Congressman Chris Deluzio Named to Veterans’ Affairs Committee for the 118th Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) announced he has been named to serve on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs in the 118th Congress. A U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Congressman Deluzio was commissioned as an active-duty Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy. His military service included three deployments, including a tour of duty with a U.S. Army Civil Affairs unit in Iraq. He proudly receives his health care at the VA and will continue to do so while serving in Congress.

“It is an honor to be appointed to the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and have the chance to fight for my fellow veterans and for a fully funded and staffed Department of Veterans Affairs,” said Congressman Deluzio. “Our country has a sacred obligation to care for those who wore the uniform, whether in peacetime or at war — I intend to work hard on the committee to make sure that our government keeps its promise. And I will work with Democrats and Republicans alike to deliver for my fellow veterans and those who care for us at the VA in Western Pennsylvania and across the country.”

Congressman Deluzio will be a powerful advocate for the tens of thousands of veterans in Pennsylvania’s 17^th Congressional District, which houses both the H. John Heinz III Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Beaver County VA Outpatient Clinic. As a fellow veteran, and one who faced toxic burn pit exposure in Iraq like so many others, he will focus on effective implementation of the PACT Act, which significantly improved benefits and health care for veterans exposed to toxic substances in uniform. Additionally, Congressman Deluzio will work to protect and fully fund and staff the VA and will stand strong against efforts to privatize the Department and profit from veterans’ care.

“The veterans of the 17th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and this great nation should rest assured that Representative Deluzio will work hard for us,” said Craig Romanovich, Chair of the Allegheny/Fayette Chapter of the Union Veterans Council. “As an Iraq veteran, he knows what returning servicemembers need and have earned. I am sure he will work diligently for the veteran community with his appointment to this committee.”

The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs is the authorizing committee for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and has jurisdiction over veterans’ measures generally.

Congressman Deluzio has also been appointed to the House Armed Services Committee this Congress.

###