Veterans Issues
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WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today Congressman Denny Heck, D-Wash., applauded the vote by the U.S. Senate to confirm Robert McDonald as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the bipartisan agreement reached for final passage of the Veterans Access to Care Act.
“With his mix of private sector and military experience, I’m encouraged that Secretary McDonald will be the change agent the system needs moving forward,” Heck said. “I hope we can now better prepare for and react swiftly to the changing needs of our veterans.”
Following the results of the Department of Veterans Affairs audit on June 9, Congressman Denny Heck, D-Wash., introduced legislation to stimulate the creation and implementation of fixes to the veterans’ health care system.
The Our Vets Deserve Better Act will address the immediate need for changes, while the Commission for Our Veterans’ Care Act will offer proactive, long-term analysis and oversight to ensure that the VA Health Care System fits the needs of America’s veterans.
“Anyone who thinks a mere rotation of who sits in the chair as the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs is going to solve this problem is badly mistaken. The problems here are deeper, broader, more stubborn, and require more efforts. That’s what we have to commit ourselves to, and Congress has to provide the resources to meet the needs of veterans. Those who have served our country deserve better.
Retired Olympia Navy pilot Clarence “Spike” Borley is among those to be honored by legislation signed Friday by President Obama in a ceremony at the White House. The American Fighter Aces Congressional Gold Act, or H.R. 685, was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, and Democratic Rep. Denny Heck of Olympia was first co-sponsor.
President Obama signed a pair of bills Friday conferring the Congressional Gold Medal on two legendary groups of World War II pilots.
The honorees are members of the "Doolittle Raiders," pilots who engineered a famous bombing raid on Tokyo, and the elite group known as the American Fighter Aces.
Named for then-Col. Jimmy Doolittle, the Doolittle Raiders flew a highly publicized raid over Tokyo on April 18, 1942. Coming four-and-a-half months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Tokyo raid boosted American confidence and morale.
WASHINGTON – Today, a week before the nation pays tribute to our men and women in uniform on Memorial Day, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation authored by Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX) and original cosponsor Congressman Denny Heck (D-WA) honoring America’s top fighter pilots. The measure, H.R. 685, the American Fighter Aces Congressional Gold Medal Act, would award an elite group of American fighter pilots known as Fighter Aces with Congress’ highest recognition, the Congressional Gold Medal.