Ted Deutch: “I thank my friend from Texas for yielding. Mr. Speaker, many veterans face extraordinary obstacles when they return…”

“I thank my friend from Texas for yielding. Mr. Speaker, many veterans face extraordinary obstacles when they return home, especially in retirement. Too often, one of the obstacles to a safe and secure retirement for our veterans are so-called pension poachers. These are people who create high-pressure sales pitches that directly target older veterans. They make big promises, knowing they have no intention of ever delivering on them. These are criminals who not only prey on our veterans, they prey on every American taxpayer who wants to do right by those who have served our country. They prey on the fact that we try to take good care of our veterans. They try to do it for financial gain. It is despicable, and we need to take action to stop it and make them pay for it. It is our job to ensure that they can't get away with it. That is why I am proud to have partnered with my colleague, fellow Floridian, a veteran and my friend, Mr. Rooney, to draft the Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act. This bill will give Federal prosecutors the tools they need to target criminals who actively work to avoid current mail and wire fraud statutes, all while targeting our veterans. It is time to crack down on pension poachers and fraudsters. I am thankful for Chairman Goodlatte, Ranking Member Nadler, and my Judiciary colleagues for their support in helping to get this bill to the floor.…”