By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Kansas First District Congressman Dr. Roger Marshall was with President Donald Trump on Tuesday for a signing ceremony. He explains what the bill, the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act, was about."These veterans have made a promise to America that they would serve the country," said Marshall. "We made a promise back to the veterans. This legislation is a bill that will help veterans. What it does is promotes for veterans the opportunities to get more education in the STEM field. Believe it or not, every month, about 20 or 30 soldiers retire from Fort Riley. When they retire, them and their spouses both, this will help with their spouses as well, this will make sure that they get a good job when they leave the military."New priorities in defense spending in President Trump's new budget should help to retain some of those soldiers, however."The budget gives the soldiers a pay raise again of 3%," said Marshall. "It prioritizes some money for NASA, as well and for missile defense. It's a big world. The world's getting bigger every day. It's very complicated, so we have to reallocate our resources. I think the Pentagon and the President have done a good job trying to figure out where is the best place to spend our taxpayer dollars."It's also important for current veterans to know that they have an advocate in their Congressman's office to help if they have issues with red tape."We have an office in Salina and Garden City, so they just would Google Congressman Roger Marshall," Marshall said. "There will be a phone number that comes up, or you can email us. I have one person that that is all he does all day long, 60 hours a week, he's a veteran himself, his name is Tyler."Marshall says he's still amazed at the variety of issues his staff helps with from VA benefits to Medicare Advantage challenges for seniors and people who need help with the regulatory side of their utility bills. He encourages anyone with needs to reach out to his office for help.

Marshall pleased with veterans bill and military spending priorities