Today, we honor Veterans and their families.

I am immensely grateful to our Veteran community for their bravery and sacrifice to serve and protect our country. Today and every day, I am humbled by their service and committed to fighting for them in Congress.

As a doctor, I recognize that servicemen often sacrifice their physical and mental health while serving our country. Too often, Veterans face long wait times and red tape before getting care, and are left to jump through hurdles to get their benefits. In the worst cases, the system fails them entirely, and they are denied healthcare or are provided with insufficient mental health services.

That’s why I’m proud to have fought for the Honoring Our PACT Act, which passed in 2022, to significantly expand healthcare and disability benefits for Veterans who are exposed to toxic substances during their military service.

This legislation was inspired by Air Force Medic Jennifer Kepner, a Veteran right here in Coachella Valley who tragically died of pancreatic cancer following her exposure to toxic burn pits in Iraq.

Jennifer was repeatedly lied to by her government about the true cause of her cancer, and she was forced to navigate her health crisis alone.

Quite frankly, the way Jennifer was treated still horrifies me. She ran towards the call of duty, but was left to suffer when she returned — and she’s far from the only Veteran to have been treated this way.

I promised Jennifer before she died that I would push the government to acknowledge the damage these toxic burn pits had caused, and to make sure that Veterans would have the support that she herself had deserved.

If you or someone you love is a Veteran, I want to personally say thank you, and I promise that I will never stop fighting for you in Congress.

Thank you,

Dr. Raul Ruiz