Veterans Issues
Veterans’ issues are a top priority of mine. As Arizona’s only member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I will work hard on behalf of our state’s more than half-million veterans and for veterans everywhere. During my term in the 111th Congress, I was able to pass legislation that helped rural, disabled and Native American veterans with critical issues such as housing access and cost-of-living adjustments. This is why it’s not only an honor but a great an opportunity to be appointed once again to the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, which handles legislation related to veteran job placement, health care, and education.
More on Veterans Issues
PHOENIX – U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., issued the following statement today after meeting with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson in Phoenix:
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., released the following statement today about an Inspector General report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which found that troubling systemic problems persist at the Phoenix VA Health Care System, including delayed care that may have led to the death of at least one veteran.
Below is how Rep. Kirkpatrick would have voted on legislation that came to the House floor this week. She was in Arizona most of the week for family reasons noted in a previous statement.
Monday Suspension Votes
H.R. 3537 Dangerous Synthetic Drug Control Act – Yes
H.R. 5392 No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered – Yes
Tuesday
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., gave the following statement tonight after the U.S. House of Representatives voted 342-85 to pass H.R. 5325, the FY2017 Continuing Resolution:
WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives has passed an amendment introduced by U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., to protect whistleblowers who help uncover problems and wrongdoing at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It was included in the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act, H.R. 5620, which passed the House today in a bipartisan vote of 310-116.
Veterans who served our nation in uniform deserve the chance to serve our nation in the federal government.
With an effort in Congress to scale back veteran preference in federal hiring awaiting action by a House-Senate conference committee, a former top personnel official says there’s a better plan.
Jeffrey Neal, who was in charge of hiring for the Department of Homeland Security until he retired in 2011, says a Senate proposal to limit veteran preference to a single use is flawed because it does not take into account former service members’ high job turnover.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., gave the following statement in response to today’s announcement that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has formally removed three senior officials from the Phoenix VA Health Care System: Associate Director Lance Robinson; Chief of Health Administration Service Brad Curry; and the Chief of Staff, Dr. Darren Deering. The removals were initially proposed in March:
U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., gave the following statement in support of protecting the Post-9/11 GI Bill from cuts under consideration in Congress. The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides veterans with important resources such as housing benefits that can transfer to their dependents.