Lending a hand
Friends,
Last week as we heard about the massive earthquake in Nepal our thoughts and prayers immediately went to those caught in the destruction. Many of us immediately wondered how we could help.
That compassion extended to our military as well. The tragedy was a powerful reminder that the United States military does more than defend our nation as U.S. servicemembers and first responders answered calls to provide care and support.
In fact, a team of Joint Base Lewis-McChord Green Berets put a training mission in Nepal on hold to help survivors. Their work is the kind of humanitarian mission that we sometimes forget about.
But it's important to remember that having such well-skilled servicemembers allows us to help in a crisis at a moment’s notice. In the coming months we'll continue to work to get the aid that the people of Nepal need as well as support the Nepalese community that calls Washington state home.
The good work our servicemembers do in times like these reminds me that Congress needs to be there for them as well. Congress needs to keep moving forward, not backward, to ensure we can help during national disasters – whether at home or abroad.
That brings me to my first bit of news this week….
Meeting Deadlines
As the weather warms things are also heating up in the House Appropriations Committee and as you'll see it's a mix of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
Like any workplace, Congress has deadlines it needs to meet. And one of the biggest is that every September Congress has to pass a package of twelve bills that fund our government agencies and programs. We've currently begun the process of debating these bills in committee before sending them to the floor.
So far, the two brought to the House floor with the biggest impact in our neck of the woods are those covering energy and water programs along with military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill on energy and water impacts a lot of priorities for our ports. In a region like ours, we know just how essential military construction is with important projects at Naval Base Kitsap and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Of course, the VA system is still struggling and so we need to make sure we're doing the right thing by our veterans and giving them the quality care that they've earned. Each bill also has accompanying report language that comes with it. In this way, the committee can direct federal agencies to make progress on challenges we face.
For example, I authored language that encourages the Department of Veterans Affairs to help rural veterans better access care. It's hard to take time out of your day when you live in Sequim to drive to Seattle or American Lake. So the VA said they would pay for veterans who live at least 40 miles from the nearest clinic to go to a private facility closer to home. But it turns out, the rule used an ‘as the crow flies' standard, or a straight line. That doesn't quite work if the nearest clinic is under 40 miles…but across a body of water.
Thankfully, they revised it to use a standard of 40 miles based on driving distance. That's progress but not enough. For our veterans on the Peninsula, what about the time it takes to actually get to a VA facility?
I asked the VA to factor that in so instead of being stuck in traffic or waiting on a backed up bridge you could go to an appointment where you actually live. I also authored initiatives directing the VA to recognize Tribal Governments as veterans’ service organizations and to make it easier for veterans who served on classified missions to access the paperwork they need to actually receive the benefits they are due.
While I'm proud of securing those provisions, unfortunately, these bills had their fair share of bad, and frankly ugly. Currently, both bills are sticking to the funding levels authorized under sequestration. In our region we have all seen the harmful impacts of this reckless policy.
This had particularly troubling implications for Veterans funding. The DAV commented on the budget, “Over objections, the bill would cut VA’s budget request next year by over $1.4 billion, including $600 million in direct medical care for veterans. This reduction is unconscionable.” The National Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars agreed saying, “This bill is bad for veterans and any vote for it is unconscionable.”
Unfortunately, these concerns are well-founded. With that in mind, I opposed this funding bill.
We don't want to lock in harmful, across-the-board spending cuts that are going to damage families and workers while not showing veterans that we have their back. I'm hopeful that Congress can come together in a bipartisan way like we did with the Senator Patty Murray/Representative Paul Ryan budget agreement to stop sequestration, address our long-term deficits, and approve funding levels that can keep our economy moving.
A Better, Smarter Government
Each year, the House Armed Services Committee (on which I previously served) works on the National Defense Authorization Act. This big bill covers everything related to the Defense Department. One particular area I was happy to see addressed this year is making bipartisan progress on our broken acquisition process.
