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."
The new year has just gotten underway, but the clock is already ticking for the Democratic-led Congress to pass bills regulating big tech. Evan Greer, Director for Fight For the Future, joins Cheddar News to explain why Democratic lawmakers would want to push legislation now, and what a Republican takeover would mean for the industry.
Americans looking to purchase at-home COVID-19 tests will now have to shell out a bit more money after an agreement expired between the White House and companies to sell the tests at cost. The price of Abbot's BinaxNow test kit from October to December was $14 apiece; on Tuesday, Walmart's website listed the test for $19.88, and Kroger listed the tests for $23.99. Carbon Health Regional Clinical Director Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the impact higher prices will have as the nation experiences another surge in cases.
After the Chicago teachers union voted to work remotely due to what they say is a lack of safety protocols amid the COVID-19 surge, the school system canceled classes on Wednesday, citing harm that remote learning has done to the city's children. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, joined Cheddar to discuss the issues surrounding the latest dispute between educators and schools. She said that the return to in-person learning would likely be halted until more COVID tests could be provided for districts. "This is a terrible situation for everybody, and we need the testing, and we need the masks," she said. "It's the omicron surge that has created this disruption, and we are trying to do the best we can. And this is the only school district that has this kind of action right now." The teachers might not be returning to their schools for at least two weeks amid the ongoing tensions.
Illinois State Senator Robert Martwick joins Cheddar News to discuss the new bill he co-sponsored allowing students in the state to take 5 mental health days without a doctor's note.
On Monday, President Biden announced his new plan to take on inflation by taking down the big meat monopolies - turning to the federal government's antitrust authorities to investigate the major meatpackers that control a significant share of the market. The White House plans to devote one billion dollars to aiding independent meat and poultry producers in an effort to undercut the few powerful meat producers that have control of the sector. Austin Frerick, deputy director of Thurman Arnold Project at Yale, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
As the pandemic drags on, so does the widespread great resignation. In November alone, 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs, marking a new record high, and showing a 9 percent jump from the month prior. On the flip side, the number of people filing tax paperwork to start new businesses is surging, with over 430,000 new businesses launching in November. Rhett Buttle, the founder of Public Private Strategies and national business advisor to the Biden for President campaign, joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is ramping up a civil investigation into The Trump Organization. The AG's office has subpoenaed Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. They have refused to comply with the subpoenas. Bradley Moss, national security attorney, joins Cheddar News to discuss the next steps in this investigation.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has officially reduced the 110-year prison sentence of truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos to 10 years, calling the initial lengthy sentence “unjust.” Dan Gilleon, constitutional attorney at Gilleon Law Firm APC, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Former Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams was sworn in as the newest Mayor of New York City. Adams is now expected to work on a number of issues such as crime and coronavirus. Erin Durkin,, reporter at PoliticoNY, joins Cheddar News to discuss more.
