Press Release: Veteran Action Challenges VFW, DAV to Public Debate on the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
VA MISSION Act architect Darin Selnick will debate any representative the bill’s opponents choose
The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (TCAVA) combines 62 bipartisan veterans bills, including the Veterans’ ACCESS Act, the Major Richard Star Act and the Love Lives On Act, into a single package. The House is expected to vote on it in early November, after the midterm elections.
Ahead of that vote, a social media campaign by people affiliated with the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans is telling veterans the bill takes away the benefits they receive now. Both organizations oppose the bill, warning that it reduces benefits for future disabled veterans. A public debate puts the facts in front of veterans before Congress decides.
Veteran Action is challenging the VFW and DAV to that debate. Darin Selnick, a Veteran Action senior adviser and the architect of the VA MISSION Act of 2018, represents Veteran Action. Each opponent may choose its own representative.
The opponents’ claims do not match the bill. Section 108 updates VA’s rating criteria for sleep apnea and tinnitus on future claims and leaves existing ratings in place. Yet the VFW and DAV are using Section 108 to intimidate lawmakers. VFW social media ads show veterans facing a firing squad of men in suits.
“The VFW and DAV have been caught blatantly lying about key facts of TCAVA, often in private meetings with lawmakers,” says Selnick. “If they believe the bill harms veterans, they can make that case in the open, across a table from me, with veterans watching. I will debate anyone they send.”
The terms are simple. The opponents pick their debaters. Veteran Action accepts any neutral moderator and any venue, on air or in person. The debate takes place before Congress votes on the bill. If the opponents decline, Selnick debates an empty chair and goes through the key elements of the bill one by one.
Selnick is an Air Force veteran. He served as veterans affairs adviser on the White House Domestic Policy Council and as senior adviser to two VA secretaries.
“Nobody understands veteran health care better than Darin Selnick,” says Mark Lucas, founder of Veteran Action. “He was the key architect behind the VA MISSION Act of 2018. We name our debater. The VFW and DAV can name theirs.”
About Veteran Action
Veteran Action is an organization that advocates for America First policies that strengthen national security and provide unwavering support for America’s veterans.