Honoring Our Fallen Heroes
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I was honored to join the Memorial Day Service in Wilkes County today, honoring the heroes who fought for our country and paid the ultimate sacrifice.
As we approach America’s 250th birthday, Memorial Day reminds us that the story of our nation has always been shaped by the courage and sacrifice of those who defended it. From the soldiers of the Revolutionary War who fought for independence, to the Americans who served in conflicts from Gettysburg to Normandy, generations have answered the call to preserve the freedoms and ideals that define our country.
Memorial Day is more than a long weekend — it is a time to honor those who gave their lives in service to the United States and to reflect on the cost of liberty throughout our nation’s history. |
Delivering for Disabled Veterans, Veterans' Survivors, and Military Families
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When service members suffer catastrophic injuries or make the ultimate sacrifice, VA compensation programs are meant to help veterans and their families shoulder the burden. But many recipients have found these benefits no longer keep pace with rising medical costs, caregiving needs, and everyday expenses.
Ahead of Memorial Day Weekend, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6047, the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, with my strong support. This would provide meaningful relief for over 500,000 veterans and their families for the first time in decades by: - Significantly increasing the monthly benefits rate for catastrophically service-connected disabled veterans with a traumatic brain injury or other severe disabilities that require regular, round the clock, in-home medical care, offering an additional $10,000 annually.
- Raising survivors’ VA benefits (DIC) by an extra 1.5% over two years, providing an extra couple hundred dollars to over 500,000 survivors. Since 1993, Congress has not adjusted DIC, aside from inflation.
- Expanding the eligibility requirements for National Guard and Reservists from 90 days of active-duty service to 14 days of active-duty service with a 1% fee. This would allow more members of the Guard and Reserve, generally younger members, to be able to live the American dream by owning their first home.
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PBM Kickback Prohibition Act Advanced by Committee
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The Education and Workforce Committee advanced H.R. 7895, my PBM Kickback Prohibition Act, which I introduced in March. This bill which would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from paying kickbacks or referral fees to brokers, consultants, advisors, or similar intermediaries in exchange for directing employer health plan or insurer business to the PBM.
Too often, consultants and advisors are incentivized to steer employers to a particular PBM in exchange for significant financial kickbacks from those PBMs. Employers deserve to know that their consultants and brokers are providing independent, unbiased guidance—not recommendations influenced by hidden financial incentives.
Watch my remarks during our full committee markup HERE. |
Additional Committee Activity
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Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing:
"Corrosion, Collapse, and Clean-Up: Examining the Potomac Interceptor Collapse"
During this hearing, the subcommittee examined what was known about the condition of the Potomac Interceptor prior to this incident, the emergency response and cleanup efforts that have been underway since the collapse, and how future incidents may be prevented.
Watch my remarks HERE.
Full committee markup:
The committee advanced 16 bills to the full House of Representatives, including bipartisan environment, health, and surface transportation reauthorization bills.
Watch the full markup HERE.
Education and Workforce
Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions hearing:
"Bad Medicine: Politics, Unions, and Antisemitism in Health Care"
Unions are supposed to represent ALL their workers—but many health care unions are pushing an antisemitic agenda and creating a culture of fear that makes it hard for medical professionals to speak up. I chaired a HELP Subcommittee hearing to examine antisemitism in our health care system.
Read my opening statement HERE. Watch my line of questioning HERE. Read a hearing recap HERE. |
This Week's Office Visitors
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As always, it was great to meet with several groups and visitors this week to talk about the issues that matter most to them. - Georgia Society of Anesthesiologists
- Ambulatory Care Physicians
- Genentech
- Delta Airlines
- Contract Callers, Inc.
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This Week's White House Highlight
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The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently announced the U.S. Border Patrol’s twelfth consecutive month of zero releases at the border, continuing the trend of historically low border crossings.
The sustained decline in illegal border crossings and apprehensions—now at levels not seen in over three decades—shows the impact of robust enforcement policies. With daily apprehensions down 95% from the previous administration and 15 consecutive months of fewer than 9,000 southwest border apprehensions, the border remains more secure than at any point in history.
Illegal crossings in April remained historically low: Southwest border apprehensions were 94% lower than under Biden - The U.S. Border Patrol’s apprehensions along the southwest border in April (8,943) were 94% lower than the monthly average of the Biden administration and 96% below the peak of the Biden administration (December 2023). They were also less than what was apprehended in 3 days in April 2024.
Border crossings this entire fiscal year to date were lower than the monthly average the last 30 years - Total U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions along the southwest border during all of this fiscal year through April were 37% lower than just one month on average from FYs 1992 through 2024.
Daily average apprehensions in April were 94% lower than under Biden - The U.S. Border Patrol’s average number of apprehensions per day along the southwest border in April (298) were 94% lower than the daily
- The number of U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions per day in April was less than a single hour during the height of the Biden administration (336 per hour in December 2023) and less than the number apprehended every 2 hours on average under the Biden administration.
CBP’s total encounters this fiscal year to date are lower than April 2024 alone - This fiscal year’s encounters (215,876) are 13% lower than in the month of April 2024 alone.
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Follow me on Social Media!
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Social media is a great way to stay connected and I encourage you to keep up with my work in Congress by ‘liking’ my Facebook page and following me on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
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As always, my office is here to help. If you'd like to email me, please click here.
To contact one of our district offices, please click here.
To stay informed about what is happening in Washington D.C. and in our district, please follow me on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Sincerely,
Rick Allen
Member of Congress |
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