Fighting for Veterans

Peter strongly believes the cost of any war must includes the cost of supporting and caring for our veterans and their families.
- Boost funding for the Veterans Administration and its services
- Expand the groundbreaking Vermont National Guard outreach program
- Expand small business creation opportunities for veterans
- Provide tax credits to businesses hiring veterans
- Increase funding to end veteran homelessness
- Ensure access to VA services for veterans exposed to burn pits
More on Fighting for Veterans
WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives has approved two appropriations bills that include four initiatives championed by Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.). The bills, H.R. 2740 and H.R. 3055, fund the operations of various federal agencies for fiscal year 2020.
The following approved Welch amendments boost funding for programs supporting the dairy and maple industries, assist veterans suffering from exposure to military burn pits, and promote economic development in communities along the U.S.-Canadian border:
MONTPELIER, Vt. – Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today presented Mr. Albert Besser of Morrisville with the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his heroic service as part of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor that Congress can award to a civilian.
Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott and Congressman Peter Welch will represent Vermont at the christening of the USS Vermont on Saturday, October 20 in Groton, Connecticut.
The Virginia-class submarine will commemorate the history between the U.S. Navy and the State of Vermont. It will be the third vessel named after the state in the history of the U.S. Navy.
WASHINGTON (THURSDAY, April 19, 2018) – Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), joined by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.), announced a $792,000 grant to bring the medical records system at the Vermont Veterans’ Home in Bennington into the 21st century. The grant meets a longstanding priority of the Bennington facility and was made possible by new funding for veterans in the bipartisan budget agreement reached by Congress in February. Leahy, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, played a leading role in those negotiations.
Jon Skates, former Rutland alderman, is retired from the U.S. Navy, where he served in the submarine service. Now, he’s in a managerial role at Casella Waste Management.
Skates said he was worried his military training wouldn’t transfer into the civilian workforce and he would have difficulty landing a job.
Now, a proposed bill in Congress would give tax incentives to hire veterans like Skates.
U.S. Rep. Peter Welch said on Sunday that he was “outraged” by last week’s revelation that the National Security Agency had secretly collected information from data centers operated by Google and Yahoo.
“This is a rogue organization,” Welch, D-Vt., said of the NSA while standing in the lobby of the White River Junction VA. “It’s long overdue for review.”
U.S. Rep. Peter Welch said on Sunday that he was “outraged” by last week’s revelation that the National Security Agency had secretly collected information from data centers operated by Google and Yahoo.
“This is a rogue organization,” Welch, D-Vt., said of the NSA while standing in the lobby of the White River Junction VA. “It’s long overdue for review.”