Senator’s bill implements the ‘McCain-Mansfield Fellowship Program,’ creating employment opportunities for veterans in the U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Senator Mike Rounds (S.D.) introduced bipartisan legislation establishing the “McCain-Mansfield Fellowship Program,” providing wounded veterans the opportunity to work in the U.S. Senate as they transition to civilian life. The bipartisan program is named after the late Arizona senior Senator John McCain.
“Following Senator McCain’s example, we’re empowering Arizona veterans transitioning to civilian life with new opportunities to continue serving our nation,” said Sinema, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
The McCain-Mansfield Fellowship Program gives up to 100 two-year fellowships to eligible veterans, with each state receiving two fellows. Eligible applicants must be former junior officers or former junior enlisted service members who were honorably discharged and released from active duty within the last five years, and who have a twenty percent or greater service-connected disability rating.
The two-year fellowship was inspired by the late Arizona senior Senator John McCain, who was seriously wounded and held captive as a prisoner during the Vietnam War, and the late Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield who served during World War I.