John Plumb
JAMESTOWN – Congressman Tom Reed’s opponent in the 2016 election says he hasn’t done nearly enough to help veterans since he came to Washington.
As congressman Reed was preparing to meet with local veterans in the Jamestown area on Friday, John Plumb’s (D-Lakewood) campaign sent out a media release criticizing Reed for repeatedly letting veterans down in Washington and attacking them in the Southern Tier.
Specifically, Plumb pointed to Reed’s voting record, saying he’s repeatedly voted to underfund programs designed to improve veterans’ treatment and health care. Plumb – who’s a U.S. Navy Veteran and Naval Reserve Officer – also claims the Reed reelection campaign has distastefully attacked his service to the country by questioning his commitment to New York.
The Reed campaign has frequently pointed out that Plumb – a Randolph, NY native – had only recently moved back into the area to run for Congress. But Plumb has stated that as a naval officer and member of the Defense Department, his obligation was to go and live where his country needed him.
“Yet again Congressman Reed is showing that he is a typical politician who gives lip service to our veterans when he is in the district, but votes in Washington against the care they have earned,” Plumb said in the media release. “In my 22 years in the military and as the son, brother, and grandson of veterans, I have seen firsthand the sacrifices veterans make to keep us safe and Congressman Reed’s willingness to play political games with key programs they have earned is deeply upsetting.”
To support his claims, Plumb’s campaign offered the following information:
- Rep. Reed Voted for MilCon-VA Appropriations Bill That Underfunded VA by More Than $1 Billion, Impacting 70,000 Veterans: The bill passed 255 to 163. [HR 2029, Vote #193, 4/30/15; The Hill, 4/29/15]
- Rep. Reed Voted Against Increasing VA Funding for Veterans Medical Services by $15 Million: In April 2015, Reed voted against a motion that would have added $15 million to VA funding for veterans’ medical services. The motion failed 181 to 236. [HR 2029, Vote #192, Motion to Recommit with Instructions,4/30/15]
- Rep. Reed Voted Against Increasing Funds for Veterans’ Healthcare and PTSD Treatment: In June 2014, Reed voted against a motion that would increase funds for military healthcare by $10 million. The motion failed, 190-220. [HR 4870, Vote #337, 6/20/14
- Rep. Reed Continues to Attack Commander Plumb’s Military Service: Congressman Tom Reed has continuously questioned Commander Plumb’s commitment to New York by pointing to time spent away from the district while Commander Plumb was serving his country. Congressman Reed has also attacked Commander John Plumb’s military service by saying things such as, he has refused “to take meaningful action against terrorism.
Plumb is challenging Reed for his seat in the 2016 general election. Over the past two decades he’s served as a submarine officer in the Navy and later as an official at the Department of Defense. Most recently he’s served as director of defense policy and strategy at the National Security Council and is also a Navy Reserve Commander. He graduated from Randolph High School in 1988.
Reed is an attorney and former mayor of Corning who was elected to Congress in 2010 and has represented Chautauqua County since January 2013, when redistricting created the new boundaries for the state’s 23rd congressional district.
Leave a Reply