Veterans Affairs
Throughout my tenure in Congress, I have fought to ensure that all veterans receive the benefits they have earned and deserve. Congress must keep its promises to our veterans who have served our country with honor.
Congress must fulfill its obligations to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. I support improving veterans’ health care through expanded choice and reforms. We must ensure that federal agencies and facilities provide top quality care for all veterans. I will continue to work with my colleagues to simplify and streamline the disability retirement system for veterans and eliminate the backlog in veterans’ benefits claims by using information technology and simplifying claims processing.
As our brave military men and women fighting in the Global War on Terror return home, it is critical that we provide them with the necessary resources and benefits as they transition to civilian life. I am pleased that Congress has recently passed legislation to expand and enhance education benefits for veterans. Since its inception, the Montgomery GI Bill has provided veterans with the necessary resources to pursue an education. However, college tuition benefits provided under the GI Bill must keep pace with the rising cost of higher education in our country. The enacted legislation works to accomplish this and provides a long-overdue modernization of this program by ensuring those who have served our country receive the best education benefits our government can provide.
More on Veterans Affairs
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas today made the following statement after the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 4435, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2015. This is the fifty-third consecutive NDAA, and it is the key mechanism to provide funding for our nation’s military.
It has been almost two years since the horrific Benghazi terrorist attack occurred, taking the lives of four innocent, brave Americans; however we continue to seek answers from the Administration on what took place that day.
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas today made the following statement after the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 4486, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2015. The bill provides a total of $165 billion in Fiscal Year 2015 to fund military construction projects and programs of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department. It passed the House today with a 416 to 1 vote.
On October 1, the United States experienced the first government shutdown since 1996. The constituents of Oklahoma’s Third District and many others across the country have felt the negative effects of the shutdown and are sadly still feeling them today. Everything from the closure of the national parks, USDA stopping collection of market data, VA administrative delays, and the furlough of many federal workers has directly impacted Americans nationwide at a time when they can ill afford it. The longer the shutdown lasts, the more they will suffer.
In early September, President Obama announced that he would seek Congressional approval for the United States to use military force in Syria in retaliation to the chemical attack the Assad regime inflicted on hundreds of thousands of Syrians.
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Frank Lucas today made the following statement on the 12th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
“It is hard to believe that it has been 12 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks devastated the United States, took the lives of many, and forever altered the lives of loved ones who were left behind,” said Lucas. “We will never forget the many emotions that flooded us when the attacks occurred that day.
Washington, D.C. – United States Congressman Frank Lucas today made the following statement to express his opposition to U.S. military intervention in Syria.
“After listening to my constituents at town hall meetings and hearing from them through many phone calls and emails,” said Lucas, “it is obvious they are overwhelmingly opposed to U.S. military intervention in Syria, and I completely agree with them.
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas today made the following statement after the United States House of Representatives voted for passage of H.R. 2397, the Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations Act of 2014. This legislation passed the House today with a 315 to 109 vote.
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas today made the following statement after the United States House of Representatives voted for passage of H.R. 2216, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The legislation passed the House today with a 421 to 4 vote.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Congressman Frank Lucas (R-Okla. -3) today praised the decision from the U.S. Air Force to base the first Formal Training Unit (FTU) for the KC-46 air refueling tanker at Altus Air Force Base (AFB) in Altus, Okla. The new training mission will bring eight aircraft to Altus AFB, new military construction, and additional jobs for maintenance and technical support.