Kissell: "My opponent will evidently stop at nothing to retain a seat he's clearly lost the right to hold when it comes to representing our veterans. Hayes' cut and run on veterans last year was bad enough, but to try this posturing now is reprehensible."

Thursday, June 29, 2006

BISCOE, N.C. – It is a good thing for our soldiers that election time is coming. Congressman Robin Hayes after years of seeing our soldiers coming home with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is finally asking for more help for our soldiers with PTSD, now that election time is here.

Congressman Hayes has a record of being the deciding vote on important issues. Another one of his unconscionable deciding votes was last year. In May 2005, Hayes voted against an amendment to the Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs funding bill to add $53 million for veterans' health care and other benefits. The amendment would have added $8 million for combat-related trauma care, $6 million for poly-trauma centers to support wounded troops once they return to their homes, $9 million for VA medical and prosthetic research and $7 million for 100 additional staff who process claims for compensation and pension benefits. Finally, the amendment would have provided $23 million to help approximately 4,100 spouses of service members with children whose spouse died during the War on Terrorism between September 11, 2001 and November 30, 2004 by making them eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. The amendment failed, 213-214 with Hayes casting another deciding vote against the people of his district. (HR 2528 vote #224)

Other NC Congressmen who represent our region didn't let us down, with Republican Congressman Walter Jones and Democrats Etheridge, McIntyre, Price, and Miller all voting for this important amendment.

Hayes' press release this week touting a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson requesting sufficient funding to provide screening and rehabilitative programs for veterans experiencing symptoms of PTSD comes a little late for the four-term incumbent that has earned a zero rating from the Disabled America Veterans (DAV) the past 3 years.

"My opponent will evidently stop at nothing to retain a seat he's clearly lost the right to hold when it comes to representing our veterans. Hayes' cut and run on veterans last year was bad enough, but to try this posturing now is reprehensible. Our veterans deserve more help than his tardy letter and self-serving press release," said challenger Kissell.

Larry Kissell, Montgomery County school teacher and 27 year veteran of the local textile industry, was recently endorsed by the Veterans' Alliance for Security and Democracy (VETPAC).