Congressman pays visit to area veterans home

By Erin Ragan ~ Southeast Missourian

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith made the Missouri Veterans Home a stop Friday during a tour of the 8th Congressional District.

Smith, R-Salem, said the purpose of his visit was part of a "concentrated effort to visit different areas, be out in the community and hear from people one-on-one."

He spent more than an hour touring the facility with the administrator, Viviane Rains, who asked that Smith encourage continued adequate funding for the home. The facility is state-funded, so that would not be related to a vote in Congress by Smith, but he promised to encourage the state legislature to support funding.

As for veterans programs that use federal money, Smith said he wanted to see funding for those continue despite a vote he cast recently not to raise the United States government's debt ceiling. A last-minute deal reached by Congress earlier this month stopped any further effect from a government shutdown on federal programs.

"I don't support eliminating federal programs, but I do want to see money being spent efficiently and programs being prioritized," Smith said.

Adding to the reason for his visit, he said, was a desire to see whether any issues related to the shutdown affected local veterans or their benefits.

"I felt like I needed to come out and hear from them firsthand," he said.

Smith said he heard of no specific shutdown-related problems for veterans during the visit.

eragan@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

2400 Veterans Memorial Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO