Blog post

IAVA Daily Brief 09.17.09
Posted by Terrell Frazier on September 17

Here are some of today's top stories and happenings at IAVA.  Prefer to receive real-time updates about major stories and legislation that IAVA is tracking?  Follow us on Twitter @IAVAPressRoom.

MUST READS

1) Lawmakers agree on use of advance VA funds

Under a landmark piece of legislation, funding for VA medical services, support and facilities would occur a year in advance. The change would create for a constant stream of funding for critical medical services in the event that Congress fails to pass the annual veterans appropriations bill on time. Negotiations are currently taking place to bridge differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill. Lawmakers close to the negotiations say the legislation has cleared a major hurdle and, if a compromise is reached, Congress would then be able to approve a $45 billion veterans care budget for 2011 in the 2010 budget. In 19 of the last 22 years, Congress has failed to approve the annual VA budget by the Oct. 1 deadline.

2) President Obama says no immediate decision on troops for Afghanistan

President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that an immediate decision on additional resources for Afghanistan was not pending. "You have to get the strategy right and then make the determination about resources," Obama said one day after the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said more troops would probably be needed and that he expected a request from McChrystal in a couple of weeks. He added, building up Afghan security forces and improving Pakistan’s counterinsurgency

3) Biden pushes Iraq leaders for reconciliation

Vice President Joe Biden sought to smooth political differences among Iraq’s fractious political officials on his first full day in the country, as the American military moves ahead with plans to pull troops out of the country. He held talks first with parliament speaker Ayad al-Sammaraie, a senior member of the Iraqi Islamic Party, the country's largest Sunni political party. The two sides discussed developments in the country's national reconciliation efforts with former Saddam loyalists and other Iraqi internal issues. Over his three-day visit, Biden's main focus was expected to be plans for January elections and the ongoing violence in Iraq's north. As the number of bombings and other attacks declines elsewhere in Iraq, the north remains a battleground between Sunni Arab extremists and Iraqi and U.S. forces. Kurdish-Arab tension there also frequently flares into violence.

 AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan's election commission released preliminary vote totals Wednesday showing President Hamid Karzai with 54.6 percent of the vote in the first full results to be released since the country's Aug. 20 election. The election results still await certification, while a U.N.-sponsored complaints commission examines thousands of potentially fraudulent ballots.

In a pointed op-ed Joseph Kearns Goodwin, a captain in the Army who served tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, discusses corruption in the Afghan government that he saw firsthand as a special advisor to NATO's director of communications. In his piece, Goodwin calls for greater accountability in order to restore the Afghan people's trust in the government.

IRAQ

On Wednesday the U.S. military closed Camp Bucca, the largest detention camp in Iraq, as it moves to release thousands of detainees or transfer them to Iraqi custody before the end of the year. The sprawling facility just north of the Kuwaiti border has held thousands of men over the years, including the most dangerous in U.S. custody - Sunni insurgents, Shiite extremists and al-Qaida in Iraq suspects picked up from battlefields over six years of war.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair said Tuesday that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks would not have happened had U.S. intelligence agencies been organized then the way they are now.  “Had we been in business back then we would have stopped it,” Blair said, noting that the government’s 16 intelligence agencies are foiling planned terror attacks now with less information than they had at their disposal before 9/11 but that offices now cooperate and share information more readily.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

On Thursday September 17th, Congressman Tim Walz will be live online for a virtual Q+A  discussing veterans issues for the Disable American Veterans “Virtual March on Washington.”  The session will start at 9:00 a.m. central time and users will be able to participate by logging in to the event website.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

FUTURE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

September 17, 2009  SVAC will hold a hearing on the structure of payments of Veterans disability compensation, with focus on reforms proposed in the EconSys report, including quality of life issues.  9:30 a.m.; Russell 418 (Smith)

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The House will convene at 10:00 a.m.

FUTURE  HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of  INTEREST

September 22, 2009    Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health Hearing:  Is the VA Meeting the Pharmaceutical Needs of Veterans?  An Examination of the VA National Formulary, Issues of Patient Safety, and Management of the Pharmacy Benefits Program 2:00 p.m.; 334 Cannon HOB

September 23, 2009    Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing: SES Bonuses and Other Administrative Issues at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs   10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon HOB

September 24, 2009  Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Hearing:  Honoring the Fallen: How Can We Better Serve America’s Veterans and Their Families?  10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon

September 30, 2009  Full Veterans’ Affairs Committee Hearing:  Energy Efficiency at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs  10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon

October 14, 2009  Full Veterans’ Affairs Committee Hearing:  Update on the State of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs  10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon HOB 

A wide-range of views, positions, and publications are represented in these articles. These views, positions and publications are not endorsed by nor do they necessarily represent the views of IAVA.