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The House passed H.R. 6157, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2019.
This is an annual piece of legislation that appropriates funds to the Department of Defense to ensure that our Armed Forces are fully equipped to meet the current threats to our nation.
I was proud to introduce a bipartisan amendment to H.R. 6157 with Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) that allocates $10,000,000 to the Defense POW/Missing Persons Accounting Agency to assist in identifying unclaimed remains that have been missing since the Korean conflict.
As of today, there are almost 7,700 total personnel missing and unaccounted for since the Korean conflict. One of those still unaccounted for is Private First Class Ivan Roberts, a proud native of Georgia’s 12th Congressional District. Although I never had the opportunity to meet Private First Class Roberts, I was able to meet his family and loved ones at a recent Memorial Ceremony in his honor – and I know he was a beloved hero and patriot whose family wants peace and closure.
As you may know, in the recent historic summit between President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, President Trump asked that North Korea return remains of U.S. service members lost in the Korean War—and Kim Jong Un agreed. There are currently over 200 missing service members in the process of being returned to the United States. My colleague and I want to ensure that the Defense POW/Missing Persons Accounting Agency has the resources it needs to identify the remains and carry out this important mission so that families can finally find an eternal resting place for their loved ones. I’d like to thank my colleague from Maryland, Congressman Jamie Raskin, for joining me in introducing this important amendment.
The Allen/Raskin Amendment passed with unanimous bipartisan support. To view my full remarks on the House floor, please CLICK HERE.
The House also passed H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, legislation to expand access to health benefits for Blue Water Navy veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange while serving our country in Vietnam.
My colleagues and I voted on immigration legislation, but I believe that the bill did not go far enough to address the significant issues we are facing at our borders and I could not offer my support.
The House also passed important legislation to compel the Department of Justice to turn over all remaining relevant documents owed to Congressional investigators regarding the potential abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA investigation.
The Department of Justice’s non-compliance is simply unacceptable and cannot be tolerated!
I had a great meeting with the Associated Builders and Contractors to discuss workforce development, tax reform, and some of the burdensome rules and regulations they face in their field.
Thanks for stopping by the office!
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement this week and I would like to thank him for his lifetime of public service.
I am confident that President Trump will nominate a strong constitutionalist to uphold our freedoms at the highest judicial level in the land and I urge the Senate to move quickly to fill his seat.
I was happy to welcome this year’s Georgia-12 Congressional Art Competition winner to my D.C. office to celebrate his work that will hang in the U.S. Capitol for the next year.
For more information on the Congressional Art Competition, please visit my website at allen.house.gov. I hope you all have a great weekend and a happy Fourth of July!
As always, please feel free to share your thoughts with me! You can email me ⇒ HERE, contact any of our offices or join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Sincerely,
Rick Allen
Member of Congress |
