With Honor Action Applauds the House Passage of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act

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With Honor Action applauds the U.S. House for the passage of H.R. 8371, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act. This legislation, which passed with a 389-9 vote, includes a number of bipartisan and bicameral proposals to reform and improve the delivery of healthcare, benefits, and services at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for veterans, their families, and their survivors.

“After years of work on this bipartisan legislation, we’re thrilled to see veteran lawmakers are leading the way in Congress to make changes to the VA and provide life-saving support to veterans, caregivers, and survivors across the country. We’re especially thankful for the work of Denise Formolo, a veterans service officer who authored the Gerald’s Law Act, a piece led by her representative, Marine Corps veteran and For Country Caucus member Rep. Jack Bergman and supported by fellow caucus member and Air Force veteran, Chrissy Houlahan. The bill closes a loophole to stop veterans from losing their burial benefits if they choose to pass in hospice care rather than a VA facility. But this is just one piece among so many others in this legislation that are critical for helping our veterans. We’re hoping to see the Senate move quickly to pass the bill by year’s end.”

This bipartisan legislation would encompass a wide range of issues including healthcare, long term care and family caregivers, medical treatment, economic opportunity, employment training, disability and memorial affairs, homeless matters, and technology modernization.

For Country Caucus member led pieces of the legislation include:

With Honor Action Announces Priorities for FY25 NDAA Conference

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Dear Senators Reed and Wicker and Representatives Rogers and Smith, 

With Honor Action appreciates your leadership as we work to fight polarization by supporting principled veterans in Congress who have taken our pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. You all are role models for how to work together to get hard things done for our country. Thank you! 

Working alongside the 30 bipartisan veterans in the For Country Caucus in the House over the last six years, we have helped pass over 100 laws focused on national security and national service. As you know, each year, we flag our top bipartisan priorities for your consideration as you negotiate the final version of the NDAA. We are aware that each of these four items are challenging, and we are here to support you with our substantial communications, convening, and advocacy resources on any of them if you wish. 

  • The Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies amendment offered to the Senate’s NDAA. This will strengthen vetting for ~30,000 Afghan refugees and create a path to conditional permanent residency.  It is an evolution of the Afghan Adjustment Act we helped initiate and have worked aggressively for two and a half years. (S.A. 2682 to S. 4638)
  • A major pay increase of 15% for junior enlisted service members to eliminate military food insecurity, which the Department of Agriculture estimated impacts an astonishing 325,000 active duty servicemen and women. This is also an important item for recruitment and retention. The pay increase is currently marked at 15% in the House, 1% in the Senate, and 5.5% in Senate Appropriations. (H.R. 8070, Sec. 1801)
  • The Stand with Ukraine Act to establish a better framework for transfers of defense equipment to Ukraine to combat Russian aggression, and six other provisions, including one that reauthorizes the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Program that is currently in the Senate Manager’s Package. (S.A. 3290 to S. 4638, Sec. 6231)
  • The United States Foundation for International Conservation Act to secure our world’s endangered ecosystems from adversarial parties including Russia and the Chinese Communist Party, through an innovative public-private partnership. Led in the Senate by Senators Chris Coons and Lindsay Graham and Representatives Michael McCaul and Gregory Meeks, this legislation has more than 100 bipartisan co-sponsors from both chambers and is backed by an initial $100 M private commitment. (S.A. 3290 to S. 4638, Subtitle I)

Present in both the House and Senate NDAAs

  • Certain provisions of the Blast Overpressure Safety Act, which was endorsed by the For Country Caucus, including provisions to clarify the roles and responsibilities of DOD officials relating to brain injuries from concussive and sub-concussive blasts (H.R. 8070, Sec. 1643; S.  4638, Sec. 1081) and the implementation of recommendations made by the Inspector General on the DOD’s management of traumatic brain injuries (H.R. 8070, Sec. 731(d))
  • An independent evaluation regarding the potential establishment of a United States Cyber Force (H.R. 8070, Sec. 1536; S.  4638, Sec. 1606)
  • The establishment of a Multilateral Artificial Intelligence Working Group in the Department of Defense. The For Country Caucus endorsed a previous version of this legislation, called the Five AIs Act (H.R. 8070, Sec. 1090; S.  4638, Sec. 1283)
  • A provision to automatically register all eligible males for the Selective Service, lessening the administrative burden on individuals to register and eliminating the penalties for failing to register (H.R. 8070, Sec. 531; S. 4638, Sec. 598A)

