Jackie Auringer Blasts Pat Ryan for Voting Against Veterans Benefits Expansion

KINGSTON, N.Y. - June 3, 2026 - Jackie Auringer, Republican candidate for Congress in New York's 18th Congressional District, today blasted Congressman Pat Ryan for voting against the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, bipartisan legislation to expand benefits for some of America's most severely disabled veterans, surviving spouses, and military families.

The bill, which passed the House with bipartisan support, would provide additional monthly support for certain disabled veterans who require aid and attendance, increase Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for surviving families, and expand VA home-loan eligibility for certain members of the National Guard and Reserve. Ryan voted no.

"When severely disabled veterans, surviving spouses, and Gold Star families needed support, Pat Ryan voted no," said Auringer. "That was wrong. This was bipartisan veterans legislation backed by some of the most respected veterans organizations in America. There is no excuse for leaving those families behind."

The legislation was supported by a broad coalition of major veterans and military family organizations, including:

Wounded Warrior Project
Paralyzed Veterans of America
The American Legion
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Disabled American Veterans
AMVETS
Gold Star Spouses of America
Gold Star Wives of America
Military Officers Association of America

"Pat Ryan did not just vote against a bill," Auringer said. "He voted against bipartisan veterans legislation backed by some of the most respected veterans and military family organizations in America."

The Wounded Warrior Project praised House passage of the legislation, saying the bill reflects the principle that "those who sacrificed the most deserve the strongest safety net."

Ryan and House Democrats have attempted to defend the vote by criticizing the bill's funding mechanism related to VA home-loan fees. Auringer rejected that excuse.

"If Pat Ryan had concerns with the bill, he should have fought to fix it - not voted against the entire benefits package," Auringer said. "You do not claim to support veterans by voting no on expanded benefits for the very families who have sacrificed the most."

Auringer said the vote is part of a larger pattern from Ryan: carefully crafted rhetoric in public, but party-line votes in Washington.

"Pat Ryan wants voters to believe he is different from the rest of Washington," Auringer said. "But he lives in the Beltway, votes with the Beltway, and when the pressure is on, he abandoned Hudson Valley veterans and military families."