Common Defense

215 down. 3 to go.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna announced she will sign the discharge petition for the Major Richard Star Act, bringing the total to 215 of the 218 signatures needed to force a floor vote.

Major Richard Star was an Army combat engineer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was medically retired due to combat injuries, and was later diagnosed with terminal cancer linked to toxic exposure during his service.

Like tens of thousands of combat-injured veterans, current law forced him to forfeit part of his earned retirement pay just to receive the disability compensation he was owed.

That is not overlapping pay.

One reflects years of service.

The other reflects the price veterans paid for it.

We are 3 signatures away from ending that injustice for good.

Visit the link in the comments to sign the petition.

Common Defense is endorsing two Arizona congresswomen dedicated defending the VA and refusal to let troops patrol our streets.

Common Defense is backing Rep. Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07) and Rep. Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) for reelection.

Both have shown up for veterans on VA healthcare and mental health resources, and both have refused to go along with turning military equipment and the National Guard against our own communities.

We earned this care through service.

These two are fighting to keep that promise, not sell it off.



cosponsored the Major Richard Star Act, legislation to end the disabled veteran tax, the policy that forces combat-injured veterans to forfeit part of their retirement pay to receive the disability compensation they're owed.

She's also sponsoring legislation to stop inhumane conditions in ICE detention, and she built a Veterans Advisory Board of ten Arizona veterans and family members to shape her priorities directly from the community she represents.



"I am grateful for their support and proud to stand alongside them in the fight for affordable health care, economic opportunity, and a government that works for everyone."

Grijalva introduced the Veterans Visa and Protection Act to create a path home for deported veterans, and cosponsored legislation to keep ICE out of schools, churches, and hospitals.