Present only in the House-passed NDAA

  • The recommendations of the House Armed Services Committee’s Military Quality of Life Panel written into the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, especially the 15% targeted pay raise for junior enlisted service members and the 4.5% across-the-board pay raise for all service members.
  • The Military Food Security Act, which expands service member eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance by excluding the housing allowance from calculations of gross income (H.R. 8070, Sec. 621)
  • The Maintaining our Obligation to Moms who Serve (MOMS) Act, which was endorsed by the For Country Caucus, establishes a pilot program to prevent perinatal mental health conditions in pregnant and postpartum members of the Armed Forces (H.R. 8070, Sec. 709)
  • The Resilient Employment and Authorization Determination to Increase National Employment of Serving Spouses (READINESS) Act, which grants more job flexibility to federally employed military spouses (H.R. 8070, Sec. 1113)
  • The Creating Legal Accountability for Rogue Innovators and Technology (CLARITY) Act, which prohibits the Department of Defense from acquiring blockchain technology developed by the People’s Republic of China and other foreign adversaries (H.R. 8070, Sec. 883)
  • A provision clarifying military education institutions’ ability to accept certain gifts, standardizing practice across all service branches to accept “gifts of service” from non-profit entities established for the purposes of supporting military schools (H.R. 8070, Sec. 546)

Only in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s NDAA or Manager’s Amendment

  • The U.S. Foundation for International Conservation Act, which establishes a public-private partnership to address gaps in international conservation efforts and counteract Chinese and Russian exploitation of natural resources in Africa (S.A. 3290 to S. 4638, Sec. 6231)
  • The establishment of the National Commission on Quality of Life for the All-Volunteer Armed Force (S. 4638, Sec. 596)
  • The establishment of a pilot program to develop near-term use cases of artificial intelligence toward biotechnology applications for national security (S. 4638, Sec. 236)
  • The establishment of a preservation process of the service records of recognized “Afghan allies” in the Department of Defense (S.A. 3290 to S. 4638, Sec. 6073)
  • An extension to the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act (S.A. 3290 to S. 4638, Sec. 6231)
  • An increase in the minimum number of authorized Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) units (S. 4638, Sec. 584)

Offered to the Senate’s NDAA

  • The Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies amendment offered to the Senate’s NDAA, which would strengthen vetting for Afghans seeking conditional permanent residency and expand opportunities for allies still abroad to apply for Special Immigrant Visas  (S.A. 2682 to S. 4638)

Standalone legislation

  • H.R. 9501 / S. 4992 – Stand with Ukraine Act of 2024 which would codify the U.S.-Ukraine Bilateral Security Agreement signed in June 2024, reducing barriers to sending defense articles to Ukraine and restating our commitment to Ukrainian rebuilding efforts

With Honor Action Holds Flag Demonstration to Raise Awareness for Military Food Insecurity and Urges Congress to Take Action

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Washington, D.C. – Early Tuesday morning, With Honor Action and members of the bipartisan For Country Caucus gathered on the National Mall to organize a flag demonstration, and raise awareness for nearly 325,000 active duty military service members who currently struggle with food insecurity. During the event, participants placed 325 American flags in the grass across from the Washington Monument, each one representing 1,000 troops. 

“There are a lot of contributing factors for the military recruiting crisis, but one of them is we’re not paying junior enlisted well enough so that they can live without food stamps, especially those with young families,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “To have a strong military, we need to treat our people the right way.”

“It is unfortunate, a tragedy – and something we can correct – that our servicemen and women are food insecure, which means that they don’t know where their next meal will come from and many of them don’t have enough money to be able to purchase food,” said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan. “That’s a huge problem in our all all-volunteer service. We need to make sure we are treating our men and women who serve us with dignity and respect.”

“It’s very critical that we make sure our warriors, those who are defending our great nation, who have put their lives on the line, have adequate nutrition for themselves and their families. They can’t be mission capable and mission focused if they’re hungry,” said Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks. “We need to make sure that we’re paying our military enough that they can afford to put food on their table.”

Attendees included For Country Caucus Members Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, Rep. Jack Bergman, Rep. Don Davis, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Rep. Seth Moulton, Rep. Nick LaLota, and Rep. Jimmy Panetta. We thank each of these members for their participation, as well as their support of and work on addressing issues such as this in Congress. 

