What Does the VFW Do on Capitol Hill?

Apr 14, 2014

Do you ever wonder what the VFW’s office on Capitol Hill does to help our veterans? In the last year alone, VFW’s advocacy efforts in Washington have improved consumer resources for college-bound veterans; preserved military quality-of-life programs like tuition assistance; repealed the back-door dealings to cut military retiree benefits; and reinstated a responsible Stolen Valor law. So why is the VFW’s voice so strong on Capitol Hill? It’s because the VFW enlists the help of a strong network of volunteer veterans’ advocates all across the country called the VFW Action Corps.

The VFW Action Corps is made up of VFW members just like you, who stand ready to call on Congress to do the right thing for our veterans. During the fight to reinstate military retirement benefits, the VFW Action Corps was responsible for more than 30,000 advocacy emails and countless phone calls to every Congressional office on Capitol Hill. One Congressman was so inundated with phone calls from the VFW alone that he called the Washington office personally, asking how he could make it stop. This kind of relentless grassroots advocacy is what gives the VFW the clout to testify before Congress on key veterans’ issues; to flood Capitol Hill twice a year to hand-deliver the VFW’s priorities to every member of Congress; and most importantly, to pass responsible legislation that improves the lives of veterans, like the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, or the VA Family Caregiver Act.

But we can do more. Did you know that today only 37,000 of the VFW’s 1.4 million members are signed up for the VFW Action Corps? Imagine what we could do to help our fellow veterans with the full force of the VFW membership!

If you are not yet signed up as a member of the VFW Action Corps, add your name to our rolls and help us hold Congress accountable. It’s free, and it’s just another way that you, as a VFW member, help to better serve our nation’s veterans. If you’re already a member of the VFW Action Corps, tell your friends to join. It’s open to anyone who cares about veterans or veterans’ issues.

As a member of the VFW Action Corps, you will receive our Washington Weekly electronic newsletter every Friday, highlighting our work on Capitol Hill. You will also receive regular VFW Action Alerts, informing you of key issues and key votes in Congress, and guiding you step-by-step in how you can make a difference. To join the VFW Action Corps today, click here: http://capwiz.com/vfw/mlm/signup.htm