Tester says Trump hasn’t met with veteran service groups

Missoula Current

Sen. Jon Tester on Thursday said the leaders of several military and veterans organizations told him they have not yet been granted a meeting with President Donald Trump to discuss their legislative priorities.

Tester, a ranking member of the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, said the veteran representatives have tried to meet the president to discuss a number of issues, though the president has declined the meeting.

“Congress and this administration should be taking its cues from America’s veterans,” Tester said on Thursday. “I welcome the opportunity to work with veterans service organizations and every member of Congress to make sure that veterans have timely access to the highest quality of care at the VA and in their communities.”

During Thursday's committee hearing, Tester said he asked every leader representing a veteran service organization if they'd had an opportunity to meet with the president.

Tester said each of them responded that they had not.

The veteran organizations present at the meeting included the Association of the United States Navy, the American Veterans and the Gold Star Wives. The Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Wounded Warrior Project and Vietnam Veterans of America were also represented.

Before the president’s inauguration, Tester asked Trump to sit down with veterans service organizations before making any major decisions regarding veterans’ issues.