Weekly newsletter of the Fleet Reserve Association

June 8, 2018

In this issue:

URGENT! Support Amendments for NDAA

MISSION Act Signed into Law

New USCG Commandant

Senate Cancels Recess

D-Day Remembered

URGENT! Support Senate Floor Amendments for NDAA  

Full Senate consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA-S.2987) is expected to begin next week. This will include a vote on a Senator Dean Heller's (NV) FRA-supported amendment that would expand concurrent receipt payments for many disabled retirees.

In addition, Senator Bill Nelson will introduce an FRA-supported floor amendment to the Senate NDAA that will repeal the SBP/DIC offset for survivors, sometimes referred to as the "Military Widows Tax." Members are strongly urged to use the FRA Action Center on the website (www.fra.org) to contact their Senators to urge them to support the Heller concurrent receipt amendment and the Nelson SBP/DIC offset repeal amendment

VA MISSION Act Signed into Law

National Executive Director Tom Snee and DLP John Davis attended a White House signing ceremony to watch President Trump sign the VA MISSION Act (S.2372) into law. The FRA-supported bill will:

• Expand the VA Caregiver program to include all disabled veterans;

• Consolidate seven VA community care programs into one to improve access to care;

• Fund for the VA Choice program; and

• Audit VA infrastructure,

The expansion of the VA Caregiver program to include all disabled veterans is a major victory for FRA. Currently program is available only veterans who were seriously disabled on or after September 11, 2001. The program will allow seriously disabled veterans to receive care at home. The Association wants to thank all of the Shipmates who used the FRA Action Center on the website (www.fra.org) to weigh in on this important legislation.

USCG Has New Commandant

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft retired during a recent ceremony attended by President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. He was replaced by Karl Schultz, who is now the 26th Coast Guard Commandant. He has been with the Coast Guard for more than 30 years and most recently headed operations in the Atlantic area.

Schultz is a native of East Hartford Connecticut. He graduated from the U.S. Coast Academy in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He received a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Connecticut in 1992 and in 2006 he completed a one year National Security Fellowship at the Kennedy School of Government. Schultz is no stranger to Capitol Hill since his staff assignments include Chief of the Office of Congressional and Governmental Affairs, and Congressional Liaison Officer to the House of Representatives.

During his remarks, The President thanked Zukunft for working "tirelessly to protect America's interest in the Artic" and pushing for greater funding for polar icebreaker construction, among other priorities. He said he felt certain that Schultz would continue to push the service forward.

"I have complete confidence that Karl will carry out his new mission with the same talent, strength and devotion that have characterized his entire career," Trump said at the change of command ceremony. Schultz has signaled that, like his predecessor, he plans to stump for the Coast Guard to get a boost in shipbuilding funding. The new Commandant is scheduled to attend the annual Coast Guard Caucus breakfast next week. The event is sponsored by FRA.

Senate Cancels August Recess

Senate majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) recently announced that he will cancel the Senate's August recess, citing "historic obstruction" by Democrats. "Due to the historic obstruction by Senate Democrats of the president's nominees, and the goal of passing appropriations bills prior to the end of the fiscal year, the August recess has been canceled," McConnell said in a statement.

He added that senators would stay in session "to pass legislation, including appropriations bills, and to make additional progress on the president's nominees." In additions to appropriations and nominees, a spokesperson for the Majority Leader noted that the Senate still needs to approve the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The Senate expected to leave town on August 3 for a four-week break and return to Washington early September, after Labor Day.

D-Day Remembered

This week marks the 74th anniversary of the World War II invasion of Normandy, France by Allied troops commonly referred to as "D-Day." It was the largest naval invasion in history and eventually lead to the end of the war in Europe.