The Senate approved a bill that would end a Civil-War era policy barring veterans from hiring lawyers to seek benefits unless they have exhausted the VA claims process. Veterans Affairs officials had tried to dissuade lawmakers from pursuing the legislation. If approved by the House, the bill (S. 2694) also would make changes to the Montgomery G.I. Bill, allowing for accelerated benefits for high-cost, short-term training for certain jobs. It also includes a provision to remove the “ashes of convicted double murderer Russell Wagner from Arlington National Cemetery,” according to a statement from Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard have deployed to Puerto Rico in recent days, continuing a major buildup of U.S. Air Force assets in Latin America aimed at combating drug trafficking and pressuring the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
