Presence and Persistence during the Government Shutdown

BY PETE PETERSON, CHAIR

When most people think “government affairs,” they picture lobbyists walking the halls of Congress, advocating for bills, and securing votes. And yes, that is a central part of what Vietnam Veterans of America’s Government Affairs Department does. Lobbying is still one of our greatest strengths.

But the work we do is much more than the sum of legislative meetings and policy memos. We focus on building relationships, defending our reputation, and relentlessly engaging with elected officials. We aim to ensure that veterans’ voices are represented throughout every level of government, even when the government itself is shut down.

In the third quarter of 2025, our team conducted more than 60 meetings and briefings with members of Congress. We also took part in five Military Coalition sessions and four joint White House and Pentagon meetings on the topic of Gulf War toxic exposures. This helped get official recognition of Gulf War Illness by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a major milestone for thousands of veterans.

Even amid the government shutdown, Government Affairs did not pause. With congressional hearings mostly canceled, our focus shifted from active lobbying to working on broader dimensions of advocacy. The team coordinated closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs, working on issues such as advancing the modernization of their QuickSubmit tool to ease benefit applications. We took part in legislative updates with the VA’s Veterans Benefits Administration and kept a presence in multiple interagency discussions.

The cultivation of partnerships continues to be of vital importance Over the last quarter, we accomplished much in this arena, including strengthening inter-VSO collaboration through our monthly VSO luncheons; engaging more than 40 non-traditional coalition partners in industries such as banking, transportation, and energy to expand hiring of transitioning veterans; and supporting national commemorative initiatives such as America 250 and Flag Sojourn 250. These efforts keep veterans visible and central to America’s national conversation, even when legislative work slows.

At the same time, core lobbying functions continue. We are actively tracking more than 50 bills and directly supporting more than 20 bipartisan legislative priorities in the House and Senate. Our efforts were instrumental in increasing backing for the Donut Dollies Congressional Gold Medal Act, which now has 41 co-sponsors in the House. Additionally, we coordinated 50 executive-level communications with Congress, the White House, the Department of Defense, and the VA.

Since August, VVA President Tom Burke has recognized four members of Congress with VVA Legislator of the Year awards for their leadership on behalf of veterans: Reps. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) and Mark Takano (D-Calif), and Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).

Equally significant, our grassroots support from members remained strong, as we sent 2,379 constituent messages to Congress through VVA’s Legislative Action Center in just three months.

We in Government Affairs pride ourselves on presence and persistence. This means being in the room when others are not, upholding credibility when politics stalls, and ensuring that policymakers, agencies, and fellow VSOs see VVA as a dependable, informed, and respected partner.

Even when Washington shuts down, this truth remains: Advocacy does not stop when government does.

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