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 [1].
MUST READS
1) Historic day as Obama signs advance VA funding into law [2]
On Thursday, October 22, President Obama signed into law the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act (H.R. 1016). This critical legislation requires Congress to approve the health care budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at least one year in advance, providing timely, predictable funding for veterans’ health care. Advance funding was IAVA’s top legislative priority for 2009 and the focus of our annual ‘Storm the Hill’ [3] campaign at the start of the year. Veterans from all over the country worked for ten months to make this happen. IAVA’s Paul Rieckhoff and Patrick Campbell were both at the White House with the President for this historic moment. Paul also penned a column [4] about this historic and rewarding moment as one of IAVA’s top priorities came to fruition. Click here [5] to view the video of President Obama’s comments and the signing. Click here [6] for the official IAVA release about the historic signing.
2) Senate OKs defense authorization bill, 68-29 [7]
The Senate on Thursday sent the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act to the president's desk for signing. The Senate approved the bill authorizing $680 billion in defense spending by a vote of 68-29. The Act includes one of IAVA’s top priorities [8], mandatory mental health screenings for every returning servicemember, in addition to increasing the number of mental health providers in the military. Military personnel will also get an above-inflation pay raise [9] of 3.4 percent under the bill. The pay increase was a half-percentage point more than Obama sought earlier this year and beats the average pay boost in the private sector. The 2010 defense authorization bill will allow more time for U.S. troops to send in ballots [10] and also continues to fund an alternate engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The Obama administration initially threatened to veto the bill if authorized funds for a second engine would seriously disrupt the overall F-35 program. Some Republicans objected to the bill because it includes a provision that expands the federal hate-crimes law to cover offenses based on sexual orientation. The provision received a boost from the Democratic majority in Congress and has President Barack Obama’s backing. Click here [8] to read more of IAVA’s analysis of what the Act means for veterans.
3) New House caucus to look out for military families [11]
Sixty members of the House of Representatives are forming a new caucus to look out for the interests of military families, and intending to tackle spouse employment and aid for families with special-needs children as their first legislative issues. One co-chair of the caucus is Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, a Republican lawmaker from Washington state who is married to a 26-year Navy veteran. The other co-chair is Rep. Sanford Bishop Jr., D-Ga.The Military Family Caucus officially launches Nov. 4 at an event at which Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, will be the keynote speaker.
4) Warrior Champions, Produced by IAVA, Premiers Tonight [12]
Don’t forget that the documentary "Warrior Champions: From Baghdad to Beijing," premiers tonight as part of the 2009 Austin Film. Filmed and produced by Brent and Craig Renaud, in association with IAVA, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the U.S. Paralympics Division, "Warrior Champions" chronicles the inspiring journey of four servicemembers who were severely wounded in Iraq as they recover and compete for a spot on the US Paralympic Team, bound for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. IAVA is an Executive Producer of the film. Click here [13] to learn more about the premiere and to see the trailer.
AFGHANISTAN
According to Stars and Stripes, morale amongst American troops [14] in Afghanistan is flagging. Among the issues draining morale, according to the article, relates to issues of jumping through regulatory hoops set up by their own chain of command. The piece goes on to say that troops on the ground and their immediate officers say that a lack of concrete results, coupled with mixed signals from Washington, have eroded their confidence in what they are fighting for. So acute is the problem that the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan’s Wardick province recently sent out a brigade-wide e-mail aimed at boosting the spirits of his troops.
President Barack Obama "seems afraid" [15] to make a decision on how to proceed in Afghanistan, according to former Vice President Dick Cheney. Cheney, who has been a stringent critic of the new president since leaving office, accusing Obama of "dithering" over a decision in the country. The White House fired back at Cheney, calling Cheney's comment "curious," [16] as Press Secretary Robert Gibbs attacked the Bush administration for allegedly taking years to provide the support necessary for the war effort in Afghanistan.
The shaky election in Afghanistan has done one thing [17], according to Politico: created a power-sharing deal between Sen. John Kerry and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton paved the way for the five days of meetings between Afghan President Hamid Karzai, which setup Karzai’s acceptance of a Nov. 7 runoff election.
A magnitude 6.2 quake has hit northeastern Afghanistan [18], shaking buildings in the capital Kabul, the US Geological Survey (USGS) says. The quake struck the region at 12:21 a.m. local time on Friday (1951 GMT Thursday) at a depth of 196 km (122 miles) in the Hindu Kush area, near the border with Tajikistan and Pakistan, the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
IRAQ
Three Ohio men convicted of plotting to recruit and train terrorists to kill U.S. soldiers [19] in Iraq were sentenced in federal court Wednesday to more than eight years in prison. The men were sentenced to 20, 12 and 8 years respectively. The judge said he hoped the sentences send a message to anyone who is tempted to even talk about harming American soldiers.
