Democratic Congressman Pat Ryan is set to speak on the final night of Democratic National Convention with a speech focusing on veterans and national security, Spectrum News 1 has learned.

Ryan, a combat veteran first elected to Congress in a 2022 special election, will take the convention stage as Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to accept the party’s nomination for President. Ryan is expected to use his speech to draw a contrast between Harris and former President Donald Trump and their records on veterans’ issues.

The congressman told Capital Tonight Wednesday evening that he will talk about the “reverence” that the vice president has for the military and “how counter that is to what we’ve seen and heard from Donald Trump.” 

The planned speech comes after Trump recently said the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, is “actually much better” than the Medal of Honor, which is the military’s highest honor for soldiers who are often wounded or killed in battle.

Ryan, who is currently serving his first full term in the U.S. House, is a graduate of West Point, and currently represents the military academy in Congress. Harris delivered a commencement speech at West Point in May 2023.

Ryan is one of 80 members of the House of Representatives that have served in the military. Those 80 members make up just 18.4% of the body’s 435 members. According to the Pew Research Center, those figures are some of the lowest in modern times and a steep decline from the at least 70% of members who had military experience in Congress between 1965 and 1975.

Ryan represents a competitive district in New York’s Hudson Valley. Republicans are targeting the seat as a potential pickup opportunity this November.

Ryan faces a challenge from GOP nominee Alison Esposito, who previously mounted an unsuccessful bid for New York lieutenant governor.