Zeldin's Record: Veterans

NY-01 appreciates both his military service—Rep. Lee Zeldin served for three months as a Legal Advisor with the 82nd Airborne Division as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom—and his local work for veterans during his tenure as a NYS Senator—including the peer support program he established and banning protests at military funerals.

However, since joining Congress Zeldin's votes on national issues have not been in the best interests of veterans and their families—particularly their healthcare and finances.

Below is a sampling of his votes, which are sourced from on publicly available web sites including Congress.gov and Census.gov. For more on Zeldin's votes, visit Lee Zeldin's Record.

DUMPS VETS FOR BANKS. . . . .When first elected to Congress in 2014, Zeldin joined the VA Committee but skipped 65% of hearings on ISIS and Syria. In 2017, when his first term ended, he left to join the Financial Services Committee, which presides over the bank, insurance, securities and housing industries, which are now Zeldin’s top donors with $1,489,846 in contributions as of 6/11/20.

LEAVES SOLDIERS BEHIND. . . . .Zeldin voted to end Medicaid Expansion program even though he (as an Army Lt. Col.) must be aware it's the only healthcare available to about 340,000 veterans nationwide—and that his vote would weaken the coverage of another 1.4 million veterans insured through traditional Medicaid. In fact, only 498 of 30,230 veterans in NY-01 are insured solely by the VA. (HR 1628, Vote #256, 5/4/17)

LET US PREY . . . . .While on the VA Committee, Zeldin voted against a bill to protect the right of veterans to file lawsuits if their mortgages violated anti-predatory lending laws. (HR 1210, RC 636, 11/18/15)

SENDS POST OFFICE PACKING. . . . .Nearly 100,000 veterans work for the U.S. Postal Service, one of the country’s largest employer of veterans. Although it’s in the red due to Covid-19, Zeldin voted against the Heroes Act, which would provide:

• $25 billion to make up for lost revenue,
• Emergency funding for personal protective equipment, and
• Grant premium pay ($13/hr) for all postal employees until 60 days after the pandemic ends. (HR 6800, Vote #109, 5/15/20)