The Commonwealth of Virginia has one of the larger military and veteran populations in the continental United States. It is not uncommon for the most contested debates within Virginia Congressional races centering around Virginia's economic dependence upon the military and veterans who reside within the State. Many of these issues center around military and defense spending but also in recent years we have seen debates over healthcare, VA funding and coming up gun control will certainly be a significant issue that may impact veteran voting in 2020.
As of 2014, the Commonwealth of Virginia is home to 720,000 veterans out of a population of 8.5 million residents. The nation is home to 18.8 million veterans or about 7.6% of the U.S. populations. Many of these veterans retire and live in the eastern region of Virginia which is home to the Norfolk Naval bases and military installations located in the Virginia House District VA-2 held by freshman Representative Elaine Luria (D). Luria defeated incumbent Scott Taylor (R) in a tight race 51-49 backed in large part by the urban areas of Norfolk City (60-40), Williamsburg City (71-28) and large Democrat turnout in Virginia Beach City 51-49. Luria however, is not the only Democrat Representative in Virginia with significant veteran or active duty military populations impacted by the recent Nation Defense Authorization Act 2020 passed by the House of Representatives.
The Virginia Veteran population breakdown by conflict as of 2017: (rounded)
223,000 First Gulf War
214,000 Vietnam
195,000 Second Gulf War
44,000 Korea
22,000 World War II
The Act not only directly impacts the lives of active duty military but also hundreds of thousands of jobs filled by "civilians" working with the military as well as defense contractors and services especially in Northern Virginia region and the Eastern Region of the Commonwealth.
So it begs the question what is the reality of many of the provisions endorsed by the Democrat Congressional Delegation regarding the National Defense Authorization Act 2020? The Act itself is massive 733 billion dollar piece of legislation with some 58 Amendments to the bill itself endorsed by every House Democrat representing Virginia to include the following: #vapolitics #vablue
Elaine Luria VA-2 #Luria #VA02
Bobby Scott VA-3
Donald McEachin VA-4
Abigail Spanberger VA-7 #SpanbergerWatch #Spanberger #VA07
Donald Beyer VA-8
Jennifer Wexton VA-10
Gerald Connolly VA-11
None of the Virginia Republican Congressional Delegation supported the NDAA along with eight other Democrats and one independent from outside the Commonwealth of Virginia. #ndaa
The House of Representative version of the Act was roughly 17 million dollars less than the Senate version and included various Amendments that in truth had little to do with "national defense" and more to do with national politics.
Many should remember the correlation Democrats in Virginia are making between President Obama and President Trumps's campaign promises. Obama promised to close GITMO (Guantanamo Bay, Cuba) and yet at least two of the potential Democrat nominees today to run for President opposed Obama on at least two occasions regarding closure funding. Both Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren opposed measures in the Senate while both Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Amy Klobuchar supported Obama's proposals. Ultimately Obama did not fulfill his campaign promises to close GITMO. #gitmo
Now almost three years later, Democrats seek to ensure that President Trump's campaign promise to "build the wall" is unrealized. To Democrats its about politics not national defense or security. Democrats in Virginia have made their views heard loud and clear with vote after vote regarding any attempt to fund the wall, complete the wall or increase border security. Some appear to endorse the elimination of Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) all together. #ICE
The annual remembrance of 9/11 is upon us. Lets remember that in the context of reviewing just some of the measures approved by the 116th Congress and Virginia Democrats who frankly very well may face judgement by many voters in 2020 that are not aligned with exactly what the Virginia Democrats actually supported with their vote for the NDAA 2020.
Democrats have long sought to close GITMO which currently houses 40 terror detainees. In fact, Democrats authorized the elimination of restrictions of detaining "terror" captures within U.S. borders. They no longer wish to have terror detainees housed in Camp VI on the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba but prefer to have such detainees moving forward housed within our borders.
Representative Adam Smith (D-WA) has endorsed the measure wholeheartedly and in fact prefers the closure of the facility and removal of detainees to facilities in the United States. Virginia Democrats agree.
The Virginia Democrats listed above endorsed the Act and Amendments that included measures that "restrict" the Executive Branch from action. Democrats used the National Defense Authorization Act to send a political message to Republicans in a number of areas that frankly the mainstream media is failing to cover because the measures are clearly controversial to many Americans including active duty military families and veterans.
Virginia Democrats endorsing the Act supported: #vadems #vademocrats
1. Prohibiting the sale of munitions to our allies in the Middle East combating terror and the Houthi regime in Yemen #Houthi
* After two years of criticizing Trump for not establishing coalitions with allies Virginia Democrats seek to eliminate funding that permit allies to fight the war on terror and very well could result in the U.S. having to commit forces in coming years. Meanwhile the humanitarian crisis continues.
2. Prohibiting the Executive from deploying Troops on the Southern Border of the United States in cases of emergency or declaration #openborders
* Both President Bush and Obama sent troops to the southern border. So Democrats support restricting the National Guards in States like Texas, Arizona and California activation to protect citizens along the border.
3. Decreased funding for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) by 16.8 billion
* Democrats routinely criticize Trump for making country "less safe and vulnerable" as result of his diverting funds to border yet decrease spending on overseas operations to combat terror worldwide
4. Prohibit the Defense Department from housing a foreign national detained or delivered by ICE.
* restricts military from housing a terror detainee captured at the border attempting to enter the country illegally to commit a planed attack on America
5.Prohibits the Defense Department from housing or treating medically unaccompanied children detained at border #humantraffiking
* Democrats have criticized Trump and ICE for its care of illegal immigrants yet with 11,000 unaccompanied children detained at border without adults wants to live these children in hands of the very organization they claim are not performing meanwhile U.S. Military installations have far superior facilities and healthcare
6. Virginia Democrats failed to approve Amendment to increase Military personnel pay by 4%
Thus, in endorsing the National Defense Authorizations Act of 2020, Virginia Democrats have in effect passed measures that very well leave Americans "less safe and vulnerable" as they have used the ACT to address political differences with the Trump over the national defense and national security of the United States.
Democrats have sought to prevent Trump from securing the border at every step the past two years and furthermore have now thwarted operations in the Middle East with eliminating additional contingency funding, left our allies unsupported in operations against Islamic fundamentalists bent on death and destruction in Yemen including mass genocide of women and children and denying our military who has born the brunt of the war on terror the last twenty years while many of these Virginia Democrats have sacrificed nothing.
#Spanberger #ElaineLuria #VA07 #VA7 #VA10 #VA02 #Supportthetroops #veterans #VaDemocrats
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