Clinton Unveils Plans for VA

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets audience members following a veterans roundtable discussion with the Truman National Security Project at the VFW Hall in Derry, New Hampshire November 10, 2015. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

On Tuesday, Hillary Rodham Clinton attended a round table event with the Truman National Security Project in Derry, New Hampshire. During the event, Clinton outlined her plans to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a department that has been heavily scrutinized for its outdated practices and massive backlog. Clinton said, “These problems are serious, systemic and unacceptable. They need to be fixed and they need to be fixed now.” She made it clear that the VA and its processes would not be privatized, but modernized in a way that honors the commitment of the veterans it serves. Clinton then spoke to veterans in attendance and answered to their questions while listening to their concerns. A video from the event will be posted when/if available.

Clinton’s plan is complex and contains multiple facets. The Clinton campaign released a full outline of the plan, and key points are below. CLICK HERE to read the full plan.

• Ensure that Veterans have access to timely and quality health care
• Create a new framework for heath care delivery by the VHA
  • Refocus as a veteran-centric provider of service-connected care
  • Synchronize and coordinate VHA benefits with other programs
  • Strategically purchase private-sector care
  • Establish a VHA Strategic Oversight and Governance Board
• Ensure better communication between the Department of Defense (DoD) and VA
  • Streamline the DoD-VA health care footprint
  • Synchronize procurement to find cost savings
  • Streamline VA and DoD IT Systems
• Improve healthcare for women at the VHA
  • New funding to ensure women equal and respectful access to health services
  • Requiring the provision of reproductive services
  • Broadening initiatives to provide childcare at VA medical facilities
• End the veteran suicide epidemic
  • Increase funding for metal health providers and training
  • Expand programs targeted at providing effective mental heath treatment
  • Promoter better prescriber and treatment practices
  • Ensure that Military Sexual Trauma is acknowledged as a valid form of PTS
  • Encourage state VA departments to include mental health programs
  • Provide proper legal assistance to review and upgrade other than honorable discharge categorizations for those separated from service due to service-connected mental health and cognitive issues, such as TBI, PTS, and addiction
• Continue to identify and treat invisible, latent, and toxic wounds of war
  • Maintain presumptions of service for latent and invisible connected wounds from the Vietnam War, Gulf War, Iraq war, and Afghanistan war
  • Expand the current VA burn pit registry
  • Dedication research funding and provide mechanisms for collaborative efforts to improve veteran treatments
• End disability benefits and appeals backlog
  • Streamline and simplify the claims process
  • Improve the VA’s partnership with the DoD
  • Launch an Innovation Initiative to develop innovative solutions for sustainably managing the claims and appeals process
• Bring sustained and focused White House leadership to attention
  • Create a standing President’s Council on Veterans
  • Conduct an end-to-end evaluation to optimize the full scope of benefits afforded to our veterans
  • Convene a White House Summit on Veterans
  • Continue to engage private and philanthropic sectors
• Support and broaden initiatives that provide educational benefits, job training, and support for veteran entrepreneurs.
  • Make the post-9/11 GI Bill part of the nation’s social contract with those who serve
  • Expand tax credit for veterans’ employment
  • Improve concurrent certification and credentialing programs
  • Strengthen veteran entrepreneurship programs
  • Create pathways and platforms for service member to enter growing career fields
• Protect veterans
  • Fight back against schools that prey on veterans and the GI Bill
  • Enforce zero tolerance for firms that overcharge service members and veterans
  • Strengthen non-discrimination laws
• Move decisively to end veteran homelessness
  • Increase funding for reducing homelessness while expanding public-private partnerships
  • Expand complementary programs and services
  • Address the needs of homeless women veterans and homeless veteran families
• Support Veterans Treatment Courts nationally
• Recognize the honorable service of LGBT veterans
• Create a culture of accountability, service, and excellence
  • Hold every employee accountable for their performance and conduct
  • Revamp the performance evaluation system
  • Bolster critical whistleblower protections
• Provide budgetary certainty
• Ensure our veterans are buried with the honor, distinction, and integrity they deserve
• Support smart compensation and benefits reform
  • Ensure reforms to military compensation and retirement benefits improve readiness for quality of life
  • Modernize the military health system
• Adopting modern and inclusive personnel policies
  • Attracting millennials to military service
  • Zero-tolerance for Military Sexual Assault and Harassment
  • Welcoming women to compete for all military positions
  • Supporting the DoD policy review on transgender service
• Promote family policies
  • Increase access to child care
  • Create flexibility around military moves
  • Expand military spouse employment initiatives
• Champion efforts to care for our military members and families
  • Ensure continued focus on mental health for military members and their families
  • Remain committed to extended leave policies
  • Continue to support Gold Star Families

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: The Wall Street Journal, The Briefing

Clinton Campaigns in South Carolina

Yesterday, Hillary Rodham Clinton attended two campaign events in South Carolina. The first was a town hall event in Orangeburg that was held on the campus of Claflin University. The event was hosted by the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus and moderated by Roland Martin. Martin and Clinton discussed the new unemployment figures, her plans to improve the infrastructure and raise incomes, the reclassification of marijuana, and charter schools. After their initial discussion, Martin opened the floor to questions from those in attendance. A full video from the event is below and available on CSPAN.

