e-News 9/30/16

• Keeping the Government Open for Business
• Answering the Call for Veterans
• Despite the Hype, America’s Economic Troubles Linger
• The Passing of a Peacemaker: Shimon Peres
• White House Chooses the Navy’s Words: Political Correctness Gone Wild!
• More on Iran: “A Humane Voice for a Cruel Regime”
• Salute: Butler High School and Mission Honor Veterans

Keeping the Government Open For Business

The House this week approved legislation (H.R. 5325) which will keep the agencies of the federal government funded and operating into December. 

In addition to keeping the federal government ‘open for business,’ this bill provides funding to train and equip our military, and improve care for our veterans.

It also provides needed resources to fight the spread of the Zika virus in the United States and Puerto Rico.

This is responsible legislation which sets the stage for work on a longer-term funding resolution between now and December.

Answering the Call for Veterans

It’s an astounding statistic: over one-third of calls to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ crisis line in May rolled over to back-up call centers.  We know this because various media outlets have seen the emails of VA employee who directed the Veterans Crisis Line until recently.  He wrote that between 35 and 40 percent of calls from troubled veterans in May were not answered by primary staffers and instead roll over to back-up call centers, where staffers do not have the same level of training to handle veterans in crisis.

Of course, the Veterans Crisis Line has drawn unwelcome attention recently. 

A report from the VA inspector general released earlier this year found that at least 23 veterans, service members, or their family members who phoned the hotline during Fiscal Year 2014 were sent to voicemail and never called back.

A Government Accountability Office report published in May found that, during their audit, nearly 30 percent of text messages that the GAO sent to the crisis line went unanswered.

As you know, the VA has been widely criticized for mismanagement and serious shortcomings in veterans health care including long waits for care, sparking justified national outcry.

The House has pursued legislation to reform the agency.  This week, the House passed three bills focused on improving veterans’ access to care – the Vet Connect Act of 2016 (H.R. 5162), the No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act (H.R. 5392), and the VET Act (H.R. 3216). Among their important provisions is a requirement that the VA ensure that all calls and text messages to the crisis hotline are answered by qualified personnel in a timely manner.

When they wore our nation’s uniform, our service members answered the call for their country.  This country has a solemn obligation to care for them when they return home as veterans.  In many cases, that means literally answering their calls.

Learn more here about: 

The Vet Connect Act (H.R. 5162)

No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act (H.R. 5392)

VET Act (H.R. 3216)

Despite the Hype, America’s Economic Troubles Linger

During his final State of the Union address, President Obama said, “Anyone claiming that America’s economy is in decline is peddling fiction . . . the economy has been changing in profound ways.”

Yes, it’s changing in "profound ways.”  However, not the ways we'd hoped for:

Sluggish economy. Just last month, the CBO projected that, for the first time in modern history, America’s economic growth will fall below 2 percent over the next 10 years. Even worse, a widely shared belief that there’d be a year-end economic boost has quickly faded.

Flat wages. While recent job reports may show some gains on paper, American workers are failing to see that progress in their paychecks. Consumer costs are continuing to rise, yet people aren’t seeing a corresponding pay increase to keep up with their bills.

Low labor participation rates. Many people aren’t even participating in our labor force at all. When President Obama took office, the labor participation rate was 65.7 percent. Now, it’s 62.8 percent. That’s 94 million people who currently aren’t even looking for a job.

Decline in American home ownership. A recent report from the Census Bureau revealed only 62.9 percent of Americans own their homes—the lowest percentage we’ve seen in more than 50 years.

College-educated millennials are moving back in with their parents. Not only are Americans not buying their homes, but many can’t afford to rent, either, particularly recent college grads. In 2014, nearly one-third of young adults lived in their parents’ home as opposed to other living arrangements. (Another first in modern history.)

Unfortunately, the list of economic troubles goes on. In spite of President Obama’s policies, Americans can’t keep up with the ever-rising costs.

I would refer you to a #BetterWay — a plan that will boost our economy in ways that will actually benefit Americans.  This agenda will help stop harmful policies that are hindering economic growth.

Learn all about this and more, here. 

Passing of a Peacemaker

Earlier today, the Israeli people laid to rest Shimon Peres - a statesman who held nearly every high office in his country and whose influence spanned 10 U.S. presidencies.  Mr. Peres was the last of a generation of leaders who came of age as Israel did and helped guide it through challenging conflicts.

I was privileged to meet President Peres on my very first trip to Israel in 1995.  His total devotion to the State of Israel, and the Israeli people, was as obvious back then as it was until his very last days. While we join the Israeli people in mourning his passing, we also join them in giving thanks for his many contributions.

White House Chooses the Navy’s Words: Political Correctness Gone Wild!

The White House has barred Pentagon leaders from using a key talking point which it comes to publicly describing the military challenges posed by China.  Read David Larner’s story in the Monday Navy Times here.

More on Iran: “A Humane Voice for a Cruel Regime”(Worth a read!)

Read Maziar Bahari’s OpEd in the Sunday New York Times here. 

Salute: Thank you to Butler High School and Mission Honor Veterans for their work to establish a memorial to local veterans at the intersection of Bartholdi and Hasbrouck Avenues on the school’s property.  You can learn more in Gene Meyers article in the Suburban Trends here.