WHAT: Ahead of a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on adjustments to COLAs for military retirees and Tuesday night’s State of the Union Address, veterans and military families will join senators from both parties to call for a total repeal of the retirement benefits cuts. December’s bipartisan budget agreement included the cuts to military retirees. Since then, groups like Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and others have fought for a total repeal of the retirement cuts, arguing that Congress shouldn’t balance the budget on the backs of those who have already sacrificed the most. IAVA members who will be affected by these cuts will attend the Senate Armed Services Committee later in the morning and IAVA CEO and Founder Paul Rieckhoff will attend the State of the Union Tuesday night, hoping to hear President Obama address the issue.

WHO:   U.S. Senator Mark Begich (D-AK)

U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV)

Paul Rieckhoff, CEO and Founder, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

Affected veterans and military families

WHEN: Tuesday, January 28 at 8:30 a.m. EST

WHERE: G-11 Dirksen Senate Office Building (same building and floor and just around the corner from where the Senate Armed Service Committee hearing will be held)

Note to media: Please RSVP by emailing press@iava.org or calling 212-982-9699 if you would like to attend.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org) is the nation’s first and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and has more than 270,000 Member Veterans and civilian supporters nationwide. Celebrating its 10th year anniversary, IAVA recently received the highest rating – four-stars – from Charity Navigator, America’s largest charity evaluator.

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