With the lame-duck session underway, U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, (D-N.H., 1st District) is pressing ahead with a bill that would provide additional support for veterans' mental health needs.
The congressman is optimistic that President Donald Trump will sign the bipartisan bill, given his past support for legislation supporting veterans.
"He signed other legislation and issued executive orders on this topic as well, so I think his interest is there," Pappas told Cheddar. "It really should be about doing what's best for the end veteran and not based on politics."
The Veterans COMPACT Act of 2020 aims to improve the transition phase from active duty to veteran status with a more robust network of support services. This would include extending outreach to veterans about existing services, raising awareness among family members, setting up a pilot program to identify service gaps, and eliminating costs for emergency mental health care.
The bill passed unanimously in both the House and Senate.
"This is an issue that is top-of-mind to so many of our policymakers and so many of our veteran service organizations," Pappas said. "We've got to find a way to lower the number of veterans that take their lives by suicide each and every day in this country."
A total of 6,435 U.S. veterans committed sucided in 2018, according to the latest data from the Department of Veteran Affairs, a rate 50 percent higher than for non-veteran adults.
High levels of suicide among veterans have persisted since 2005, even as the demographics of the population have shifted over time.
"The fastest growing group of veterans is women veterans, and they're not necessarily welcomed into VA," he said. "It's a service that was created for a different generation, so we've got to bring into the 21st century."
He'd also like to see a fresh face at the head of the agency. In particular, Pappas said that former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg would be a "transformational choice," but that he looks forward to "working with whoever is chosen by President Biden."
Markets closed the day mixed, and well off their lows of the day following a market meltdown earlier in the session. The Nasdaq staged a comeback late in the day, even amid ongoing worries about the Federal Reserve raising interest rates. Doug Flynn, certified financial planner and co-founder of Flynn Zito Capito, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the markets' close and what's driving the major indexes.
Eli Yokley, Senior Reporter at Morning Consult, joins Cheddar News to discuss how Americans are prioritizing economic issues over the pandemic when it comes to voting.
President Biden's disapproval rating hit a new high in December according to a poll from CNBC and Change Research, as Americans expressed their disapproval over the current state of the economy. This comes just months after the president signed a historic infrastructure bill back in November that was promised to bring a surge of jobs, especially in the manufacturing sector.
Change Research Senior Pollster Nancy Zdunkewicz spoke to Cheddar News about just what is driving the President’s disapproval rating.
As the Omicron variant continues to sweep across the country. The US Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments at the end of this week on whether or not the Biden administration can force private companies to vaccinate or test millions of their employees. In addition, the National Nurses United has spearheaded legal action to protect nurses and health care workers, patients, and the public while on the job. President of the National Nurses Union, Zenei Cortez, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Far too often, Americans are forced to navigate a tangled web of outdated government websites, offices way out of their reach, and hours of time 'on hold' to access the simple government services they depend on. A recent executive order, signed by President Biden, is intended to improve, streamline and modernize the 'customer' experience when accessing government services. Mina Hsiang, the administrator of the United States Digital Service, joins Cheddar News to discuss how the tech workforce is impacted by this executive order.
Today marks one year since the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol. The Country watched as supporters of then-President Trump stormed what was assumed to be the most secure building in the country in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 Election. Several lawmakers, including the Vice President, could be seen ducking down as they feared for their lives. Democratic Michigan Representative Dan Kildee, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Stocks closed lower on Friday as investors continue to worry over rate hikes. John Lynch, CIO of Comerica Wealth Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says value is back in play with investors. Lynch also believes the market has overreacted to the latest Fed minutes, suggesting a bounce-back at some point.
Ben Armstrong, founder of Bitboy Crypto, joins Cheddar News to discuss Bitcoin's downward trend and what's next for crypto after protests in Kazakhstan cause crypto miners to shut down.
Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine joins Cheddar Politics to discuss his lawsuit against the extremist groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers over their role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Josh Pasek, a professor at the University of Michigan and expert on political communication and misinformation, joins Cheddar News to discuss how political radicalization happens and how America got to this point.