Iraqi security forces arrested 14 suspected al-Qaida members [20] in western and northern Iraq, including three who were formerly detained by U.S. troops in the country, local police officials said Thursday. Six men arrested in Fallujah were wanted for allegedly planning attacks in and around the city, which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, said the city's police chief, Col. Mahmoud al-Isawi.
Hundreds of Iraqi officials — said to be the largest delegation from Iraq ever to visit the United States — gathered in a hotel near Capitol Hill on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss neither security nor American troop levels. Rather they came to promote the country to investors [21]. With American troops retreating to major bases on their way out of the country all together, Iraq’s leaders hope to persuade a wary world a new phase has begun.
MILITARY AFFAIRS
Middle-class American youth are entering the military [22] in significant numbers today, drawn by more competitive pay, a battered civilian job market and the buzz surrounding an improved GI Bill education benefit. The Department of Defense announced last week that for the first time since the draft ended and the all-volunteer force began 36 years ago, every service branch and reserve component met or exceeded its recruiting goals, both in numbers and quality, in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. A closer look at data from recent years shows a rising number drawn from middle-income and higher-income families.
A Navy senior chief petty officer at the heart of a scandal over hazing and abuse [23] of junior sailors in Bahrain will be forced to retire in January, a Navy official said Wednesday. Senior Chief Michael Toussaint also received a letter of censure from the Secretary of the Navy, the harshest administrative action that can be taken against a sailor. The letter will become part of his permanent military record and is likely to affect his retirement pay, said Cmdr. Elissa Smith, a Navy spokeswoman at the Pentagon.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates went to a NATO defense ministers meeting [24] Thursday, saying he could discuss Afghanistan without having decided a strategy. Gates said he was nearing his own decision about the best way to move forward in Afghanistan, as President Barack Obama considers whether to increase troops and revisit his strategy, as requested by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.
INSIDE WASHINGTON
The U.S. government has been attempting to starve terrorist groups of funds – with some success [25], it seems, in the case of al-Qaeda. Official records show that the Treasury has 'designated' hundreds of people and organizations as 'terrorist'. The prime objective is to bar them from the international banking system. By presidential order, the US freezes the assets of 'designated' financiers and stops Americans from doing business with them. Other governments and banks frequently follow suit. According to security analysts, the terror network led by Osama bin Laden is strapped for cash. So much so that it has been forced to make four separate appeals for money in the first half of this year.
CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE
THE SENATE
The Senate is not in session
SENATE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST
No issues today
November 5, 2009 Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Hearing on cooperation between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service. 10:00 a.m.; 418 Russell
THE HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES
The House will convene at 9:00 a.m.
HOUSE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST
No issues today
HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST
No issues today
FUTURE HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST
October 28, 2009 Full Veterans‚ Affairs Committee Markup of Pending Legislation 10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon
November 19, 2009 Veterans‚ Affairs Subcommittee on Health Hearing: Review of VA Contract Health Care: Project HERO
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
Links:
[1] http://www.twitter.com/iavapressroom
[2] http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/10/military_vaadvance_appropriations_102209w/
[3] http://stormthehill.org/
[4] http://iava.org/blog/historic-day-obama-signs-advance-va-funding-law-0
[5] http://iava.org/blog/watch-iava-hand-president-signs-historic-law
[6] http://iava.org/blog/obama-signs-historic-legislation-veterans-health-care-iava-attends-white-house-signing-1
[7] http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/64377-senate-to-vote-on-defense-bill
[8] http://iava.org/blog/senate-passes-ndaa-mental-health-screening-provision
[9] http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jReIeD1FkL3aNHQBNLPHthSqOrQQD9BGD1P84
[10] http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jcH8aKjkxZ7-e3_IrLumCMtkqv9QD9BGCS3O0
[11] http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_family_housecaucus_102209w/
[12] http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=VlVWsqIq8S8j8WV/jVySWXhw2PcGG4vc
[13] http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ggSp6/fU5nO3lmpzR/leinhw2PcGG4vc
[14] http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=65579
[15] http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/64255-cheney-obama-seems-afraid-to-make-afghanistan-call
[16] http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/1009/no_dithering_72c09e61-e372-4ec7-b600-719ace41adbd.html
[17] http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28590.html
[18] http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=109363§ionid=351020403
[19] http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-74/1256122017273490.xml&storylist=cleveland
[20] http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hwK_CSpBxsNuVUEaDuOwmSSCiqGwD9BGAJ8G0
[21] http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/iraq-open-for-business/
[22] http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,204238,00.html
[23] http://www.military.com/news/article/navy-to-oust-sailor-in-hazing-scandal.html?col=1186032310810&wh=wh
[24] http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/10/22/Afghanistan-main-topic-for-Gates-at-NATO/UPI-61061256249094/
[25] http://www.moneyweek.com/news-and-charts/economics/where-al-qaeda-and-the-taliban-get-their-money-45809.aspx