Happy Veterans Day from Congresswoman Kelly Morrison

Dear friends and neighbors,

On this Veterans Day, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to service members, veterans, and their families. Your service and your sacrifice deserves to be recognized and honored. You raised your hand and you swore an oath to our country and our Constitution. A grateful nation recognizes your courage and commitment.  

My husband and I both come from long lines of military service. My father and both my grandfathers served, and John is an Army veteran, as were his grandfather, his father, and his brother, as well as several uncles and aunts. His dad - my father-in-law - Bill Willoughby is pictured here during his first tour in Vietnam. He was an Airborne Ranger who received a Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart for his brave service, was disabled due to his combat injuries – and is one of my personal heroes.  

My father-in-law, Bill

My husband, John

I spoke with my husband John about Veterans Day – you can watch our conversation here.

Serving our nation’s veterans and military families has been one of my greatest honors. I began my career as a doctor serving veterans in a VA hospital — I am one of the 70% of American doctors who trained in a VA hospital. And in Congress, as a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, one of my top priorities is making sure that our veterans have access to and receive the care and services they have earned. 

I believe there is more work to do to ensure our veterans, servicemembers, and military families are protected and cared for. It is the least we can do as a country for those that put on the uniform to protect us and our freedoms. You can read more about the veterans issues I’ve been working on below. I’ve also included some resources for veterans across Minnesota. 

Serving on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee (HVAC)
I take my work on the U.S. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee (HVAC) very seriously. I am the only member on HVAC from the Minnesota Congressional Delegation, so I am focused on ensuring that Minnesota’s almost 300,000 veterans are being well-represented and have access to the services they’ve earned.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced they planned to cut over 80,000 VA jobs across the country. In the aftermath of this troubling announcement, I questioned Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins on his plans to cut over 15% of the VA workforce after hearing multiple veterans and medical officials voice their concerns over this plan. While VA has since revised its downsizing estimate to 30,000 employees, I remain deeply concerned that these drastic cuts will jeopardize the care of veterans who put their lives on the line for our country.

This summer, after we received reports that every VA medical center in the country is understaffed, I sent a letter to Secretary Collins requesting staffing information on the VA systems that serve Minnesotan veterans. I am especially troubled by the VA Inspector General’s finding that the Minneapolis VA Health Care System is facing the most nonclinical severe staffing shortages in the country. I will continue to exercise my Congressional oversight responsibilities to ensure that VA is providing the highest quality of care and benefits to Minnesota’s veterans.

Creating a Veterans Advisory Council

Minnesota’s Third District is home to almost 30,000 veterans, and I want my work in Congress to be informed by their expertise and experience. I’m happy to share that the first meeting of our Veterans Advisory Council was a great success! The Council is made up of veterans and community leaders from around Minnesota and the Third District. I’m very grateful to our Council’s willingness to continue serving their community and I’m looking forward to many more productive and informative meetings. 

Touring the Minneapolis VA

One of the highlights of my early months in Congress was touring the impressive Minneapolis VA, which serves many of the Third District’s veterans. If you serve our country, you deserve first-rate care — and the VA can and should provide it. It was great to meet some of the many workers who serve our veterans — and who are veterans themselves, in many cases. Thank you to every VA worker for all you do!

Attending the 44th Annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games

I had so much fun at the 44th Annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games this summer, held right here in Minnesota. It was an honor to be invited and witness some incredible athleticism! 

Passing the Bipartisan Justice for America's Veterans and Survivors Act
Too many veterans face serious mental health challenges after they return home, and we need to meet their needs. I partnered with Representative Chuck Edwards to introduce bipartisan legislation that will require VAs to track veterans’ causes of death, which will help improve veteran mental health care and suicide prevention efforts. This bill passed the House earlier this year and I’m looking forward to seeing it passed into law so we can ensure our veterans get the highest quality care.

Ensuring Veterans’ Safety with the VA SAFE Care Act
It’s our duty to ensure veterans are safe and provided for after their service ends, and one important part of this is equipping VA with the appropriate tools to support and care for veterans that have experienced sexual assault. That’s why I wrote the VA SAFE Care Act, which will strengthen the VA’s guidance for handling sexual assault cases and ensure that veteran survivors of sexual assault are appropriately protected and cared for.

Protecting Veteran Reproductive Health Access
As the only pro-choice OB-GYN in Congress, I know that abortion bans put women’s lives at risk. So when the Trump Administration rescinded a rule guaranteeing that veterans and service members have access to abortion counseling and care, I called on the VA to protect abortion access. Our veterans and service members should never be denied lifesaving care. I’m also a proud co-sponsor of the Reproductive Freedom for Veterans Act, which would guarantee that veterans and eligible dependents have the right to receive abortion care, medication, and counseling through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Introducing the Love Lives On Act
No surviving military spouse should have to choose between finding love again and keeping the benefits their family deserves. There is a loophole in existing law that takes away certain benefits if a surviving spouse remarries before the age of 55. That’s why I introduced the bipartisan Love Lives On Act, which ensures all surviving spouses, including the brave Minnesotans who’ve sacrificed so much, can keep their survivor benefits if they remarry, regardless of age. 

Veteran Resources
Finally, if you are a veteran from Minnesota’s Third District and would like assistance with your benefits or VA services, I encourage you to contact our casework team. We are looking forward to helping you out with your case.

If you are a veteran or current member of the military, thank you for your service. I honor you today and everyday, and will continue to advocate for veterans in Congress.