Washington, DC — IAVA’s 2020 Spring “Storm The Hill” kicked off this morning with veteran leaders from around the country gathering together to begin a week of advocacy on behalf of the national veteran community. During this week-long leadership training and advocacy program, IAVA member veterans learn to “Storm The Hill” – to meet with Members of Congress, to tell their stories, and to explain the need for government action.

The week begins with the Stormers meeting each other and undergoing training at IAVA’s Washington, DC offices before launching into three days of back-to-back meetings and events championing IAVA’s legislative priorities. Also on Monday’s schedule is participation in a White House Meeting of President Trump’s PREVENTS Task Force aimed at developing a roadmap to combat military and veteran suicide.

“We really are at a crossroads moment in terms of ensuring that the government is fulfilling its promises to take care of our veterans,” said Jeremy Butler, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “We have so much important work to be done, from passing the Deborah Sampson Act to improve services for women veterans and the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Healthcare Improvement Act to help reach veterans with mental health resources, to the many other bills that IAVA is backing on behalf of post-9/11 veterans. If our Congressional leaders don’t take substantial action and pass these important pieces of legislation in the next couple of months, it is very possible that little to nothing will be accomplished until we are well past the upcoming Presidential election. These issues are too important to continue to be pushed to the back burner.”

A schedule of the week’s events can be found here and the biographies of the Stormers’ are available here. IAVA CEO Jeremy Butler and IAVA’s Stormers are available to meet with the media upon request through press@iava.org.