Representative Mike Ezell

Dear [salutation],

This week, your House Republican majority took on one of the most important issues we'll tackle all year: taking care of our veterans. Here's what the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act does (plus a few other updates on what I've been doing this week):

Serving Those Who Served

Yesterday, the House voted on our FY2024 appropriations bill that covers the VA and military construction projects.

The bill fully funds veterans' health care programs and veterans' benefits, a commitment House Republicans have made since Day 1.

If you've been listening to Democrat politicians, that might come as a surprise. For months, they've been lying about House Republicans, saying we would cut veterans' benefits and health care programs.

Yesterday, the truth finally came out—and it was even uglier than expected. Not only did House Republicans vote to fully fund veterans' benefits and health care, but not a SINGLE House Democrat voted for it.

Our veterans have made tremendous sacrifices for this nation, and Democrats repaid those sacrifices by using veterans as political pawns. I'm grateful that our Republican majority was able to get the bill passed, but I'm disheartened to see such a large minority treat our veterans this way.

Supporting Disaster Recovery

I joined the entire Mississippi delegation to send a letter to President Biden endorsing Governor Reeves's request for a federal disaster declaration in response to June storms in Moss Point and across the state.

Mississippi is requesting individual assistance for Jackson and Jasper Counties to help rebuild homes and businesses, as well as public assistance to help local governments across 16 counties (including Wayne County) with debris removal.

You can read an excerpt of the letter below or view the full letter here.

"We appreciate the efforts of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help Mississippians recover in the aftermath of the severe tornadoes that struck the state in March and April, and we anticipate expeditious support from the agency in assisting state and local officials as they continue assessing the severity of damages.

Initial damage reports indicate Mississippi experienced severe weather from June 14 through 19, 2023, including an EF-2 tornado with 130 MPH winds. As Governor Reeves requested, the Joint Public Assistance damage assessments demonstrate that at least 380 homes, businesses, and other structures were destroyed or suffered significant damage....

Available resources from state and local governments and volunteer organizations are inadequate to meet the state’s recovery needs. Significant federal assistance and cooperation are needed for Mississippi to rebuild."

While bureaucracy and red tape have slowed this process soon, I'm optimistic that our communities will receive much-needed relief soon.

My team and I have been on the ground in Moss Point countless times since the tornado touched down, and we're committed to helping Mayor Knight and the community rebuild quickly.

Standing in for the Speaker

As a member of the House Republican Majority, I have been given a couple of opportunities to preside over the House. It's an incredible honor—one I never could have imagined having as a kid growing up in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Here's a clip from Wednesday's session:

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve you in Washington and in South Mississippi. If you need help with a federal agency, please contact one of my offices below or visit my website, ezell.house.gov.

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Sincerely,

Mike Ezell
Member of Congress

Serving Those Who Served

Supporting Disaster Recovery

Standing in for the Speaker

Office Locations