December 19, 2007
Blinded Veterans Association News from Washington DC
Found this article today inside Washington DC National Journal which covers political issues with congressional legislation and often the make up of congressional membership. Along with the other veteran and military service organizations here in Washington, we find the decreasing numbers of veterans serving in congress a issue that seems to be causing increased difficulty in having veterans legislation enacted in a often fragmented and partisan congress. It is important for all BVA contacts to remember that while we might expect that members of congress understand our issues, and support veterans, they also must contend with often thousands of other requests from groups, organizations, associations, trade or business alliances, and it becomes harder to make them understand what veterans have done for there country in context of these other competing interests.
What alarms me the most is the drop in Senate members with any military experience, with Senator Warner retirement, and others soon the number of veterans in the senate will the very low.
CONGRESS
Vets In Congress Decline To Pre-WWII Level
The current Congress, which must deal frequently with military and national
security issues springing from the global conflict against deadly extremists,
has the lowest number of military veterans since before World War II. And that
number could be even lower in the next Congress, with 10 veterans planning to
retire or to run for other offices and others facing tough re-election contests.
While there is considerable disagreement about the benefit military experience
provides in debates on defense spending and policy, some defense officials and
military veterans in Congress say that nonveterans can find language and
cultural barriers in those discussions.
Whatever the legislative merits of prior military service, both political
parties are attempting to recruit veterans for congressional races and the
Pentagon has taken steps to put more people with military service on Capitol
Hill to help explain their issues.
For much of U.S. history, and certainly after World War II, military service was
considered a crucial asset for aspiring politicians. Bill Clinton's election in
1992 ended a string of nine presidents who had worn the uniform in war time, six
of whom had served in Congress.
Until the late 1970s, Congress was filled with veterans of World War II and
Korea. But that status faded with the anti-military sentiments that arose
from the long and unsuccessful Vietnam War, and the impetus for military service
dropped sharply with the end of the draft in 1973.
With few new veterans to replace the dwindling ranks of lawmakers from the
"Greatest Generation," the percentage of members with military experience
dropped from the high 70s to 24 percent today.
Twenty-nine senators and 100 House members claim military service, including
time in the Reserves or National Guard. That is down from 141 veterans in the
previous Congress. Only eight World War II vets remain: Sens. Daniel Akaka and
Daniel Inouye, both D-Hawaii; Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.; Ted Stevens, R-Alaska,
and John Warner, R-Va.; and Reps John Dingell, D-Mich.; Ralph Hall, R-Texas, and
Ralph Regula, R-Ohio. Warner and Regula will retire in 2009.
That paucity of veterans is reflected in the committees that deal most directly
with defense or veterans issues. The Senate Armed Services Committee's 25
members include 11 veterans, while the House Armed Services Committee has only
16 veterans of 62 members. Neither chairman is a veteran but the ranking members
of both panels are Vietnam combat veterans. The Senate Veterans Affairs
Committee has six veterans, including the chairman, of 15 members. The House
committee has seven veterans of 29 members. The House chairman never served but
Veterans Affairs ranking member Steve Buyer, R-Ind., is one of six lawmakers
active in the military reserves. There are a handful of military-related
caucuses among the scores of such groups in Congress, but they, too, are
dominated by nonveterans. The House Army Caucus is chaired by members who have
major Army posts in their districts but never served themselves. Only one of the
House Military Veterans Caucus chairmen is a veteran, but neither of the Senate
National Guard Caucus chairmen is. With the war in Iraq a major political issue,
both parties have been seeking candidates with military experience. The anti-war
movement was the most aggressive in the 2006 campaign, getting nearly two dozen
veterans to challenge pro-war incumbents or to run in open districts. But only
six won. So far, 13 veterans have expressed intentions to run for House seats
next year, including Duncan Hunter Jr., a Marine Corps Reserve captain, who is
running to replace his father, retiring House Armed Services ranking member
Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. Apparently concerned about the receptivity of its
programs in Congress, the Pentagon is sending in reinforcements. Army Lt. Col.
Brian Maka, a Defense Department spokesman, said Robert Wilkie, the new
assistant secretary of Defense for legislative affairs, has reorganized and
expanded his office, which has military officers in the Pentagon and on Capitol
Hill to answer lawmakers' questions and provide any assistance requested.
Maka would not say how many individuals were added.
The active duty military is barred by law from lobbying of Congress, although
the National Guard is not. The interests of the military and veterans are well
represented on Capitol Hill by a number of large advocacy organizations. The
Defense Department also has announced plans to increase the number of its
congressional fellowships from the 60 offered this year to 100 in the next
Congress.
The fellowship program sends mid-grade officers and senior civil service
personnel to Capitol Hill for a year to serve as aides on defense and foreign
affairs committees and in leadership offices. The Pentagon says the program
"provides an opportunity for military and civilian personnel of the department
to learn the operative process of the legislative branch of government." Former
fellows have called the experience a valuable step in their careers, and many
lawmakers have praised the fellows as tremendous assets in dealing with defense
issues.
With surveys indicating that most career service members vote Republican, the
military fellows are not always welcomed in Democratic offices. But officers
associated with the program said prospective fellows are screened to ensure they
fit the needs and interests of the lawmakers they will serve.
By Otto Kreisher
Blinded Veterans Association
Washington, DC
Tom
Zampieri
BVA's Legislative Alerts Group
End of Document