Rep. LaMalfa Responds to Forced Repayment of Veteran Bonuses

Washington, DC – Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) today released the following statement on veterans being ordered to repay bonuses offered as an incentive for service as reported by the Los Angeles Times:

“The decision to force nearly 10,000 California Army National Guard Soldiers, both retired and current, to repay their bonuses due to bureaucratic incompetence from decades ago is simply immoral and will not be accepted. These are men and women who put their lives on the line for our county, many of them serving multiple deployments. Now, years later, they are being sent to collections at the hand of bureaucrats because they accepted bonuses offered to them as an incentive to serve. The only people at fault here are the federal officials who illegally signed off on these bonuses, and they have already been given a lengthy prison sentence. I will continue working with my colleagues to fully investigate these reports and resolve this issue in a way that fully honors our veterans.

In the meantime, if you or someone you know is a member of California National Guard who has been ordered to repay enlistment or educational bonuses, please call my Oroville office at (530) 534-7100 for more information on how we can help.”

Click the link below to view the full text of the letter to the Pentagon.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.

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