My bill to protect veterans' education benefits passed!
Dear Neighbor,
We had another productive week here in Washington, especially for our veterans! I want to share some of the top highlights with you—please scroll down to read more.
REMOTE Act Passed the House
I was encouraged to see my bill with Congressman Trone to extend protections for veterans’ education benefits pass the House. Many veterans stood to lose a significant portion of their education benefits when their classes were interrupted during the pandemic, but luckily Congress took action to provide flexibility and prevent those benefit cuts. The Responsible Education Mitigating Options and Technical Extensions (REMOTE) Act will extend those protections so veterans can continue to pursue their education remotely, and I’m optimistic we can get it to President Biden’s desk soon.
Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act
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Nearly one in seven military families face food insecurity. That is unacceptable, and it’s why I introduced my Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act to make it easier for military families to qualify for school meal programs.
Honoring Senator Bob Dole
Yesterday, I paid my respects to the late Senator Bob Dole as he lied in state at the United States Capitol. Senator Dole was a man of great honor and integrity. My thoughts are with his wife, Elizabeth, and the entire Dole family during this difficult time. A little more on Senator Dole’s life here.
A Few More Updates:
- I voted to pass the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act to strengthen America’s security and meet the needs of our servicemembers, veterans and military families. This robust bill bolsters pay and improves benefits for servicemembers, combats sexual assault in the military, and modernizes our defense technology.
- ICYMI: I had a great conversation with San Clemente Times on the Department of Energy’s new effort to address the nation’s spent nuclear fuel. You can read it here.
- This week in my Veterans' Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, we discussed barriers to homeownership for veterans, including stigma around the VA home loan benefit. We must address the perception that VA loans are more complicated and time-consuming. You can watch the hearing here.
