After speaking on the House of Representatives Floor on September 12, Congressman Brian Higgins will lace up his ice skates, all in the name of supporting our veterans. Higgins, a member of the House Committees on Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs as well as the Congressional Hockey Caucus is participating in a charity hockey game to benefit the USA Warriors Ice Hockey Program.
(Video: http://youtu.be/dSxZs2dGWGM)
Prior to the game Congressman Higgins called on Congress to live up to its responsibility to care for our returning soldiers. Below is the text of his speech on the House Floor:
Mr. Speaker, Tonight I will join Members of Congress Mike Quigley and Pat Meehan in an ice hockey game with and to benefit the Wounded Warriors.
The Wounded Warriors is a great organization that takes care of our returning injured soldiers.
Congress, however, is not living up to its responsibility to do the same. The unemployment rate for returning veterans under the age of 24 is 29%.
Congress just approved $53 billion for road and bridge repair next year – a very weak response to a big and important issue, particularly when you consider that we just spent $90 billion rebuilding the roads and bridges of Afghanistan.
If you really want to say thank you to the veterans on behalf of a grateful nation, let’s nation build at home and put our veterans to work rebuilding the America they so honorably defended.
Earlier this year Higgins introduced the Nation Building Here at Home Act, legislation which would provide a robust fiver-year federal investment in road and bridge reconstruction. Higgins notes, rebuilding the nation’s roads and bridges will put Americans, including our returning veterans, back to work and will support private-sector American businesses through the purchase of labor, materials and equipment. Higgins’ bill incorporates the “Helmets to Hardhats” program which accelerates apprenticeship training and job placement for returning veterans.
The USA Warriors Ice Hockey program uses the game of hockey to help returning, wounded warriors and educate the public about the sacrifices our military make for this nation. Every player has been awarded a Purple Heart. For more information visit: www.usawarriorshockey.org.
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