Veterans Affairs and Armed Services

The entire nation owes our military personnel and veterans a  huge debt of  gratitude, and ensuring that debt is properly  repaid is one of my top  priorities in Congress.  One of the ways we have sought to repay that debt is through  providing  affordable healthcare for military members and their  families, both when in  uniform and after they have retired. I am  a strong supporter of healthcare  for our veterans, and  recognize the importance of providing full access to  all benefits  our veterans have earned, through an easily accessible and  affordable system. Millions of Americans joined the service with the understanding that health care would be available to them when they retired. However, for too many military retirees there is no health care or the available health care is frequently inadequate. As a strong supporter of veterans’ rights I believe that veterans deserve every benefit this country can afford them. H.R. 1499, the Hero’s Earned Retirement Opportunities (HERO) Act is a bill that I spear-headed to correct a flaw in the tax code that prevented servicemen from placing income from combat pay into a tax-free retirement account. I am extremely proud that on May 23, 2005, H.R. 1499 became the first piece of substantive policy legislation to pass the House sponsored by a first term Member of that Congress. In response to the rising incidence of sexual assault within the military, I have co-sponsored H.R. 1864 to protect those who speak out to report sexual assault. Also facing this Congress is the War Power Reform Act, H.R. 383, which would require the President to consult with Congress on all military actions. I am a cosponsor of this bill because the power of the Executive Branch to commit troops must be subject to Constitutional checks and balances. Our soldiers and veterans are some of our finest citizens, we will never forget those who have sacrificed tto protect, uphold, and defend America and her interests. For information on homeland security please visit my issue page dedicated to the topic. Legislation pertaining to Veterans Affairs and Armed Services sponsored or co-sponsored by Rep. Foxx:

"There are serious concerns about the backlog of disability claims at the VA that are impacting thousands of veterans. These issues are unacceptable and have gone unresolved for years, which is why I joined more than 150 of my colleagues to send a letter to the President asking him to take direct and public action to address the backlog once and for all."