Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) joined fellow veteran Assemblyman Jake Ashby (R,C,I,Ref-Castleton) alongside their colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference, to co-host a “Voices for Veterans” press event Wednesday at the American Legion Cottreall-Warner Post 942, where they called for the immediate restoration of Gov. Cuomo’s planned $5.68 million cut to veterans’ services.

Gov. Cuomo’s 2020-21 Executive Budget takes aim at initiatives that range from helping soldiers manage PTSD and mental health challenges to enabling veterans to find job-training and successful careers, and improving access to VA services and quality healthcare.

“As a veteran myself and son of a World War Two veteran, I can attest to the critical nature of these counseling programs and their necessity in protecting our nation’s heroes as they transition back to civilian life after their service,” Hawley said. “It’s a disgrace to play games with funding that is a drop in the bucket compared to our entire state budget. We are calling on Gov. Cuomo and legislative leaders to restore these cuts indefinitely in the final state budget.”