Nehls Introduces Bill to Increase Pension For Medal of Honor Recipients Greetings! I wanted to take a moment to share with you a recap on what happened this week in Texas' 22nd District and the United States House of Representatives. This Week in Washington Nehls Introduces Bill to Increase Pension For Medal of Honor Recipients I am proud to have introduced, H.R. 8973, the Medal of Honor Act, a bill that would increase the special monthly pension for Medal of Honor Recipients to equal an annualized amount of $100,000. Currently, Medal of Honor Recipients just $1,489.73 per month. From the first Medal of Honor presented in 1863, there have been 3,515 Medal of Honor recipients, with 65 currently living. On April 27, 1916, Congress created the Army and Navy Medal of Honor Roll and entitled Medal of Honor recipients to a special pension of $10 per month for life. Eligibility for this pension is based solely on receipt of the Medal of Honor and is paid to any eligible individuals who elect to receive it. The monthly payment of $10 remained in effect until 1961 when Congress increased the monthly pension from $10 to $100. Under the Veterans Benefits Act of 2002, Congress increased the monthly payment to $1,000 and directed the Secretary of VA to increase the pension amount to reflect the same percentage as the Social Security COLA. As of December 1, 2021, the Medal of Honor pension is set at $1,489.37 per month. The Medal of Honor is the highest military award that our nation can offer. The men and woman who have been awarded one have shown the very best of what America represents, courage, bravery, and valor. If you can believe it, Medal of Honor Recipients only receive a pension of roughly $18,000 per year. Sadly, I have heard stories of Medal of Honor Recipients struggling financially, especially as they enter old age. We need to do better, and I’m proud to introduce this legislation to help ensure these heroes are financially secure. “Support and passage of this bill will honor the brave men and women that signed the blank check of their initial enlistment,” said Medal of Honor Recipient Staff Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha. “Increasing the Medal of Honor Pension will help ensure that Medal of Honor Recipients can always make ends meet, even during hard times.” My colleague, Representative Michael Waltz (R-FL-06) has signed on as an original cosponsor. Read more HERE EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Nehls Introduces Legislation That... Republican Texas Rep. Troy Nehls introduced legislation Friday that would give Medal of Honor recipients a huge raise. The Daily Caller obtained a copy of the Medal of Honor Act, which would increase the special pension for recipients of the... Read more dailycaller.com Nehls Asks Mayorkas to Secure Borders from Released Venezuelan Prisoners Among Caravans I, along with 13 others, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas regarding the recent report received by the Border Patrol that instructs agents to look for violent criminals from Venezuela entering the United States. It has been widely reported that the Venezuelan regime, under the control of Nicolás Maduro Moros, is deliberately releasing violent prisoners early, including inmates convicted of “murder, rape, and extortion,” and pushing them to join caravans heading to the United States. Some of the released prisoners have already been spotted within migrant caravans traveling from Tapachula, Mexico, toward our southern border as recently as July of this year, meaning they could already be in our interior. This bombshell report confirms what we’ve known for years. Our adversaries despise what America stands for and take pride in emptying their prisons filled with the most violent and sick individuals to walk the earth and send them to our southern border, where they know they’ll have no trouble getting in. Our overworked border patrol agents can only do so much when President Biden gives everyone a no strings attached invitation into this country. “Today, we continue to confront the growing threats posed to the United States by malign actors seeking to encroach on our national security. It would surprise no one if the Maduro regime has taken a direct page from Fidel Castro’s playbook to wreak havoc and undermine American security interests. If confirmed, it would be a repeat of the Mariel Boatlift where prisoners guilty of heinous crimes are making their way into our country with the intent to cause harm. The Biden Administration’s disastrous border policies contribute to unvetted criminals coming in, young children being trafficked by smugglers, billions in monthly profits to the cartels, and the influx of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances pouring into our country. We have an important duty to acknowledge the crisis happening on our borders and seek transparency and accountability from administration officials,” said Congressman Carlos A. Giménez (R-FL-26). This letter was supported by Heritage Action and Numbers USA. “The