Pictures from the event available for broadcast and distribution HERE.

Background
According to a study published by RAND in 2023, nearly 26% of active duty servicemembers are considered food insecure, and nearly 15% rely on food stamps or food banks. In 2021, With Honor Action worked to pass the Military Hunger Prevention Act, which established the Basic Needs Allowance to support low-income servicemembers and their families who are not eligible for SNAP benefits. We continue to work on legislation that expands the eligibility and effectiveness of the program. 

In June of 2023, recognizing an opportunity to address the many quality of life issues our servicemembers and their families face, the House Armed Services Committee announced the creation of the Military Quality of Life Panel. Led by For Country Caucus founding Co-Chair Representative Don Bacon and founding Vice Chair Representative Chrissy Houlahan, the panel also includes For Country Caucus members Representative Morgan Luttrell and Representative Don Davis. The panel focused on several core areas of military quality of life, including food insecurity, and served as the base legislation for the House FY25 National Defense Authorization Act. With Honor Action previously endorsed the entire list of recommendations.

Earlier this year, House lawmakers proposed pay raises of up to 19.5% for troops ranked E-4 and below to go into effect next year. With Honor Action strongly urges the passage of this pay raise through this year’s NDAA to help fix the issue of food insecurity.

The statistics don’t lie: far too many of our service members are struggling to put food on the table, and that’s simply unacceptable. With Honor Action strongly urges Congress to support our nation’s heroes and pass legislation to end military hunger.

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With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at withhonor.org 

With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.

With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.

With Honor Action Celebrates Honoring the Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War

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Washington, D.C. – Today, the House passed the Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal Act to award a Congressional Gold Medal, one of our nation’s highest honors, to members of the Dustoff crews of the Vietnam War. This bipartisan legislation was led in the House by Rep. Derek Kilmer and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and passed in the Senate earlier this year after being led by Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. With Honor Action celebrates the passage of this legislation in both chambers with the support of Members from the For Country Caucus. 

“Awarding the brave men and women who heroically served in the Dustoff crews during the Vietnam War with a Congressional Gold Medal is long overdue, and the least we can do to honor their service and sacrifice to our nation. I am thrilled to see that Congress took the necessary steps to make this recognition a reality,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “With Honor Action applauds House lawmakers for passing this critical legislation in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion, and urges the president to swiftly sign it into law.”

The Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal Act was originally introduced in 2023, passed through the Senate in May of 2024, and, as a result of its passage in the House today, will now be sent to the President’s desk to be signed into law. With Honor Action has played an active and key role in the advocacy of this bill and looks forward to seeing these brave servicemembers finally recognized for their heroic service. Although it’s been 49 years since the end of the war, it’s never too late to honor these brave men for their service. 

Background

Due to the logistical complications posed by Vietnam’s terrain, the U.S. Army reconsidered a dangerous tactic used sparingly during the Korean War to evacuate wounded servicemembers: aeromedical evacuations. The U.S. Army Air-Ambulance units, referred to as the Dustoff crews, were in charge of these evacuations and consisted of four men: two pilots, a medic, and a crew chief. The skillful flying of these pilots, combined with the increased capacity of the Huey helicopters they flew in, led to the successful transportation of roughly 900,000 United States, Vietnamese, and allied troops. 

Unfortunately, this incredible feat came at a great price to the crewmembers. Due to the space required to transport and operate on patients, the Hueys were unable to carry weapons. Their only safety was red crosses on the nose and doors of the aircraft, a signal of peace that was often used instead as a target. As a result, one-third of the 1,400 Dustoff pilots were killed or wounded. Their motto, “So Others May Live” underscores the sacrifice of these heroic pilots who flew directly into combat unarmed to save their fellow soldiers.

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With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at withhonor.org 

With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.

With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.

With Honor Action Celebrates House Passage of Key Priorities During China Week

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Washington, D.C. – This week, Congress returned to session after the annual August recess, and kicked off what is expected to be a busy month with “China Week,” where the House voted on a series of bills aimed at countering the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its influence in America. During the week, House lawmakers voted on and passed 25 different pieces of legislation pertaining to this issue that will ultimately strengthen our national security. With Honor Action has played a key role in advocating for several pieces of legislation that made it to the House floor this week, and celebrates the passage of the following with overwhelming bipartisan support: 

