As Congress left town this week for their August recess, IAVA has also gotten some important work done working with Congressional offices and our allies. We did separate hail and farewells, and gained three new cosponsors on our supported legislation!

New DC Team Member: Government Relations Associate Ryan Britch

We are incredibly excited to announce a new addition to our policy team! Ryan Britch joined our DC team as our new Government Affairs Associate. Ryan is a veteran of Afghanistan and spent eight years serving as an infantryman in the Vermont Army National Guard. Before coming to IAVA, Ryan worked at the American Legion and Habitat For Humanity. To learn more about Ryan, you can view his full profile here.  

Work with VSO Partners
 
IAVA works often with our many VSO partners on our shared federal policy priorities. Consistent with these efforts, Government Affairs VP Tom Porter joined a meeting of The Military Coalition – a 32-member organization representing servicemembers, veterans, and military families.  Attendees at this monthly meeting recognized the service of Eileen Huck for her important work at the National Military Families Association as she leaves for new professional challenges.  Best of luck, Eileen!

IAVA on Capitol Hill

We continued meeting with Congressional offices this week to advocate for our #Big6 policy priorities, including thanking them for their support for the IAVA-backed Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act, which was signed into law Monday by President Trump. 

New Cosponsors of IAVA-Backed Legislation:

We also gained four new cosponsors on the IAVA-backed VA Medical Cannabis Research Act (S. 179/H.R. 712). Many thanks to Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Reps. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), and Betty McCollum (D-MN) for your support!

Farewells!

Last and certainly not least, we wished fair winds and following seas to our three stellar summer interns – Samantha Coriarty, Megan Passon, and Clark Bowden – who go onward and upward to future successes!