crisis at the border is a serious, long-term problem our country is facing. President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have dismantled every tool we have to stop the flow of illegal aliens across our border, allowing criminal organizations and terrorist groups to funnel dangerous people and deadly drugs into the country”, said Garrett Bess, Vice President of Heritage Action. “Now, it appears that Nicolás Maduro is taking advantage of our open southern border by emptying Venezuelan prisons and sending violent criminals to the United States. Secretary Mayorkas must quickly address the concerns raised by Representative Nehls and give Congress access to the full report, but even more than that, he must begin fulfilling his oath of office by enforcing the nation’s immigration laws to secure our nation.” Representatives Tom Tiffany (R-WI-07), Lance Gooden (R-TX-05), Jim Banks (R-IN-03), Lauren Boebert (R-CO-03), Pete Stauber (R-MN-08), Jody Hice (R-GA-10), Glenn Grothman (R-WI-06), Chip Roy (R-TX-21), Byron Donalds (R-FL-19), Louie Gohmert (R-TX-01), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL-26), and Don Bacon (R-NE-02) also joined the letter. Read more HERE House Republicans sound alarm over report Venezuela is... EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans are sounding the alarm over a reported move by Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro to empty prisons of violent criminals and send them to the U.S. southern border -- with Republicans warning that such a move could put... Read more www.foxnews.com This Week in TX-22 October 6, 2022: Social Security Assistance and Medicare Seminar The 26th Annual Houston Area Military Retiree Appreciation Day Date: Saturday, October 8, 2022 Time: 0800 – 13:30 Location: Ellington Field Services provided: ID Cards, Wills, Passport Applications, Flu, and Covid Shots, and other veteran services Vendors onsite include: Sam's Club ID Card Office Tricare Dental Tricare Medical AUSA, MOWW Legal Assistance Dignity Memorial Texas Land Board Texas State Guard COSTCO Wholesale VA Regional Office MOAA Houston Area VA National Cemetery Catholic War Veterans 75th Division Association Harris County Tax Office Ellington Field Exchange Veterans of Foreign Wars American Legion Post 490 DeBakey VA Medical Center Texas Veteran's Commission Vietnam Veterans Association Randall's Food and Pharmacy Fleet Reserve Association #159 American Military Retired Association Retirement Service Office, JB San Antonio National Association for Retired Federal Employees Sponsored by Houston Retiree Counsel & US Family Health September 29th, 2022: Mobile Office Hours Military Service Academy Nominations Now Open One of my greatest honors in Congress is having the ability to nominate a future leader to one of our nation’s esteemed military academies. I'm thrilled to announce that applications for service academy nominations are now open! Visit my website to learn more about the nomination process. All materials must be submitted by October 7, 2022. APPLY HERE Casework Highlight: Department of State: U.S. Passports Is your family in the early stages of planning your 2023 summer vacation? Do you have plans to travel out of the country during the 2022 holiday season? Do you know which countries require a US Passport to have more than 6 months validity to enter? September is passport awareness month and is the best time to apply for the first time or renew your passport. For general questions, please visit the Department of State’s website for more information. If you need assistance with urgent travel or an out of processing time application, please fill out this release form on my website. My casework team will reach out within the next business day. For any other questions, please call my district office at 346-762-6600. Congressional App Challenge Available to TX-22 Students We are pleased to announce that the Congressional App Challenge (CAC), a competition designed to encourage student participation in computer science and coding, will be hosting our annual coding competition this year. Students are encouraged to register online and submit their app by November 1st. For more information, you can visit the official Congressional App Challenge website or email questions directly to [email protected]. You can also visit our website or contact Bailee Higgins at [email protected]. We Want to Hear From You I always appreciate learning about the issues that are important to you. If you have a concern, please contact me HERE. Use this QR code to follow my Facebook and Twitter accounts and join my Newsletter for updates. It's an honor to represent you and the great state of Texas in the United States House of Representatives. Would You Support a Pension Increase For Medal of Honor Recipients? Let me know below Yes Select No Select Sincerely, Troy E. Nehls Member of Congress ‌ By participating in the survey, you are opting into further communication from Rep. Nehls Rep. Nehls | 1104 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]