A 16,000-pound steel beam pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center will be featured in a traveling exhibit to recognize the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks against the U.S. (Tunnel to Towers Foundation)
The names of veterans submitted to a national database to keep them from owning firearms because they required fiduciaries to manage their benefits are now being removed, according to the National Rifle Association.
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced in February it was ending a practice of reporting veterans who require money managers to an FBI database that screens and prohibits people from buying and possessing firearms.
The NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action is reporting that the VA and FBI are taking action to delete the names of veterans flagged as “prohibited persons.”
“Additionally, letters have begun being mailed to the fiduciaries of affected beneficiaries providing formal notice of the steps being taken to end this longstanding injustice,” the NRA-ILA said.
Top Democratic lawmakers on the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees are urging VA Secretary Doug Collins to use his authority to increase a $400,000 salary cap for VA doctors.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut, and Rep. Mark Takano, of California, are demanding that Collins pay certain VA doctors in high-demand jobs more to recruit and retain them.
“During a hearing before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee in May 2025 and again during a hearing before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee in February 2026, you requested Congress provide the Department with the flexibility to pay doctors above this $400,000 salary cap in order to better recruit and retain these critical employees. As such, we write to inform you Congress already provided VA with this authority over one year ago, yet you have failed to use it,” the lawmakers said in a letter to Collins.
Fiscal year 2025 marked the first time VA hired fewer physicians than it lost, the lawmakers said.
“VA is carefully considering how to distribute these 300 salary cap increases fairly. While the salary cap relief provided under the Dole Act will help alleviate some constraints in our system, it is not a panacea, as VA employs tens of thousands of doctors across the nation,” said Quinn Slaven, VA press secretary.
A 16,000-pound steel beam pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center will be featured in a traveling exhibit called Steel Across America to recognize the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the U.S., according to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
The tour launches May 2 in New York City and will travel to 35 stops in 21 states and the District of Columbia, according to the foundation.
Thousands of service members — primarily New York National Guard soldiers and airmen — responded immediately to the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks, according to the Army.
Stops for the traveling display include the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile, Ala., on May 25; the USS Arizona Memorial Gardens, Scottsdale, Ariz., on June 17; the West LA Veterans Campus, West Los Angeles, Calif., on June 28; and the National WWI Museum and Memorial, Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 28.
For a complete list, go to https://t2t.org/steel-across-america-connecting-a-nation/
A day of service sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars will launch Saturday, May 2, with veterans signing up to lead volunteer initiatives in their communities, the VFW said.
“VFW Day of Service showcases veterans banding together to make a difference in their communities. We spotlight the ongoing commitment of veterans who continue to lead lives of service,” the organization said.
VFW is asking veterans to host community service events throughout May.
May marks the fifth anniversary of the VFW Day of Service, which is sponsored by Humana, USAA, CenterWell and loanDepot.
To register an event and get resources, visit VFWDayofService.org.
Republican lawmakers from Tennessee are urging the VA to clearly communicate to veterans and their families information on the pending closure of the VA clinic in McMinnville, Tenn.
Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, along with Rep. Scott DesJarlais, sent a letter to the VA about its plans for shuttering the clinic at the end-of-day on May 31.
“The McMinnville VA Clinic, which is operated by a third-party contracted staffing company, has faced significant staffing challenges for the last several years due to a lack of providers in the area,” the VA said in a written statement.
On average, each patient experienced changes in their assigned provider approximately 20 times over the five years the facility has been open, the VA said.
Veterans are being contacted by the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System about options for moving their appointments and care, the VA said.
Patients can expect to receive multiple notifications through phone calls, letters, emails and secure messages, the VA said.
