22Apr
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Common Defense calls on Members of Congress to reject the partisan Republican spending bill that would make healthcare more expensive for tens of millions of Americans and shortchange our nation’s veterans.
Naveed Shah, Army veteran and Political Director for Common Defense said the following:
“This legislation not only fails to extend critical healthcare tax credits, driving up premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs for working families, it also abandons veterans suffering from toxic exposure. In an extraordinary act of hypocrisy, Republicans stripped out $51.7 billion in advance FY27 funding for the Toxic Exposure Fund, funding that would have been included in their own original House bill.
“This reversal is more than a policy dispute; it is a betrayal. With Veterans Day fresh in mind, lawmakers should remember that care for toxic-exposed veterans is not a partisan bargaining chip, it is a sacred obligation. Common Defense urges every Member of Congress to stand firm, reject this bill, and demand a funding package that protects both American families and the veterans who have sacrificed in their defense.”
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Common Defense Civic Engagement is a grassroots, veteran-led organization (501c4) that was founded in 2016. We empower veterans to stand up for our communities against the rising tide of racism, hate, and violence, to organize against the entrenched powers that have rigged our economy, and to champion an equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all. For too long, politicians from both political parties have attempted to use veterans as unwilling political props, and Common Defense serves as a home for veterans to organize and speak for themselves and support the candidates who truly share our values.