Clinton then went to Columbia where she was the keynote speaker at an event hosted by SC Equality, a group that has fought for equal rights for the LGBT community. During her speech, Clinton vowed to pass the federal Equality Act expanding civil rights laws to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. She told the story of a transgender South Carolina teen who was forced to remove her makeup and “look male” for her drivers license photo. The teen, Chase Culpepper, fought for the rules to be changed. Clinton praised Culpepper for her bravery and credited SC Equality for laying the groundwork necessary to allow her to stand up for her rights. A video from the event will be posted when/if available.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: Politico, The Washington Post, The State

Clinton Attends Chicago Fundraisers

Clinton attends a private fundraiser in Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania in July.

On Monday, Hillary Rodham Clinton returned to her hometown of Chicago where she attended three private fundraisers. The first fundraiser was hosted by Tanya and Michael Polsky, who have hosted fundraisers in the past. Polsky is the founder of Invenergy. The second event was hosted by the Chicago Legal Community and took place at the Hyatt Regency. Clinton was introduced at the event by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The final fundraiser of the day was held in Evanston and hosted by Fred Eychaner, Eric Janssen, Laura and Brooke Ricketts, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, and Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl. As with all private fundraisers, the events were closed to the press.

Tomorrow, Clinton returns to Iowa for a town hall event. For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: Chicago Sun-Times

Clinton Returns to New Hampshire

On Friday, Hillary Rodham Clinton was back in New Hampshire for two events. The first was a town hall on the campus of Keene State College. A long topic of conversation during the 80 minute event was gun control. Clinton answered several questions about her plans and the difference between her and her rivals. In addition, Clinton was also asked about her opposition to the Glass-Steagall Act, her views on LGBT discrimination, and other aspects of her platform. A full video from the town hall is available on C-SPAN.

Clinton then went to a grass roots even in Nashua where she spoke a number of her key plans, but she focused on Afghanistan and President Barack Obama’s plans to extend US presence. That means that his successor will have to address what to do with troop levels in Afghanistan. She did not provide any specific plans for Afghanistan at this point, but she said, “We have invested a lot of blood and a lot of treasure in trying to help that country and we can’t afford for it to become an outpost of the Taliban and ISIS one more time, threatening us, threatening the larger world.”

Tomorrow, Clinton is scheduled to appear at the Alabama Democratic Conference. For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: Boston Herald, ABC News

Clinton Unveils Gun Control Plan During NH Town Hall

Hillary Rodham Clinton laid out her plans to combat gun violence today during a town hall event on the campus of Manchester Community College in Manchester, New Hampshire. Clinton’s plan, which was also released in a post on The Briefing, contains many parts to help cut down the 33,000 deaths every year that occur because of guns and to combat the fact that 20% – 40% of gun purchases in the United States are completed without a background check. Clinton calls for comprehensive background check reform, closing the “Charleston Loophole,” which allows a gun purchase to continue if a background check is not complete after three days, and to introduce tighter restrictions on internet and gun show sales.

Clinton vowed to fight the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other lobbying efforts to curb gun control. She would repeal the “Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act,” a law that protects gun manufacturers and dealers from being held responsible for the violence their guns commit. She is also calling for stricter regulations and more frequent inspects of gun dealers.

Clinton argued that checking a person’s background is key to ensuring whether they should own a gun. She vowed to support legislation which would prevent domestic abusers from buying and possessing guns, make “straw purchasing” (buying a gun for someone who is a convicted felon) a federal crime, improve existing regulations to ensure guns stay out of the hands of those who are mentally ill, and renew the ban on military-style assault weapons. Clinton points out that a lot of what she proposes is not new, but existing legislation is either extremely weak or was allowed to expire. She spoke strongly during the event, but she broke down for moment when she introduced, Nicole Hockley, the mother of a child killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. She is now the executive director of the group Sandy Hook Promise.

She vowed to make gun control a top priority because too many people have died as a result of weak laws. She said, “It’s time for us to say, ‘Wait a minute, we’re better than this, our country is better than this, and there are steps we can take that improve gun safety and further prevention of violence. We haven’t done what we need to do to try and make our children safe. That’s what’s behind the proposals I’m making. They’re not new — there’s nothing unique about them other than that I’m so determined to do everything I possibly can.”

A full video from the town hall event is available on C-SPAN.

