Good morning from the Grand Rapids Community Work Inaugural Black Veteran Appreciation Breakfast!

Dear Neighbor,

On Veterans Day, we’re honoring those who served our country with a special Veterans Day edition of our newsletter! Below, you’ll find constituent stories of veterans from Michigan’s Third Congressional District that my team has assisted and a summary of our policy work to support our vets in Michigan and across the country.

On a personal note…

I’m proud of my family’s legacy of service. Both of my grandfathers served in the European theatre during World War II–landing on the beaches of Normandy right around the same time. I will never forget asking as a young adult about why we didn’t know more details about Grandpa’s service and the answer, of course, was that like so many, he never wanted to talk about it. The horrors were just too gruesome, the inhumanity too mind-boggling. Now more than ever the words, “Never Again” have a weight of heavy meaning. In honor of their memory and their sacrifice, along with all who served during WWII, we pause to reflect on the horrors of the past, so we don’t repeat them.

And the #TeamScholten family is also wishing our very own Deputy District Director, Khristian, a very happy Veterans Day! Thank you for your service and for everything you do for West Michiganders.

Veterans Day Highlights
Constituents Stories

Earlier this year, I got to honor Specialist Four Lloyd Slack, a hero who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country while serving in Vietnam, drawing enemy fire upon himself and saving his team.

My team learned that Lloyd's mother, 96-year-old Lola Mondy, a Gold Star Mother, never received the medals he was due. We got right to work, making sure she could see them and receive the commemoration of her son's service before she died.

We presented her with these medals in a special ceremony at the new Veterans Home in Grand Rapids. I'm grateful for my team and their diligent work to make this happen so quickly and to Specialist Four Slack and his mother. Moments like this are why I serve. 

I gave a speech in honor of Specialist Four Lloyd Slack this week on the House floor. Watch here.

As a member of the House Small Business Committee, I was honored to welcome Grand Rapids’ Michael Hyacinthe, to testify at a hearing on how we can better support veteran small business owners. He is a shining example of how West Michigan veterans continue to serve after returning to civilian life. I’m committed to serving the needs and unique challenges of veteran entrepreneurs like Michael. 

You can watch me introduce him at committee here.

If you or someone you know would like to share your story of service, and receive a personal note from me, give my team a call at (616) 451-8383.

I also had the chance to visit the Michigan Veterans Home in Grand Rapids back in August. I was able to speak with some of the residents and learn more about how the Michigan Veterans 

Home’s incredible work to provide a supportive, comfortable, and safe environment for Michigan’s veterans.

Policy Work
Our nation’s veterans sacrificed for us, and it’s essential that we do everything we can to repay them for their service–although, it will truly never be enough! Here are a few bills that I’ve co-sponsored this Congress to support our vets.

We know that one of the biggest issues facing veterans today is veterans homelessness. I co-sponsored the bipartisan Return Home to Housing Act to tackle this critical issue. The bill raises the maximum reimbursement rate that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can give to providers who supply transitional housing and permanent housing to veterans. This way, they can connect more veterans to housing options.

Another bill I’ve co-sponsored is the bipartisan Major Richard Star Act that will fix a longstanding injustice that prevents combat-injured veterans that were medically retired from receiving their full retirement pay. More than 50,000 veterans across the country will receive their full benefits if this bill gets passed and signed into law!

Last year, the President signed the bipartisan PACT Act into law to *finally* provide health care through the VA to the nearly 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. To learn more about this bill and to see if you qualify for benefits, click here.

This is just a bit of the much-needed work we’re doing here in Congress to support our nation’s veterans.

Honoring Veterans All Year Long

It’s so important for me to instill in my boys a sense of gratitude and honor for the sacrifices made for the freedoms we all enjoy. Earlier this year, we joined a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to Arlington National Cemetery to pay tribute to the many brave Americans who have given their lives to protect and defend our freedoms.

While today is a special day set aside to remember our veterans, every day we’re grateful for their sacrifice. In Congress, I remain committed to tackling some of the biggest challenges facing veterans today, including veteran homelessness, access to mental health care, and so much more. Team Scholten is also working around the clock to help veterans navigate federal agencies. If you need to access your military records or medals, or you need help getting the benefits that you’re owed, please reach out to my team.

So far, we’ve been able to help over 100 veterans across West Michigan and returned more than $100,000 in VA and military benefits back to West Michiganders. We’re ready to help you, too!

The weekly review and preview: short version
Here’s a very brief highlight of our week and what’s ahead next week. 

I signed onto three bills and one letter – including a bill to establish a bipartisan, bicameral commission to address the national debt, and a letter calling on House leadership to fully fund child care for Michigan families.

This week, Republicans pulled not one but TWO spending bills because they could not pass the House. Keep in mind – we have 6 days to pass a bipartisan budget and avoid a government shutdown. Democrats remain at the table ready to negotiate a bipartisan way forward. Speaker Johnson needs to act immediately to avoid this disaster. I’ll keep you updated on how things progress.

As always, it’s an honor to serve you, West Michigan. Happy Veterans Day!

Sincerely,

Hillary Scholten
Member of Congress