Blog post

IAVA Daily Brief 12.16.09
Posted by Terrell Frazier on December 16 2009

 Here are some of today's top stories and happenings at IAVA.  Prefer to receive real-time updates about major stories and legislation that IAVA is tracking?  Follow us on Twitter @IAVAPressRoom or subscribe to receive the brief in your inbox each morning at www.iava.org/dailynewsbrief.

MUST READS

1) Number of homeless female veterans on the rise

In the third of a three-part series, the Associated Press details the rising number of homeless female veterans, which are younger than homeless male veterans and more likely to bring children. The number of homeless female veterans has doubled in the past decade, and there are an estimated 6,500 homeless female veterans on any given night — about 5 percent of the total homeless veterans population.
 
2) Illinois prison to receive Gitmo detainees

The federal government announced Tuesday that it plans to buy Thomson Correctional Center, a little-used state prison in rural Illinois, to house detainees currently being held at Guantanamo Bay. After much consideration, President Obama has ordered that the federal government acquire the Thomson prison to house both federal inmates and up to 100 terrorism suspects from Guantanamo.

3) VA Hospital Report Card is placed on White House Website

The Veterans Affairs Department has placed raw data from its annual hospital report card online on Data.gov. Posting data on quality of care, patient satisfaction, availability of services, wait times, medical staffing, patient outcomes and other topics in a machine-readable format for the first time. 

AFGHANISTAN

Eight people were killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul Tuesday in the district of Wazir Akbar Khan, the home of many embassies and foreign offices.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with a roomful of military logistics who, according to CBS News, are working to pull off a “near miracle” in an effort to lay the groundwork for the 30,000 troop surge in Afghanistan.

The first wave of marines and sailors departed from Camp Lejeune, N.C., Tuesday morning, around midnight, as part of the troop surge to Afghanistan.

IRAQ

Three car bombs hit Baghdad Tuesday, killing four people in the fourth wave of coordinated attacks in recent months.

The Carnegie Endowment provides a breakdown of the parliamentary seat distribution compromise reached as part of the December 6 election law.  Iraqis living abroad will vote through their home provinces, with no special status attributed to their votes.

MILITARY AFFAIRS
In hopes of helping veterans suffering from mental illness and substance abuse, authorities in Travis County, Texas, are looking at creating a special veterans court docket, which would channel those charged with certain crimes into treatment and social services rather than incarceration.

According to a new Defense Department study, private contractors will comprise from 50 percent to 55 percent of the military surge in Afghanistan. As of now, there are roughly 40,000 more contractors than troops present in Afghanistan.

During a meeting with members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation, the Secretary Eric Shinseki, reported that lingering problems identified at a troubled southern Illinois VA hospital will be fixed by the end of this month However, Secretary Shinseki cautioned that recruitment and retention of experienced personnel at Marion remains the greatest obstacle to stabilizing quality of care.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

A retired Army colonel and Iraq war veteran is the latest Republican to prepare for a 2010 campaign against Rep. James P. Moran (D-Va.) in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE

The Senate will convene at 10:00 a.m.

SENATE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

HR 3590— Health Care Reform

Senate Veterans Affairs votes on Veterans Affairs Department nominations.

COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

No issues today

THE HOUSE of  REPRESENTATIVES



The House convenes at 9:00 a.m.

HOUSE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

HR 3326 - Defense spending and expiring provisions

HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST



No issues today 

A wide-range of views, positions, and publications are represented in these articles. These views, positions and publications are not endorsed by nor do they necessarily represent the views of IAVA.

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