Obama to address VFW convention

by Jordan Fabian - 07/16/15 4:16 PM ET

President Obama will speak at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) annual convention in Pittsburgh next Tuesday, the White House announced.

The speech to the influential veterans group comes amid a major White House push to sell the public and Congress on the Iran nuclear deal.

{mosads}The deal would curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, and Obama argues it represents the best chance at preventing another war in the Middle East.

It also gives the president the chance to address other foreign conflicts, including the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

He is expected to speak about ongoing concerns surrounding the Veterans Affairs administration as well. The agency faces a major budget shortfall and is a year removed from a scandal surrounding its health facilities.

Obama and Republicans in Congress are also at loggerheads over the annual defense spending bill. The president has threatened to veto the measure because it keeps in place spending caps he wants lifted.

The president will also appear before the veterans group as the Pentagon prepares to lift a ban on transgender troops.

“What we hope to hear is how he will continue to take the fight to our enemies, while keeping America safe through strong national defense and homeland security programs,” VFW National Commander John Stroud said in a statement.

The group also hopes to hear how Obama “will create, enhance and protect veteran and military health care programs … as well as hear a renewed White House commitment to return our fallen from their battlefields,” Stroud said.

Obama last addressed the group during his 2012 reelection campaign.

Tags Barack Obama Veterans of Foreign Wars