Veterans

Following a letter sent last week from U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the National Park Service has announced they will reinstate police escorts for American veterans traveling to Washington, D.C., as part of the Honor Flight Network. In their letter to Secretary Haaland, the Senators noted that Missouri-based Honor Flights were denied vehicular escort services this year and urged the Secretary to reverse course....

Today U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland urging the Department to reinstate police escorts for American veterans traveling to Washington, DC, as part of the Honor Flight Network.  Senator Hawley and Senator Blunt wrote, "To say that the Honor Flight Network is performing a national service is an understatement. For thousands of American veterans, these trips are a once in a lifetime opportunity...

“We will never forget the sacrifices made by the brave men, women, and their families who answered the call to serve and secured the freedoms we enjoy today. These heroes selflessly put themselves in harm’s way, and I hope all Americans will take a moment to honor those wounded and ill service members and veterans every May 1st for Silver Star Service Banner Day.”

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Robert Wilkie requesting an update on the construction status of the new outpatient clinic building at the St. Louis VA Medical Center-Jefferson Barracks. In August, Secretary Wilkie told Senator Hawley that construction on the St. Louis VA Medical Center-Jefferson Barracks would be completed by the end of 2019, followed by an activation period of approximately 6 months.

U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) introduced a bipartisan bill to ensure U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) infrastructure is better suited to provide timely and quality health care to veterans across the country. The Build, Utilize, Invest, Lease, and Deliver (BUILD) for Veterans Act would cut red tape, expedite Congress’ approval process of VA medical leases and provide the Department with more flexibility to lease unused VA property and facilities for veteran-focused services and operations. Among the bill’s many provisions, it would also increase accountability of taxpayer dollars by requiring VA to employ qualified staff in each state, whose sole responsibility would be facility planning and management of all VA construction projects.