I wrote a guest commentary on an issue that& #39;s been swept under the rug for 10 years-- @RepHartzler& #39;s role in the military-industrial complex.

She has used her position on HASC to procure funds for her donors--at the expense of military families.

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đŸ§”" title="Thread" aria-label="Emoji: Thread"> https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/readers-opinion/guest-commentary/article246427270.html">https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/r...
The first time I saw my baby, he was sucking his thumb on an ultrasound. When the doctor stepped away, I nervously grabbed my phone to record my belly and the picture and---my doctor returned too quickly and I felt embarrassed.

I told her my husband was deployed + I cried.

2/
I felt embarrassed and alone.

She grabbed my hand and my phone, turned the machine back on and we filmed the very first video my husband would see of his son.

I immediately sent it to him--half a world away.

3/
There is nothing easy about being a military family. It certainly is not easy for the service member, and the toll it takes on the spouses and children left at home wafts into conversation as whispers that are soon forgotten.

4/
My husband was sent to a forward location in Syria, where it was difficult to maintain a regular supply chain. He relied upon the assistance of local Kurdish allies for additional supplies like food.

5/
Because of the strength of the U.S.-Kurdish alliance, my husband returned home safely — and earlier than expected, just in time for the birth of our son, Jace.

7/
After my husband’s return, we watched the President not only disregard guidance from career U.S. intelligence officials, but also shake the hand of Russian President Vladimir Putin — the man who had his militants attack American troops.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/16/politics/donald-trump-putin-helsinki-summit/index.html

8/">https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/1...
This reckless foreign policy made America less safe and it put my family in jeopardy. I immediately reached out to Rep. Vicky Hartzler. Her office ignored my family.

10/
It was difficult for me — a person who grew up in Ike Skelton’s 4th Congressional District — to understand how the current holder of the seat could ignore our military family.

11/
One night, Hartzler posted on social media about Apache helicopters--the same my husband flies. The photo was taken in Arizona — odd because the Army doesn& #39;t fly Apaches in Arizona. But she wasn’t visiting troops — she was visiting defense contractors.
https://twitter.com/RepHartzler/status/1117906431145988096?s=20
12/">https://twitter.com/RepHartzl...
Hartzler has a long, seldom-discussed history with bomb-makers. In 2011, when she went to DC as a freshman congresswoman, she joined the “Lucky 13” fundraising group, made up of 13 freshman Republican representatives on the House Armed Services Committee.

13/
Less than a month after the event, Hartzler received thousands from Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

15/
Hartzler was one of the highest-ranking Republican members of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee at that time. During its appropriations markup, her committee added a provision allowing the Navy to award contracts for Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

17/
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works — McKeon’s client — received a $3.9 billion contract for the project. Hartzler received $3,000 from McKeon for her election that year and $5,000 from General Dynamics.

18/

https://www.navaltoday.com/2018/09/28/us-navy-awards-9-billion-contracts-for-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-construction/">https://www.navaltoday.com/2018/09/2...
She later advocated for the F-35 on behalf of McKeon’s client, Lockheed Martin--it received a $35 billion dollar contract — the largest one ever.

And between McKeon and Lockheed Martin, Hartzler& #39;s received $10k this election cycle.

20/

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/29/lockheed-martin-costly-f-35-program-gets-biggest-pentagon-contract-yet.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/2...
This is the revolving door of the military-industrial complex. Hartzler isn’t just a cog in the machine—she fuels the entire engine.

She went to work for defense contractors 1 month after taking office + I literally had to run for Congress for her to give a damn about us.

21/
Now our son is 2 + my husband is deployed again.

This time, there is a bounty on his head that experts believe was a direct reaction to the Syrian air fight his unit engaged in the last time he was deployed.

24/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/us/politics/russia-afghanistan-bounties.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/2...
While Vicky Hartzler is busy pocketing $2M in taxpayer-funded subsidies and $270k in donations from defense contractors, she& #39;s forgotten about all of us.

Politicians aren& #39;t coming to save our families.

Only the people, electing public servants, can do that.

LFG.

25/25
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