Legion's mission in D.C.: advance legislative agenda

"Mission" was the key word during American Legion National Commander Brett Reistad’s opening remarks Tuesday morning during the organization’s annual Washington Conference in the nation’s capital.

A mission of this year’s conference is to advance The American Legion’s legislative agenda for the 116th Congress. A priority that will be discussed as Legionnaires meet with their congressional delegations is the Let Everyone Get Involved in Opportunities for National Service Act, also called the LEGION Act. This bipartisan bill was recently introduced into the Senate by newly-elected Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and co-sponsored by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

The bill “is a simple matter of fairness,” said Reistad to the Legion Family delegation.

The American Legion passed Resolution 1 at its Fall 2018 National Executive Committee meeting, calling on Congress to direct VA to expand the definition of “wartime veteran” to include all military personnel who served honorably under Title 10 orders for at least one day during the continuous period of armed conflict. More than 1,600 U.S. military men and women since the end of World War II have been killed or were wounded during times of armed conflict not recognized by the U.S. government.

“The men and women who served during these eras swore the same oath taken by those who served during the officially recognized war eras. These veterans deserve to be welcomed into our organization as Legionnaires,” Reistad said.

Another mission of The American Legion is to care for the families of those serving. This was visible during the recent government shutdown, when the Legion provided more than $1 million in Temporary Financial Assistance grants to U.S. Coast Guard families. Because the Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security, its payroll was not appropriated in advance like the other military branches, which are under the Department of Defense. These grants were made possible because of donations to the Legion's Veterans & Children Foundation.

“Never again should members of our military have to visit soup kitchens to feed their families,” Reistad said. “Congress and the White House need to ensure that no member of our military goes unpaid in the unfortunate event that a future shutdown ever occurs. Their payrolls should be appropriated well in advance to avoid such situations.” To ensure this, Reistad said the Pay the Coast Guard Act, legislation in both houses of Congress that failed but would have paid the Coast Guard “who continued to defend our shores every single day during that period of extreme uncertainty,” should be passed.

And finally, Reistad credited Congress and the White House for the passing of the VA MISSION Act – a Legion legislative priority – that will expand caregiver benefits and provide veterans with more access to private care, when appropriate, through the Choice program.

“While we recognize that VA is not always the best choice for all veterans, nobody understands the unique health care needs of the veteran population better than the professionals at the Department of Veterans Affairs,” Reistad said.

As a legislative priority, The American Legion wants Congress to ensure frequent oversight into how VA is implementing the MISSION Act, and that the intention of the law is followed. And once the MISSION Act is fully implemented, the Legion calls for congressional hearings to ensure all programs are operating the way that best serves the 9 million veterans utilizing the VA health-care system.

“We were founded 100 years ago by World War I veterans who had a mission to care for veterans, provide patriotic programs for our nation’s youth, advocate for a strong national defense and instill pride in what it means to be an American.

“Congress has its mission. We have ours. Now we march. We are Team 100!”