WASHINGTON — Friday, Congressman Vern Buchanan joined a letter co-signed by House Republican veterans asking Senate Democrats who are veterans to support the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) that ensures pay for U.S. service members while Congress continues negotiating annual appropriations. Buchanan formerly served in the Air National Guard. Read more on the letter in Fox News.
“We hope you receive this letter in the manner in which it is intended: as brothers and sisters in arms, not as partisans,” writes Buchanan and his fellow House Republican veterans in the letter. “Passing this continuing resolution is not a concession by one side or the other. It is an act of solidarity with those who continue to serve.”
Led by Congressman Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) and Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), both U.S. Navy Veterans, the letter urges Senate Democrats who are also veterans to “stand with us in putting country over politics — to protect those who protect us.”
Buchanan, LaLota and Kiggans were joined in signing the letter by the follow members of Congress: Air Force Veteran, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.); Navy Veteran, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas); Army Veteran, Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.); Navy Veteran, Rep. Scott Franklin (R-Fla.); Navy Veteran, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas); Army Veteran, Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-Ariz.); Navy Veteran, Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.); Army Veteran, Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas); Army Veteran, Rep. John James (R-Mich.); Air Force Veteran, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.); Navy Veteran, Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas); Marine Corps Veteran, Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio); Marine Corps Veteran, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.); Navy Veteran, Rep. John McGuire (R-Va.); Army Veteran, Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.); Air Force Veteran, Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa); Air Force Veteran, Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas); Army National Guard Veteran, Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.); and Navy Veteran, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.).
Read the full letter here or below.
Dear Senators,
We are a group of military Veterans now serving in the House of Representatives who voted YES for the House’s September 19th Continuing Resolution. We write to you, fellow Veterans now serving in the United States Senate, who have voted NO on that same resolution multiple times. We hope you receive this letter in the manner in which it is intended: as brothers and sisters in arms, not as partisans.
We all remember what it meant to lead, to follow, and to stand beside those who depended on us. In that same spirit, we respectfully ask that you reconsider your recent vote against the clean, no-partisan-rider funding bill passed by the House of Representatives.
This short-term measure contains no cuts, no policy riders, and no gimmicks. It simply keeps the government open while giving Congress time to responsibly negotiate the twelve long-term appropriations bills. Most importantly, it ensures that our troops, the same men and women with whom we once served, continue to receive their pay without interruption.
We understand that you oppose certain policies in the One Big Beautiful Bill and that you have strong preferences regarding the future of the Affordable Care Act credits. We respect that you have those priorities. But for the sake of our troops, we ask that you vote for the continuing resolution and assert those policy preferences during subsequent discussions and debates that do not interrupt troop pay.
Let us be clear: passing this continuing resolution is not a concession by one side or the other. It is an act of solidarity with those who continue to serve. It is a simple but profound statement that, even in divided times, we remain united behind the people who defend our Nation.
We know that each of us brings our own views on fiscal priorities, but we also know that those who wear the uniform should never be used as leverage in a political stalemate. A clean continuing resolution is the only immediate way to prevent their pay from being withheld.
We urge you, as fellow Veterans and patriots, to stand with us in putting country over politics — to protect those who protect us. Let’s get this government reopened, pay our service members, and continue working out our differences the way Americans always have: through debate, compromise, and shared commitment to the mission.
Sincerely,
