentagon’s system of acquiring weapons, promotes greater use of competition in weapons acquisition, and requires DOD to revise its regulations in order to better prevent conflicts of interest in the acquisition process. On May 22nd, President Obama signed the bill into law. Congresswoman McCarthy supported this bipartisan legislation, because enactment of this bill could not only save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars, but it is also part of a broader effort by Defense Secretary Gates to substantially reform government contracting at the Pentagon.