House Votes to Protect Veteran Preference in Federal Hiring
Washington, DC – Last night, the House approved an amendment to the financial services appropriations bill introduced by Rep. Ruben Gallego that will protect the long-standing veteran preference in federal hiring.
Rep. Gallego’s amendment received the support of the vast majority of the House, with a 409 to 14 vote.
A provision in the 1,700 page Senate defense authorization would have undermined this policy by preventing veterans from benefitting from the preference system if they are already employed by the federal government.
A video of Rep. Gallego’s floor speech can be found here.
Rep. Gallego delivered the following remarks after introducing his amendment:
Mr. Chairman,
I want to begin by thanking my colleagues Congresswoman Kirkpatrick, Congressman Takano and Congressman Aguilar for joining me in offering this amendment.
We strongly believe veterans who served our nation in uniform deserve the chance to serve our nation in the federal government.
Unfortunately, a provision slipped unseen into the 1,700 page Senate defense authorization would severely undermine these policies across the federal government. Specifically, it would prevent veterans from benefiting from the preference system if they are already employed by the federal government.
While this change might seem innocuous, it could have serious negative implications for the men and women who served our nation in uniform. Under the Senate proposal, if a particular federal job isn’t a good fit, or if a veteran wants to move up the ladder at a different agency, he or she will be deprived of this benefit.
Mr. Chairman, this misguided provision was never the subject of a public hearing.
It was never the subject of a public debate.
It was never the subject of a roll call vote in committee or on the Senate floor.
I’m willing to bet the vast majority of our colleagues in the Senate had no idea this language was even in the bill.
America’s veterans deserve better.
We deserve the chance to proudly and publically make our case for veterans preference – a system which has done so much to help courageous Americans returning from war to find good jobs so that they can provide for their families.
That’s why I’m offering this amendment tonight. I want to give the Members of this body the chance to go on record in support of our nation’s veterans.
Mr. Chairman, this issue is deeply personal for me.
When I got back from Iraq, I saw friends and fellow Marines struggle to find employment and to get on with their lives. I personally witnessed the physical and emotional toll that joblessness can take on veterans struggling to readjust to civilian life.
Simply put, the Senate language is a step in the wrong direction. After years of painful progress in combating economic distress and homelessness among our veterans, now is not the time to dilute a system which has proven highly successful in promoting veteran employment.
The American people recognize that we owe an immense debt of gratitude to the brave men and women who fought for our freedom. Many of them left their civilian lives behind for months—or even years—to risk their lives in defense of our nation.
The veterans preference system helps create a fair playing field for veterans by compensating them for the time they spent fighting overseas instead of working in government or the private sector.
Instead of getting masters degrees, veterans were going door-to-door looking for insurgents. While other civilians built their resumes in civilian jobs, our men and women in uniform put in time away from family, in dangerous situations, with little monetary compensation.
Veterans are not asking for a hand out. We have earned this preference through the blood, sweat and tears we have shed for our country.
Mr. Speaker, this provision sends the wrong message to our troops.
It establishes the wrong policy for our government.
And it sets the wrong precedent for our future.
On behalf of America’s veterans, I urge every Member to support this amendment.