Meeting with Senator Duckworth's Veterans Team

On Friday, April 4, 2025, I met with Ms. Alyssa Mitchell and Mr. Aaron Hunt of Senator Duckworth's Veterans team to discuss the environmental hazards present in the Panama Canal Zone and the associated illnesses which awaited our troops.

I felt our meeting was cut short, though I was able to discuss at least the toxic herbicides and pesticides and the chemical weapons testing. I provided them with a PowerPoint Show version of my slide deck with a summary PDF, plus contact information for the legislative assistants to Representatives Castro and Salazar. 

During the meeting I was asked about potential to impact the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which essentially defines the budget for DoD for the new fiscal year. Happily, I was able to offer a white paper I wrote on the 2024 NDAA which seemed promising from an investigative perspective. 

I'm hopeful we'll continue to correspond on this critical issue. There is nobody in the senate that I am more excited about energizing to our campaign than Senator Duckworth.

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is an Army National Guard LTC who lost her mobility in the Iraq War. She is the first member of the senate to give birth, and has served as an Assistant Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Learn more about the Senator at https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/about-tammy/biography.