Press Releases

Bilirakis (second from left) is presented the "Legislator of the Year" award by NAMI Pasco County.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Gus Bilirakis, Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, released the following statement on a recent Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General report detailing the continued problems plaguing the Phoenix VA Health Care System. The report reveals that Veterans are still waiting too long for care at the facility, and the delays may have contributed to the death of at least one Phoenix-area veteran.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, introduced a resolution today calling on Great Britain to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece. The Marbles were removed from Greece 200 years ago by Thomas Bruce, seventh Earl of Elgin and transported to Great Britain. The Marbles were part of a frieze that wrapped around the Temple of Athena. In 1816, the British Parliament voted to purchase the Marbles and they now reside in the British Museum.

The House Veterans Affairs Committee today advanced legislation to improve the delivery of health care and protection of benefits for our nation’s Veterans. All 11 bills passed favorably out of the full Committee.

The Committee approved the following eleven bills:

Washington, D.C.– Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12) and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, yesterday hosted a joint meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt, ahead of his swearing in on September 28, to discuss the future of Greece and the relationship between Greece and the United States. Representatives Lee Zeldin (NY-01), Dina Titus (NV-01), Niki Tsongas (MA-03), Anna Eshoo (CA-18) and John Sarbanes (MD-03) also joined the meeting.

The U.S. House of Representatives today advanced legislation to provide greater accountability within the Department of Veterans Affairs and reforms to the disability appeals process.

H.R. 5620, the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act, legislation Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) cosponsored, passed by a vote of 310 - 116.

Washington, D.C. – Last week, Congressman Bilirakis was invited to join a joint hearing by the Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology's Subcommittee on Energy to hear from the administration regarding the increasingly important energy priorities in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean regions.

The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee held an oversight hearing to examine VA’s misuse of employee settlement agreements. Today’s hearing gave members the opportunity to examine the department’s practice of using employee settlement agreements and whether such benefit outweighs the costs to taxpayers and our nation’s Veterans.