National Commander Wiley expresses support for those impacted by Operation Epic Fury before laying out Legion’s legislative priorities during Washington Conference’s Commander’s Call.
While one of the major priorities of The American Legion’s annual Washington Conference is to share the organization’s legislative agenda, American Legion National Commander Dan K. Wiley used his remarks during the March 2 Commander’s Call to touch on another issue: the war raging in the Middle East and expanding to other parts of the world.
Wiley asked the American Legion Family members gathered in the Washington Hilton’s full International Ballrooms East and Center to think of those in harm’s way during Operation Epic Fury, which started Saturday and already has seen the loss of U.S. servicemembers’ lives.
“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with our troops stationed in the Middle East right now, and the families of those servicemembers we’ve lost,” Wiley said. “Things are rapidly developing regarding Iran and Operation Epic Fury, but you can rest assured that we are watching the situation very closely. There will be plenty of time to debate Operation Epic Fury, but the most important thing is we support our troops.”
Wiley then shifted his focus to the current partial government shutdown, which has resulted in no funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Because of that, members of the U.S. Coast Guard are at risk of going unpaid if the shutdown continues.
“There is never a good time to shut down our government, but times like this make it especially dangerous to not fully fund and pay the Department of Homeland Security,” Wiley said. “Every government shutdown is unique. This latest shutdown impacts Homeland Security, but it is quite possible that the next time it could be the Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“During the longest shutdown in history – just last fall – a shifting of funds was required in order to meet the military’s payroll. That was every branch, including the Coast Guard. If the 2025 shutdown extended much longer, all U.S. servicemembers could have easily missed paychecks. And now, once again, the Coast Guard is at risk of not being paid. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a national disgrace.”
Wiley called on members of Congress the issue that would ensure every military branch be paid throughout the duration of any government shutdown. “When I served in the Air Force, I knew that I would be paid twice a month regardless of what was happening in Washington,” he said. “Our military members and their families do not need the additional stress of wondering how they will pay their bills.”
Wiley then shared some of the Legion’s legislative priorities on the eve of members heading to Capitol Hill to meet with their members of Congress.
“We will focus on the fairness of awarding the same educational benefits to Guard and Reserve members, regardless of whether their orders were issued by their governor or the President of the United States,” Wiley said. “A day of service should equal a day of service.”
Women veterans healthcare also is a priority, as is passage of legislation that will allow disabled veterans to receive both military retired pay and VA disability compensation without any offset.
“We will remember that women are the fastest growing demographic in the veteran community, and Congress has bills that would improve VA health care options unique to their needs,” he said. “We will discuss the importance of eliminating the wounded veterans tax by passing the Major Richard Star Act.
“We will encourage Congress to expand alternative therapy options for veterans as they heal from the wounds of war. We will advocate for a strong VA system that works in conjunction with a Community Care program, coordinated by the Veterans Health Administration. We support a lethal, well-trained, and well-armed military, and understand that in an all-volunteer force it is essential to recruiting that quality-of-life issues for servicemembers and families be a priority.”
- Commander