Giffords Ad Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story about Troop Funding
AZ Rep. Repeatedly Voted Against Troops
Washington- Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is on the air with an ad that would have Arizonans believe that she bucked her anti-military Democrat leaders and voted to fund American troops, but that simply isn’t the case. Giffords’ claim that she “consistently worked to fully fund our troops” just doesn’t match her record of voting in lock-step with party leaders who are bound and determined to undermine American troops in the face of danger.
In her brief tenure in Congress, Gabrielle Giffords has:
- Voted for a Democrat troop withdrawal bill that tied spending for our soldiers to billions of dollars in pork; (House Roll Call 186)
- Voted to publicly disapprove of the troop “surge” just as those soldiers were headed into battle; (House Roll Call 99)
- Voted specifically in favor of a hasty withdrawal of troops from Iraq, regardless of their progress in reducing violence and spreading democracy; (House Roll Call 235)
- Voted to spend millions of dollars on earmarks instead of providing needed funds for military housing and combating illegal drugs in local communities; (House Roll Call 71)
- Voted to specifically block funding for troops in Iraq. (House Roll Call 1172)
“No ad can hide the fact that Gabrielle Giffords stood loyally by Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the anti-military Democrat establishment in their efforts to underfund and endanger American troops while they are in harm’s way,” said NRCC spokesman Brendan Buck. “Giffords’ claims are highly disingenuous and this ad is just an attempt to divert voters’ attention from her willingness to value party politics over the safety and security of American troops.”
From the Giffords office…
According to recent reports by Army officials, the soldier suicide rates may increase again for the 5th consecutive year. Please click here to read more. This sobering information is a painful reminder that our service men and women, and our veterans, need better access to high-quality mental health services. Addressing this problem continues to be one of my top priorities in Congress and here at home.
On Saturday, September 6th, I was pleased to welcome to Southern Arizona Congressman Michael Michaud, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. Chairman Michaud and I convened a Community Forum on Veterans’ Mental Health Services.
Participating in the Forum were veterans, veterans’ health care providers and mental health experts from across the district. 41 people in Tucson, including Jonathan Gardner, Director of the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System and Neal Cash, CEO of the Community Partnership of Southern Arizona and 13 in Sierra Vista, took part in the video teleconference.
This was an important opportunity for us to review from a national and local perspective the mental health needs of today’s returning wounded warriors and of current veterans. We also identified the systems improvements that must be made to ensure that veterans receive mental health services when and where they need them. We called on all the mental health agencies and veteran’s organizations present to work together and to mobilize the community at large in support of better mental health services for veterans.
Because of the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, a growing number of veterans require treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. If we are to meet their needs, we need good coordination among local, state and federal mental health care providers. Supporting our veterans is a community responsibility. We must have greater collaboration across the board so that we can best serve the veterans who have so bravely served our country.
Please see the attached photos of the Community Forum on Veteran’s Mental Health Services. I want to thank all who participated in the Forum and I look forward to working with them to bring about the improvements we discussed.
At the Community Forum we provided information about veteran’s resources which I also want to share with you.
Arizona Department of Veterans’ Affairs
1300 Buffalo Soldier Trail 5232 East Pima Street Suite B
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 Tucson, AZ 85712-3659
(520) 458-7144 (520) 207-4960
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Suicide hotline: 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-273-8255
I am pleased to report that the House of Representatives has passed important legislation to support veterans. They include the following bills:
w Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 327): Requires the Veterans Administration (VA) to develop and implement a comprehensive veterans’ suicide prevention program, requires the VA to provide 24-hour mental health care services to veterans, and requires that a suicide prevention counselor be available at every VA facility.
w Wounded Warrior Assistance Act (H.R. 1538): Legislation that would improve the management of medical care, personnel actions and quality of life issues for members of the Armed Forces who are receiving medical care. Offered an amendment to this bill that would increase the reporting requirement on mental health services for returning combat veterans.
w Traumatic Brain Injury Health Enhancement and Long Term Care Act (H.R. 2199): Ensures that our veterans are properly screened for Traumatic Brain Injury (the signature injury of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan) and receive prompt treatment.
w The New GI Bill (H.R. 2642): Updated the Montgomery G.I. Bill by guaranteeing a full scholarship to any in-state public university along with a housing stipend.
w Veterans Health Care Improvement Act (H.R. 2874): Allows low-income veterans access to successful readjustment programs in their communities such as transportation and housing assistance.
w Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 6331): Ensures active-duty military personnel and military retirees access to the doctors they know and trust in TRICARE.
Additional legislation for which I am a cosponsor:
w Combat-Related Special Compensation Act (H.R. 89): Provides concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation to medically retired veterans (less than 20 years service).
w Military Retirees Health Care Protection Act (H.R. 579): Prohibits a fee or co-pay for retirees and service members receiving TRICARE health services.
w Retired Pay for Reservists (H.R. 690): Reduces the minimum age for retired Guardsmen and Reservists to begin receiving retired pay from 60 to 55.
w Military Retirees Pre-Tax Health Insurance Premiums (H.R. 1110): Permits Federal civilian and military retirees to pay health insurance premiums on a pre-tax basis.
w Wounded Warrior Information Sharing Act (H.R. 3191): Ensures service members’ addresses and contact information is transmitted with their consent to the department or agency for veterans affairs of the state to which the member intends to reside.
w Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act (H.R. 3793): Ensures that wounded veterans will not lose their enlistment bonuses if they are discharged from the military for medical reasons prior to fulfilling their service obligation.