July 22, 2020

Dear Friend,

Yesterday I helped to pass the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to support military families and keep America safe. As a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, I have made it a priority in Congress to expand opportunities and access to care for our troops and veterans.

I voted for this year’s NDAA because it:

• Gives Our Troops a Pay Raise and Protects Their Safety by authorizing a 3 percent military pay raise, protecting their health by cleaning up so-called PFAS forever chemicals, investing in housing improvements for military members and families and advancing justice in safety with improvements to sexual assault prevention and response.

• Strengthens America’s Health and Economic Security with important fixes to expand paid parental leave for certain federal civilian employees inadvertently omitted from previous legislation.
  
  
• Responds to the COVID-19 Pandemic by proactively strengthening our nation’s defenses to pandemics including with a $1 billion Pandemic Preparedness and Resilience National Security Fund, boosts America’s industrial base resilience, helps Maritime Security Program carriers keep ships fully crewed during COVID-19, supports NATO’s multinational response to the pandemic.
  
  
• Creates a More Diverse Military by creating a Special Investigator focused on combating racial disparities in the Military Justice System and in personnel policies and practices, establishing Chief Diversity Officers throughout the military, and creating initiatives for increasing representation of women and minorities in the military services.

Our service members have sacrificed so much for our country, and they deserve our best, every day. That’s why I’m proud to have helped pass this year’s NDAA and will continue to find common ground with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support American families. 

Earlier this year, I helped to secure the Garland VA Medical Center, which is now open and treating veterans with COVID-19, along with other essential services.  If you are or know a veteran who needs help with their veterans benefits, please do not hesitate to contact my office for assistance. 

Sincerely,

Colin Allred
Member of Congress

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