RELEASE: Mike McFadden, GOP Falsely Attacking Sen. Franken’s Vets Record

McFadden, GOP Falsely Attacking Sen. Franken Vets Record
Investment Banker Virtually Silent on Veterans Issues, Has No Plan

St. Paul [9/12/14]—Minnesota veterans are expressing their disappointment today over investment banker Mike McFadden and the Minnesota Republican Party’s attempts to deceive Minnesotans about Sen. Al Franken’s record of standing up for Minnesota veterans.

“Mike McFadden and the GOP may be entitled to their own opinions – but they are not entitled to their own facts,” said Co-Chair of Veterans for Al, U.S. Army 1st Lt. Trista Matascastillo. “Senator Al Franken has been a champion and true advocate for Minnesota veterans and claims to the contrary are patently false.”

“Other than attacking Senator Franken, Mike McFadden has said nothing about veterans or the issues we care about,” said Co-Chair of Veterans for Al, U.S. Marine Corps Captain Ashwin Madia. “He has offered no policy stances, no plans; there isn’t even a section about veterans on his website.”

“Senator Franken has been an advocate for America’s servicemen and women since long before he was elected,” said Co-Chair of Veterans for Al, U.S. Navy 1st Lt. Jim Judson. “The very first thing he did in the Senate was pass a bill to help veterans suffering with PTSD and that was just the beginning of his work in office for veterans.”

FRANKEN IS WORKING TO REDUCE THE VA BACKLOG. Last year, Franken and Rep. Tim Walz introduced legislation to help speed veterans’ access to benefits and clear the backlog at the VA. [Fargo Forum, 6/28/13]

FRANKEN WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE THE VA TO CHANGE POLICY TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR VIETNAM VETERANS IMPACTED BY AGENT ORANGE TO ACCESS BENEFITS AFTER HEARING FROM MINNESOTANS. After hearing from Minnesota veterans of the Vietnam War who were having trouble accessing benefits connected to their exposure to Agent Orange, Franken reached out to the VA and asked them to improve the process of accessing those benefits. The VA took action in response to Franken’s request and streamlined that process. [Veteran Journal, 7/13/11]

FRANKEN WORKED ACROSS PARTY LINES TO HELP RESTORE BENEFITS FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL, INCLUDING MINNESOTA’S RED BULLS. In 2012, Franken worked with other members of the Minnesota delegation to undo a change made by the Defense Department to the leave time promised to Reservists and Guard Members, including nearly 3,000 members of Minnesota’s Red Bulls, who were already on deployment in Kuwait when DoD tried to make the change. The Duluth News Tribune wrote, “Thanks to the actions and urgings of Klobuchar, Franken, Cravaack and others, the bipartisan legislation (how could it have been anything but bipartisan?) passed and was signed into law this month by President Obama. A wrong was made right. Elected leaders worked well together to fix a problem.” [Duluth News Tribune, Editorial, 5/29/12]

FRANKEN’S FIRST BILL WAS TO ESTABLISH A PROGRAM TO BENEFIT WOUNDED VETERANS BY PAIRING THEM WITH SERVICE DOGS. Franken’s very first bill in the Senate – to pair service dogs with wounded veterans – passed the Senate in October 2009. [Pioneer Press, 10/23/09]

FRANKEN PUSHED THE VA TO ADOPT HIS DIABETES PREVENTION PROGRAM, AND NOW MINNEAPOLIS IS SERVING AS ONE OF THE PILOT CITIES. After adding his bipartisan Diabetes Prevention Act to the Affordable Care Act, Franken went a step further and convinced the VA to adopt the Diabetes Prevention Program in their own health care system. The VA has set up a pilot program for potentially using the DPP across the country, with the Minneapolis VA Medical Center serving as one of the pilot centers. [Detroit Lakes Tribune, Editorial, 3/6/13 (emphasis added)]

FRANKEN HAS SUPPORTED EFFORTS TO HELP RETURNING VETERANS FIND JOBS. Franken strongly supported the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which granted employers a tax credit for hiring out-of-work veterans. Franken called on employers in Minnesota and around the country to take advantage of these tax credits and hire veterans, saying, “With the unemployment rate for Minnesota’s post-9/11 veterans at three times the state average, we have to do everything we can to create jobs for them after their service is done.” [Minnesota Public Radio, 2/28/12]

FRANKEN’S WORK TO HELP THE NEXT GENERATION OF FARMERS INCLUDES RETURNING VETERANS. Franken championed the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers program that was part of the recently passed Farm Bill. That program includes assistance for returning veterans who want to get into farming, but need help getting off the ground. [Faribault Daily News, 10/24/13]

FRANKEN HAS SUPPORTED A REVIEW OF THE WAIT TIME SCANDAL AT THE VA, BACKED BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE THE VA. With the wait list scandal affecting VA facilities around the country, Franken contacted Minnesota VA officials to get the bottom of what was happening in Minnesota, and has supported the investigation into wait times at facilities in Minnesota and around the country. He also strongly supported recently-passed legislation to improve the VA’s ability to provide health care to veterans in a timely fashion and give the VA more authority to hold under-performing officials accountable. [Star Tribune, 5/27/14; Wall Street Journal, 7/31/14]

FRANKEN HAS BEEN WORKING TO IMPROVE HEALTH CARE FOR RURAL VETERANS. Franken has been working to improve access to health care for veterans living in rural areas. He’s introduced and is working to pass bipartisan legislation that would give the VA the tools it needs to ensure veterans who live in rural communities in Minnesota and around the country can access the care they need without having to travel a long distance to a metropolitan area, when they could be getting care from health care professionals right in their own communities. [International Falls Journal, 8/7/13]

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