Press Releases

 – Last week, Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) and his colleagues on the House Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Committee highlighted legislation passed during the 115^thCongress that improves care and services for veterans. Of the 400 bills members of the committee have introduced, over 70 have passed the House and nearly 30 of those have been signed into law by President Trump. As Chairman of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, Arrington has held 21 hearings and markups including 12 oversight hearings, 5 legislative hearings, and 3 subcommittee markups. Under his leadership, the subcommittee has tackled a range of issues including the use and abuse of taxpayer funded union time, oversight and implementation of the Forever GI bill, reforms to the Transition Assistance Program, and best practices for hiring and retaining veterans. Arrington called the Committee’s ability to roll up their sleeves, put partisanship aside, and be American’s first, a “tribute to our veterans.” “I know we make much about this hyperpartisanship [in Congress], but I can tell you that has not been my experience, certainly on the VA committee – whether it’s expanding health care or employment opportunities.” He noted one of the VA Committee’s efforts that didn’t make the headlines was making it,“easier for companies to offer apprenticeship programs to veterans.” “The average graduate of an apprenticeship program makes $60,000,” said Arrington. “That’s real money and that’s a good quality of life for a veteran who is looking for a job.” Arrington also mentioned his legislation that recently passed the House, the Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William "Bill" Mulder (Ret.) Transition Improvement Act of 2018. “We spend an enormous amount of money transforming our civilians into great freedom fighters. When we transition them out and back into civilian life, we need to make sure that we support them, that we provide them with all the tools for the most seamless and successful transition. “That legislation is very personal to me. We named it after a good friend of mine from high school, Navy Seal Bill Mulder.” Arrington calls his time on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee the highlight of his service in Congress. Click here to watch the full press conference. Click here for more information on The Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William "Bill" Mulder (Ret.) Transition Improvement Act of 2018.