{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-vasquez-stands-veterans-socorro-marking-pact-act-anniversary", "Rep. Vasquez Stands With Veterans in Socorro, Marking PACT Act Anniversary", "2026-08-12", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "NM", "Gabe Vasquez", "V000136", "vasquez.house.gov", "vasquez", "https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "SOCORRO N.M. \u2013 To mark the fourth anniversary of the PACT Act, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) met with veterans in Socorro to discuss pressing issues including access to healthcare, affordable housing, and ensuring that veterans in rural areas continue to have access to the benefits they\u2019ve earned.\n\n\u201cSocorro veterans have come together to build a network of community and support, and I\u2019m grateful to be able to sit down with them and talk shop about the federal issues that impact veterans and their care and benefits,\u201d said Vasquez. \u201cI\u2019ve made supporting veterans a cornerstone of my work in Congress and I\u2019ll continue to go to bat for them in the face of extreme cuts and changes at the VA to strengthen their access to healthcare, housing, reintegration, education and workforce opportunities \u2014 especially in rural communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat struck me, I\u2019ve only been in Socorro for about a year and 8 months, but Congressman [Vasquez] you\u2019re the first one to come out and talk, to my knowledge, to veterans to hear their concerns. So pretty awesome that we\u2019re celebrating that,\u201d said Manny Gonzales, CEO of Socorro Electric and Sergeant Major (Ret.). \u201cAs a recipient of the PACT Act, I didn't know it was the anniversary date \u2013 it really means a lot for you to come out here.\u201d\n\nThe PACT Act passed in 2022 and expanded VA healthcare and benefits for millions of veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, radiation, and other toxic substances during their military service.\n\nRep. Vasquez sat down with:\n\nRavi Bhasker, Mayor of Socorro\n\nManny Gonzales, CEO of Socorro Electric and Sergeant Major (Ret.)\n\nSergeant Major Eugene McPeek (Ret.), VFW 1389 Commander\n\nMack Dyer, NM VFW Army Department Commander\n\nRoxann Scott, Co-founder of Forget Me Not Veterans Park\n\nDaun Medaris, Co-founder of Forget Me Not Veterans Park\n\nJoe Gonzales, Socorro County Commissioner Chairman\n\nPeter Romero, Socorro City Councilor\n\nRep. Vasquez\u2019s advocacy reflects his ongoing commitment to supporting veterans and active-duty servicemembers. His previous work includes:\n\nSpearheading the TRICARE Travel Improvement Act, which Vasquez led and got passed into law with bipartisan support through the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act. The bill lowers the mileage requirement for TRICARE travel reimbursement from 100 miles to 75 miles \u2014 helping military families in rural communities more easily access medical care.\n\nThe Feed Our Veterans Act, legislation Vasquez introduced and fought for during the most recent Farm Bill markup, to combat food insecurity among veterans and protect them from new burdensome SNAP work requirements introduced under the Republican tax law last summer.\n\nSigned a bipartisan discharge petition to require a House vote on the Major Richard Star Act, legislation that would allow combat-injured veterans to receive both their full military retirement pay and VA disability compensation.\n\nVoted in support of the Fiscal Year 2027 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to obtain critical funding that would improve the quality of life for veterans and make substantial investments in infrastructure to support the readiness of active-duty servicemembers in New Mexico.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-13T06:17:16Z", "2026-08-13T06:18:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-vasquez-stands-veterans-socorro-marking-pact-act-anniversary"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5573357231914997, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}