The men and women who serve our country in the military shouldn’t be left to fend for themselves when they return home. Neither should their families. Veterans deserve every measure of our respect, our assistance, and our legal protection upon re-entering civilian life. If Congress doesn’t do everything it can to help them find good-paying jobs and reduce barriers to accessing their health care benefits, then something’s very wrong.

Access to timely and high-quality healthcare is one of the biggest issues facing our veterans. While Republicans deepen their ties to special interests that are seeking to privatize VA care – including the Koch brothers – I’m dedicated to making our current system better. 

In addition to healthcare reform, I’ve also supported educational benefits for veterans that allow our servicemen and women the opportunity to further their careers without falling prey to for-profit institutions that shamefully take advantage of them.

It’s not just about passing new laws. I’ve held meetings and workshops with unemployed veterans to talk about the economy as well as with veteran business owners to talk about special opportunities in Southern Arizona. At every one of these meetings, I’ve been encouraged and heartened to hear the stories of veterans who believe in America more strongly than ever and just want to know that their voices are being heard.

The Honoring our PACT Act

Our servicemembers defended this nation and fulfilled their oath to the Constitution, and we made a promise that we would take care of them when they came home.

The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act recently overcame widely-condemned Republican obstruction and was signed into law by President Biden. This life-saving legislation recognizes exposure to toxins as a cost of war and extends hard-earned VA benefits to as many as 3.5 million American veterans who have been exposed to these dangerous substances, including toxic burn pits and Agent Orange.

I was proud to have been a co-sponsor of the Honoring our PACT Act and I have long supported legislative efforts to make presumption of service connections for diseases associated with exposure by veterans.