INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a strongly worded letter sent Friday to all members of Congress, American Legion National Commander Dale Barnett criticized proposals to privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The American Legion has grown increasingly concerned over the past several months about egregious and politically driven comments from some groups claiming to represent veterans’ needs,” Barnett said. “Such comments show little concern for the millions of veterans who rely on VA care and support that they receive at their local facilities.”
Barnett emphasized that “The American Legion wants lawmakers to completely understand that our more than 2 million dues-paying members support a strong and robust VA that puts veterans first.”
Acknowledging VA’s well-publicized mistakes and deficiencies, Barnett said, “Election sound bites, media hyperbole, hollow grandstanding and smoke and mirrors aren’t going to correct the imperfections of a $65 billion per year enterprise that employs well over 250,000 caregivers and serves millions of veterans and their families. If there were a better health-care solution for veterans, rest assured The American Legion would support it.”
The complete text of Barnett’s letter can be found here.
With a current membership of 2.2 million wartime veterans, The American Legion, www.legion.org, was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans affairs, Americanism, and youth programs. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through nearly 14,000 posts across the nation.
