Madison Cawthorn: “For eight generations, my family has lived in the mountains of western North Carolina. Many of my family members have…”

“For eight generations, my family has lived in the mountains of western North Carolina. Many of my family members have served in our Armed Forces. I grew up surrounded by men of courage and patriotism who dedicated their lives and their honor in defense of this American Republic. I understand, as much as one can without serving, the struggle a veteran faces attempting to reacclimate to civilian life. It is incumbent on the American people to work hand in hand with our veterans and streamline their transition back into the workforce. To that end, I urge support for H.R. 2167, the GI Bill National Emergency Extended Deadline Act. Included in this larger piece of legislation is a program that I am proud to advocate for. My language in this bill authorizes a pilot program to allow States to use grants or contracts to carry out short-term fellowship programs for unemployed veterans. This program is not some revolutionary concept, but what it does is build off the successes of other pilot programs in the veteran community. This program would authorize DOL VETS to carry out a pilot program similar to fellowship programs created by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to allow States to use grants or contracts to carry out a short-term fellowship program. After the participating States have been selected by the DOL, each State would enter into an agreement with a nonprofit organization to carry out the short-term fellowship program.…”