  • H.R. 8333 – The BIOSECURE Act, led by For Country Caucus Member Rep. Brad Wenstrup, would protect sensitive American information from the CCP by prohibiting federally funded medical providers and executive agencies from obtaining materials produced or provided by foreign biotechnology companies of concern.
  • H.R. 8152 – The Remote Access Security Act, led by For Country Caucus Member Rep. Jeff Jackson, would take necessary steps to protect advanced American semiconductor chip information from the CCP. Despite current restrictions on the export of these chips, Chinese companies have been able to exploit a loophole in U.S. export control laws to access this technology remotely and use it to develop AI capabilities. This legislation would close that loophole and protect sensitive information.
  • H.R. 7159 – The Pacific Partnership Act, supported by For Country Caucus Members Rep. Steve Womack and Rep. Don Bacon, would strengthen U.S. engagement in the Indo-Pacific, and ensure the U.S. has an enduring presence in this critical region. Specifically, it would augment our cooperation with the Indo-Pacific by codifying the 2022 Pacific Partnership Strategy with four-year updates, designates the Pacific Islands Forum with diplomatic status, and requires presidential reporting on implementation of these strategies. 
  • H.R. 8361 – The Economic Espionage Prevention Act, led by For Country Caucus Member Rep. Rich McCormick, would bolster our national security by authorizing the Administration to impose sanctions on foreign persons or entities that knowingly engage in economic or industrial espionage. 
  • H.R. 9456 – The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act would take necessary steps to prevent adversarial nations, such as the CCP, from buying and owning U.S. agricultural land in sensitive areas. This is critical as the CCP continues to buy U.S. land close to military bases as a measure to obtain surveillance and intelligence on our armed forces. Specifically, this legislation would add the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investments in the U.S. (CFIUS), allowing the Department of Agriculture to better monitor transactions related to land, biotechnology, transportation, storage, and processing. 

With Honor Action also applauds the passage of the following legislation that passed with bipartisan support:

  • H.R. 2864 – Countering CCP Drones Act
  • H.R. 1103 – Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Certification Act
  • H.R. 7589 – Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security (ROUTERS) Act
  • H.R. 554 – Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act
  • H.R. 4741 – Securing Global Telecommunications Act
  • H.Res. 1056 – Recognizing the importance of trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea

“As China week comes to a close, With Honor Action celebrates the passage of several key pieces of legislation to curb the CCP’s influence in the United States,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “The U.S. has a responsibility to lead the free world in standing up to authoritarian governments, and we applaud the House lawmakers who came together this week to do just that.” 

As the Chinese Communist Party grows increasingly aggressive, pushing back against their authoritarian influence is critical to our national security as well as our allies’ national security. With Honor Action applauds House lawmakers for advancing these bills and strongly urges the Senate to pass them swiftly in a bipartisan manner.

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With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at withhonor.org 

With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.

U.S. Servicemembers Killed During Afghanistan Withdrawal Honored With Congressional Gold Medal

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Washington, D.C. – Thirteen Gold Star families of the servicemembers killed during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan were posthumously presented with the Congressional Gold Medal this morning in the United States Capitol Rotunda. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and sponsors of the legislation, Senator Steve Daines and Rep. Lisa McClain, presented the medals to the families of the fallen this morning in a solemn ceremony.

The fallen servicemembers, including eleven Marines, a Navy Corpsman, and an Army Soldier, were killed in a suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 26th, 2021. The attack also killed around 170 Afghan civilians.

“Three years ago, thirteen of our nation’s bravest men and women made the ultimate sacrifice while evacuating civilians from Kabul,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “While we can never bring them back, we can and must honor them for their sacrifice. With Honor Action extends our deepest gratitude to the fallen and their families, and applauds these servicemembers being honored with the Congressional Gold Medal today.”

The Afghanistan withdrawal will forever be remembered as one of the darkest times in our nation’s history. As our longest war came to a close, thirteen heroes were killed in a senseless act of violence as they worked to evacuate civilians from the area. We can never repay them for their sacrifice, and we can never bring them back, but honoring these servicemembers posthumously with the Congressional Gold Medal today helps make sure they will never be forgotten. 

Rest in Peace

  • Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo
  • Sgt. Nicole L. Gee
  • Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover
  • Cpl. Hunter Lopez
  • Cpl. Daegan W. Page
  • Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez
  • Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza
  • Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz
  • Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum
  • Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola
  • Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui
  • Petty Officer 3rd Class Maxton W. Soviak
  • Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss

 

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With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at withhonor.org 

With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.

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