The Association of the United States Navy had a busy month in May when it comes to legislative and policy action, and we’d like our membership to be kept up to date on our activities. This new monthly update will summarize some of the actions we have taken on your behalf as an organization within the past month.
In addition to attending numerous calls and meetings with other Military/Veteran Service Organizations, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, and other key officials, AUSN took the following actions:
May 6: Work Opportunity Tax Credit
The Military Coalition submitted a letter to Congress urging support for the Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act (HR 5876 and S 1802), which would create a target group within the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) for employers who hire military spouses, providing an economic boost for employer and employee alike.
May 7: Stop movement order
The Military Coalition submitted a letter to Congress over concerns about “unintended impacts on service members and families, particularly those in the midst of a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move when DoD’s late March stop movement order was implemented and now extended to June 30.” Specifically, the letter asks that the Servicemember Civil Relief Act (SCRA) be updated to provide protection to servicemembers financially burdened by the current situation.
May 13: MTF downsizing and medical billet cuts
The Military Coalition wrote to Congress to request a provision in the FY21 NDAA to halt planned downsizing of military hospitals and clinics. AUSN joins TMC in its concerns on how this will affect MTF capacity, even before the current COVID-19 outbreak. We also ask that military medical readiness requirements be re-evaluated in light of this crisis.
May 17: USPS funding
AUSN signed onto a letter calling on Congressional leaders to assure Americans that there will be no disruption to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The USPS is providing essential services to many, including members of the military and veteran communities. Many servicemembers, retirees, and their families are covered by TRICARE and rely on the TRICARE mail order pharmacy program for essential medications.
May 21: Toxic exposure
AUSN joined the TEAM Coalition in a letter to Congress that outlined our priorities for toxic exposure legislation as they related to the Department of Defense. We hope to have many of these priorities included in the final language for the FY21 NDAA. Overall, the TEAM Coalition’s goal is to reduce incidents of toxic exposures in the U.S. military and provide access to care for those who have fallen ill.
May 27: International Criminal Court
AUSN signed onto a letter to Congress by The Military Coalition calling on President Trump to ignore a request from the International Criminal Court to investigate the actions of U.S. servicemembers. We believe the ICC may only investigate crimes committed by nations with inadequate justice systems, which is not the case in the United States.
