Fitzpatrick Fights for Military Education Benefits
LANGHORNE, Pa. - Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick announced this morning that he is introducing legislation to protect funding for the military's tuition assistance program and offsetting the costs with taxpayer dollars currently being spent on foreign aid to Egypt. This comes after reports that the Army and Marine Corps are ending their existing tuition assistance programs for military men and women.
"The announced plans by the Army and Marine Corps to end this important program for active-duty service-men and -women are disappointing and unacceptable," said Fitzpatrick. "As a nation, we must more carefully set our budget priorities. This program, which provides our soldiers and marines with educational support they have earned, must take precedence over assistance to foreign governments."
Fitzpatrick's legislation would reduce foreign aid funding to the Egyptian government to cover the continued costs of the tuition assistance programs.
The programs administered by |
Fitzpatrick Reauthorizes Violence Against Women Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08) was joined by a bipartisan group of colleagues in the House this morning in reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. Included in this reauthorization were provisions of the SAFER Act, legislation Fitzpatrick cosponsored earlier this week.
"As the father of three daughters, I am committed to ensuring that we provide what safeguards and protections we can to prevent violence against women," said Fitzpatrick. " We are long overdue in passing a reauthorization of this landmark piece of legislation which seeks to reduce instances of domestic violence and protect women who are victims of such violence. Over the course of the past several years, I have met with constituents across Bucks and Montgomery counties who agree that VAWA programs are an important part of a larger criminal justice framework that seeks to reduce abuse against women and children."
Barbara Clark, Executive Director of the Network of Victim Assist |
Fitzpatrick Statement on Seven Fallen American Soldiers in Afghanistan
LANGHORNE, PA – Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8) issued the following statement regarding the seven American soldiers fallen in Afghanistan in the past 24 hours.
“In the past 24 hours, our nation has lost seven brave soldiers.
The insider attack that took the lives of two American soldiers is a tragic reminder of the sacrifices being made by our men and women in uniform still fighting in Afghanistan.
After a decade of war these types of green-on-blue attacks, where Afghan forces turn on NATO forces, erodes the trust and confidence of our soldiers working to transition security to Afghan authorities by 2015.
The helicopter crash which claimed five more Americans emphasizes our need to focus on bringing our troops home.
When I last traveled to Afghanistan to better understand the morale of the troops and determine the status of training and transition operations in advance of the scheduled drawdown of U.S. forces, the consistent message I heard was that we mu |
Fitzpatrick Demands Accountability from Philadelphia Vets Office
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick is searching for answers for 8th District veterans in a letter to Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. In his letter, Fitzpatrick asks Shinseki's office to provide information regarding the number of veterans who died in 2012 while waiting for their disability claims to be processed at the Philadelphia Veteran Affairs Regional Office (VARO).
"For the last two years, I have been working to hold the Philadelphia VARO accountable for the services they provide to our veterans," said Fitzpatrick. "Unfortunately, I believe that the unacceptable amount of time it is taking to process claims is proving too long for those with rapidly declining health. I remain hopeful that I will be able to work with Secretary Shinseki and the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide more effective and efficient service to the men and women who have served us in the military."
According to the Center for Investigative Reporting, |
