3 Reasons We Need More Veterans Serving in Congress, Part 1

Press Release

Senator-Soldier Lee Zeldin, Republican and Conservative Party candidate for Congress in New York's First Congressional District, today released the first of a three part series of statements this week on three reasons we need more veterans serving in Congress. Zeldin, who served in Iraq in the Army's elite 82nd Airborne Division and continues to serve as an Army Major in the reserves, released the following statement:

"Due to historic budget cuts and downsizing, the Defense Department has already begun laying off service members, even cutting soldiers close to retirement or deployed. The Obama administration is recklessly reducing troop strength to the lowest level in 74 years.

These layoffs don't just represent poor leadership over the brave men and women making countless sacrifices to honorably serve our country. These cuts to our Defense Department put our nation's security at risk.

Our President and Congress must immediately reverse course in this historic reduction to troop strength. The manner in which these cuts are being implemented also needs to immediately cease. Telling a soldier deployed to Afghanistan that they are being kicked out while they are trying to survive in combat is disgraceful. Booting out a service member close to retirement just to save money is disgusting. This President should be ashamed of himself for these actions.

One important reason why our President and Congress don't fully understand the detrimental effect these cuts will have on our country is because of the lack of veteran representation in Washington. 40 years ago, over 75 percent of Congress was made up of military veterans. Now that number is less than one in five. With our President's weak foreign policy and growing threats all over to our national security, we need more men and women in Congress who have served our country."

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