Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.) Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs released a statement applauding President Trump after he signed an Executive Order on "Supporting the Transition of Active Duty Service Members and Military Veterans into the Merchant Marine.":
"I am thrilled that President Trump has taken yet another step to help our veterans. Ensuring our servicemembers are equipped for immediate civilian employment with transferable skills is crucial, and common sense proposals like this are exactly what we need. This Executive Order would waive licensing fees for qualified military veterans wanting to make the transition into jobs as civilian merchant mariners. This would not only help improve veteran employment and servicemembers' transition into the civilian workforce, but would help increase the number of merchant mariners, jobs that are critical to assist our armed forces during national emergencies. It also builds on the work the Republican-led House included in last year’s NDAA to streamline the Transition Assistance Program and remove barriers separating servicemembers face when looking for civilian employment."