Bernie Sanders receives: VFW Congressional Award

[eridani]

From his regular website--

Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday was given the Veterans of Foreign Wars prestigious Congressional Award. At a ceremony in the Senate’s Kennedy Caucus Room, Sanders said he was “extremely honored” by the award presented for his eight years of service on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, including his time as the panel’s chairman during the last session of Congress. He remains a senior member of the committee.

VFW National Commander John Stroud noted that Sanders played a leading role in winning passage last year of major legislation to improve health care services at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The nation’s largest service organization of combat veterans said Sanders “has been a commanding voice” fighting to preserve benefits for disabled veterans, for the proper care and treatment of women veterans, homeless veterans, for better employment opportunities and improved access to mental health programs. The VFW also lauded Sanders for increased congressional oversight that resulted in improved claims processing by the VA.

“It is no understatement to say that Sen. Sanders has taken care of wounded, ill and injured veterans and their surviving family members,” said the VFW’s Stroud. “When the VA imploded last year, he was the lead negotiator for the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act, which the president signed into law last summer,” he added.

“The VA still has an uphill climb to fix what’s broken, to hold employees appropriately accountable, and to restore the faith of veterans in their VA, but veterans everywhere should be proud and comforted to know that this United States senator has their back in Congress.”

[PatrickforO]

1. Bernie will have their back as president too.

[sarge43]

2. More importantly, he isn't hell bent on making more veterans of foreign wars n/t

[merrily]

4. As the folksingers used to say/sing: "Support the troops. Bring 'em home."

Making veterans, even severely disabled ones, is one thing. Giving survivors flags, folded after removal from coffins, is quite another.

[LiberalElite]

3. IMO this should also be posted in LBN nt

[mak3cats]

7. The award was announced in March of this year...

Here's another thread about it:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017278233

[LiberalElite]

9. Oops nt

[mak3cats]

10. You're not alone - I had to look it up! (eom)

[merrily]

5. The negotiation for helping veterans between McCain and Sanders is a case study at the

Brookings Institute, as an example of successful working across the aisle.

[djean111]

6. That can't be right! I have read right here at DU that Bernie refuses to go to the gym, where,

evidently, ALL business is transacted, and therefore is incapable of working with, not only the Democrats, but also the GOP, in order to get things done.

[merrily]

8. Yes, because no one knows the inner workings of Congress like a message board poster.

Did Hillary go to that gym a lot whilst in the Senate? Cause, AFAIK, not one bill or amendment she wrote got passed. Sanders got both bills and amendments that he wrote passed--and he was an Indie.

[malokvale77]

11. I remember when VoteVets sent me the notice.

They are behind Bernie all the way. They know who cares.

[sabrina 1]

12. He really has worked very hard for Veterans. They know who really cares about them. He did not send

them to war based on lies, he tried to protect them from that.

Good for him and them! He really does get things done!