Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) has cosponsored H.R. 2794, which will order the creation of a Forever Stamp in honor of members of our Armed Forces who are still imprisoned or missing. It is tragic when an American soldier is held prisoner by enemy forces. According to the Department of Defense, since World War II there are more than 80,000 servicemembers that are still missing. The flag honoring Prisoners of War (POW) and those Missing in Action (MIA) has become a major symbol in our country, br... Read more

As a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus and the son of a World War II veteran, Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) signed on as an original cosponsor of H.R. 2839, the Restore Honor to Service Members Act. This bill would enable the Secretary of Defense to rectify discriminatory actions taken on members of the military who were discharged with characterizations other than “honorable” because of their perceived or actual sexual orientation. The characterization of these service members’ disch... Read more

Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) has cosponsored H.R. 2086, the Pay As You Rate Act. This bill would change the way the Department of Veterans Affairs handles claims by veterans for benefit payments. The existing backlog of these claims means that veterans are not receiving their benefits for weeks, if not months. H.R. 2086 would require the VA to pay claims for individual medical conditions as they are adjudicated, instead of waiting for the processing of the entire package. This will allow at le... Read more

Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) has signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 755 which awards a Congressional Gold Medal to the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, thousands of heroic individuals came together to create a volunteer air patrol, called the Civil Air Patrol, to help to defend their country. This group, made up of volunteers, played an integral role in the war effort. The Civil Air Patrol sank enemy ships as well as rescued many victims of war. H.... Read more

Today, Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) co-introduced new bipartisan legislation with Congressman Matt Cartwright (PA-17) and forty-five of their House colleagues to improve mental health care access for veterans. Currently, veterans face a five-year window in which they must seek treatment for mental illnesses before losing their higher priority status. The Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act would eliminate that five-year window and allow veterans to seek treatment for service-connected men... Read more

Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) has cosponsored H.R. 32, the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act of 2013. As we honor the service of the men and women in our Armed Services, we must not forget the sacrifice made by their spouses. Under existing law, the surviving spouses of those service members killed in the line of duty or from a service-connected cause lose the Survivor Benefit Pension annuity. Up to $1,000 a month is removed from the spouses’ pay to cover this so-called “Widow’s Tax.” This ... Read more

"On Veterans Day, we as a people have the opportunity to recommit ourselves to serving those who served us, from World War II all the way through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This year, we salute our servicemen and women as a decade of war comes to an end. Their mission may be complete, but our work of caring for them and promoting their success at home is just beginning. It is my hope that this Veteran’s Day will serve as a reminder to keep the men and women of our armed forces, and their ... Read more

A destructive fire that raged out of control almost 40 years ago this week is keeping Murray Soskil from receiving a prestigious medal he says he deserves. And it may take an act of Congress to help him get it. Soskil, a 90-year-old Boca Raton resident, is among Florida's 187,900 aging World War II veterans — a group affected by the legendary 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire in St. Louis. The blaze, which burned out of control for 22 hours, claimed 16 million to 18 million records of... Read more

Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) introduced new legislation to help secure a Purple Heart denied to Murray Soskil, a Boca Raton resident, veteran of World War II, and the recipient of two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, the French Metal of Valor, the French Foligere, and the Presidential Unit Citation. A member of the 3rd Infantry Division, Mr. Soskil was liberating prisoners at the Buchloe Concentration Camp when an SS trooper attacked and stabbed him in the stomach. Though Mr. Soskil bares a graphic scar a... Read more

Today, Congressman Ted Deutch will meet with an American citizen and decorated World War II veteran targeted by Governor Scott's misguided effort to purge state voter rolls in advance of the 2012 elections. The Congressman will explain how the 91 year-old Bronze Star recipient is just one of thousands of American citizens across Florida whose voting rights are at risk due to a purge process plagued by a lack of transparency, accountability, and accuracy. Event Details: WHO: Congressman Ted Deutc... Read more