Newsday: House legislation would give veterans halls, seeing declines for decades, a boost

Halls where military veterans can socialize, commiserate, have a beer, seek help, find camaraderie — and rent out the space to subsidize all that — have been seeing declines for decades.

Then came the coronavirus pandemic, leading to dozens of them shutting down on Long Island alone.

Now, legislation before the U.S. House of Representatives would extend grants to help veterans halls, such as the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Sponsor Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) said the legislation, called the VSO Support Act of 2022, would establish a $25 million grant program to help the organizations "keep their doors open, similar to what was done for small businesses during the pandemic."

"Who here hasn’t been to an American Legion or VFW for a party? That’s all changed during the pandemic. COVID restrictions forced VSOs" — Veteran Service Organizations — "to close their doors to public gatherings, leaving them unable to pay for the services they offer and for maintenance and upkeep," he said during a news conference at the Babylon American Legion.