Every day the Pentagon buys equipment, machines and goods for our military. Unfortunately, it's a system that’s fraught with problems.
With this in mind, it's time we demand a better, smarter government. By making changes to the defense contracting process we can ensure that taxpayers' dollars are spent more wisely. We cannot afford for money to be wasted; rather, we need to ensure that our servicemembers are well-equipped and have the resources they need to be safe. Fixing this can also be important for our economy, ensuring local businesses have opportunities.
When I was on the House Armed Services Committee I dived into this issue and spent time talking to folks around the country about how to change this system. As part of this year’s NDAA, there is a new effort by the Chair, Mac Thornberry, to get reform going. From ending sequestration to empowering and enhancing the acquisition workforce, there’s more that we can do to forge a better path forward.
You can read more about how I think we can fix the system in the Seattle Times.
There's plenty more I’m working on as part of the NDAA process. Stay tuned for my next newsletter for a full update.
Love Can’t Wait
We also saw some big news come out of the Supreme Court last week. One of the cases the justices heard centered on whether the Constitution guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry. The court should make a final decision sometime in June.
I was proud to join more than 200 of my colleagues in signing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court calling on them to recognize the rights of LGBT couples to marry, no matter what state they live in.
It's important to me that religious marriage remains as it has always been – a matter for each faith tradition to decide for itself. At the same time, my faith dictates that I love and respect all people and live by the golden rule. The economic downturn highlighted just how important it is to allow more families to access the protections of civil marriage and ensure they live with certainty and dignity.
Equal protection under the laws is the cornerstone of our Constitution. With that in mind, I’m hopeful that the rest of the nation will follow Washington state's lead and give every American the right to marry who they love.
As President Kennedy once said, "In giving rights to others which belong to them, we give rights to ourselves and to our country.”
Traveling Here and There
Since my last newsletter I offered a glimpse into my day-to-day work life in Washington D.C. I hope you had the chance to check in with me on my social media channels for a look at what a typical day in Congress is like for me. Throughout the day I uploaded pictures to an album titled ‘A Day in the Life’. I encourage you to view the full album at this link.
Last weekend I also spent my morning participating in beach cleanup out on the Dungeness Spit with Washington CoastSavers. We had quite the haul of litter by the end of that afternoon. My time in the great outdoors didn't end here. Tess and I braved a suspension bridge for IslandWood's Earth Day Afternoon on the Trails on Bainbridge Island.
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This weekend, I got an opportunity to be a part of the Groundbreaking for the Kingston Village Green. This extraordinary community project will lead to the development of a new Boys & Girls Club, senior center, and library, among other things. There was a great turnout by the entire community – many of whom have made this project a reality.
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Remembering the Fall of Saigon
On Saturday I joined community members at the Blix Elementary School in Tacoma to reflect on the fall of Saigon 40 years ago. It's a day that reminds us that out of tragedy can come a tremendous amount of empathy and grace.
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The event was an important opportunity to commemorate the more than 58,000 Americans and the over one million Vietnamese who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. And, it's important to consider how our own community was impacted in the ensuing years.
Here in Washington state we opened up our communities and homes to the people of Vietnam. Governor Dan Evans and future Secretary of State Ralph Munro urged Washingtonians to adopt families, hire refugees, open their congregations, and help those fleeing find a better life.
That's exactly what we did. In fact, some of the first families to come to the United States arrived first at Camp Murray. We opened our doors and our state has been enriched by the culture and drive of the Vietnamese people who settled here. It was an honor to be a part of this solemn commemoration.
May the 4th Be With You
Finally, on a cheerier note, since this email is going out on one the Kilmer family's favorite days, I want to share this photo of me with my Star Wars attired crew. That’s mini Tess Solo and Sophie Leia. Our Australian Shepherd, Truman, refused to wear the Ewok costume.
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Thanks for reading. As always, I'm honored to work for you.
Sincerely,
Derek