Tomorrow, Clinton begins a two day campaign trip to Iowa where she is schedule to take place in four events. For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: The New York Times, International Business Times, The Briefing

Clinton Participates in Today Show Town Hall

Today, Hillary Rodham Clinton was in New Hampshire where she participated in a town hall event that was broadcast live on NBC’s Today Show. During the event, which took place in Hollis, she was asked a number of questions by host Savannah Guthrie. They discussed her poll numbers, her email, and the politicization of the House Benghazi Committee. Then, the microphone was turned over to those in attendance. Clinton was asked questions about a number of topics including whether she would consider being vice president, her favorite drink, her thoughts about Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump, and her plan to combat gun violence, a plan that she laid out in more detail during a town hall event later in the day. A number of clips from this morning’s show are below.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: TV Guide, Today

Clinton Attends Events in Massachusetts

Hillary Rodham Clinton attended a number of events across Massachusetts today. She began by attending a private fundraiser at the home of Linda Mason and Roger Brown in Belmont. Following the event, Clinton went to Boston where she hosted a substance abuse community forum. She has held a number of round table discussions in the Northeast to discuss drug abuse and has used the information to form her drug policy platform. She has stressed that substance abuse should be treated as a disease. Clinton said, “If you have heart disease, cancer, diabetes, you can find a place and you should be able to find a place, and I want substance abuse put on the same level. It saves people’s lives. There’s nothing more important. Save somebody’s life. Give somebody a second chance.”

This evening, Clinton attended a private fundraiser hosted by Boston for Hillary. The press was not in attendance for the private events, but if/when a video from the round table discussion is available, it will be posted.

Tomorrow, Clinton will take part in several events in Florida before attending the Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner and appearing on Saturday Night Live on Saturday. For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: WWLP, WTOL, The Boston Herald

Clinton Attends Silicon Valley Fundraisers

Clinton Attends a Private Fundraiser in Park City, Utah

On Monday, Hillary Rodham Clinton attended three private fundraisers in the San Francisco area. The first fundraiser was held at the Saratoga home of Talat and Kamil Hasan. Hasan is a partner at Granite Hill Capital Partners. The second fundraiser was held at the home of Tracey Turner, the founder of MicroPlace. She then attended a fundraiser hosted by Joni Binder and Robert Shwarts. Binder and Shwarts were major Clinton backers in 2008.

Finally, on Tuesday, she completed her trip by attending a breakfast event hosted by Michael and Xochi Birch, founders of Bebo (which they later sold to AOL). Silicon Valley is a major fundraising area for Clinton and all the presidential candidates. As with all private event, the fundraisers were closed to the press.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: Re/Code

Clinton in New Hampshire – Day 2

On Friday, Hillary Rodham Clinton attended two events in New Hampshire. The first event was a town hall at the University of New Hampshire in Durham where she focused on college affordability. Clinton’s college affordability plan would allow students to attend a state school without accumulating debt. During the event, Clinton received the endorsement of New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan. A video from the town hall will be posted when available, until then, a local news report is below.

Clinton then attended a Democratic Party dinner event this evening in Plymouth. During her remarks, Clinton took shots at Republican presidential candidates. She also referred to attacks on her time as Secretary of State that were leveled by Republicans during their debate on Wednesday. Clinton said, “I’m going to send them all a copy of my book. I’m going to tell them to either read the chapters about how I put together the coalition who imposed sanctions on Iran, or maybe how I negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas or, you know, maybe how I got a blind dissident out of China when China didn’t want to let him go — just to give them some information.” A video from tonight’s event will be posted when/if available.

Tomorrow, Clinton wraps up her trip to New Hampshire in Manchester before going to Washington, D.C. to attend the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Dinner. For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: NBC News, WMUR, Business Insider

Clinton Stops in Portland, Maine

Hillary Clinton waves to supporters during a campaign event on Friday, Sept. 18, at King Middle School in Portland.

On Friday, Hillary Rodham Clinton made a campaign stop in Portland, Maine. Speaking at an event at King Middle School, Clinton spoke about a wide variety of topics, and she attacked Republicans for calling for failed policies of the past. She also spoke about investing in green energy and choosing Supreme Court justices. Yesterday in New Hampshire, Clinton spoke at length about her plans to help those suffering from addiction. She, again, addressed the issue because heroin is an issue in the northeast. She said, “I did not think I’d be talking about substance abuse in my presidential campaign until I started campaigning. Everywhere I go, people ask me, ‘what are you going to do about the heroin epidemic?’” A full video of the event is below.

Today, Clinton also made two stops in New Hampshire. Full coverage of those events will be posted later. Tomorrow, Clinton has one stop in New Hampshire before going to Washington, D.C. to attend the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Dinner. For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: Bangor Daily News