Veterans Affairs

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today joined his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in voting to advance H.R. 3218, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Education Assistance Act of 2017. The legislation was passed by a bipartisan vote of 405 to 0. “This is a transformational expansion of GI Bill benefits granted to veterans, their surviving spouses, and dependents,” said Upton. “Since 1944 the GI Bill has provided our veterans the opportunity to invest in their futures through access t... Read more

Upholding our Constitutional Duty: Providing for the Common Defense By U.S. Rep. Fred Upton and U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga July 17, 2017 Holland Sentinel For the last 56 years, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has been the primary way in which Congress executes its Article I constitutional obligation to “provide for the common defense.” Just this week, we joined our colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in advancing this year’s NDAA, H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorizat... Read more

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today joined his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives by voting to advance H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018, by a bipartisan 344 to 81 vote. For 56 years, the NDAA has been the primary way in which Congress executes its Article I constitutional obligation to “provide for the common defense.” “Today we voted to keep our promise to our military. This year’s National Defense Authorization Act focuses on thre... Read more

You might not have seen it on the nightly news or in the local papers, but recently, Republicans and Democrats came together to take real action to help our veterans. Most agree that our veterans here in Michigan and across the country deserve the highest quality medical care. The Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 is a direct response to the scandals at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of the past three years. This bipartisan legislation was pas... Read more

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters today announced that President Trump will award the Medal of Honor to Vietnam War Veteran James C. McCloughan on July 31, 2017. This follows legislation passed by Senators Stabenow and Peters and Congressman Upton to make then-Private First Class McCloughan eligible for our nation’s highest military honor. Their legislation passed the Senate as part of the National Defense Authorization Act and was signed into law ... Read more

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives advanced S. 1094, the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protecting Act of 2017 by a bipartisan vote of 368 to 55. This legislation now heads to the president’s desk for signature into law. “Veterans here in Michigan and across the country deserve the very highest quality medical care. Despite scandal after scandal, the VA refuses or cannot hold bad acto... Read more

VIDEO: Michiana Gulf War Veteran honored more than a quarter-century later By Vahid Sadrzadeh ABC57 It was a day close to a quarter-century in the making. A special ceremony was held Tuesday recognizing, retired St. Joe Gulf War Veteran, Lewis Bolman. In 1991, many of us turned on the television to watch missiles in the Middle East light up the night sky. This marked the beginning of Operation Desert Storm. Then 22-year-old Chemicals Specialist, Corporal Lewis Bolman, wasn’t thinking about this ... Read more

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today joined colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in advancing two pieces of bipartisan legislation to address urgent threats posed by North Korea’s Kim Jong Un regime. Just today, a North Korean defector spoke to NBC and warned the U.S. and allies that the “world should be ready” to deal with Kim Jung Un. “In recent weeks, North Korea has escalated their threats against American lives. In response to these troubling provocations, we have taken acti... Read more

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) announced that legislation to make Vietnam War veteran James C. McCloughan eligible for our nation’s highest military honor – the Medal of Honor – has passed in Congress as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA passed the House of Representatives on December 2nd and cleared the U.S. Senate today. It now goes to the desk of the President for signature. Private Fir... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 by a bipartisan vote of 375-34. “Supporting our national defense, our active duty military personnel, and their families is of the utmost importance. Right here in Southwest Michigan we not only have active military instillations and soldiers who require the resources and equipment authorized, but also many f... Read more