Friend,

Today, we honor all those who have served our country in the military. Our veterans have given so much for our nation, and we must never forget their sacrifices.

And while words of thanks are important, it's just as essential we take care of the people who make the personal sacrifice to serve our country. Don't just thank a veteran for his or her service, ask him or her, "how are you doing?"

We owe it to them to not only make sure they have the supplies and equipment needed to do their jobs well when serving, but also the employment opportunities, community support, and health care needed to transition back to civilian life.

It's why I've successfully fought for legislation to improve equity in accessing benefits for minority veterans, voted for improvements to sexual assault and prevention programs in the National Defense Authorization Act, and celebrated the grand opening of the Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration Facility, which houses great programs like the Wooden Boat Workshop and Vet2Vet of Ulster County.

And I will keep fighting to ensure my bill, the Service-Disabled Veterans Small Business Continuation Act, becomes the law of the land. This bill, which passed the House unanimously, provides the surviving spouse of a service-disabled veteran with federal contracting preference as a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business no matter the degree of disability the service member experienced. In the same vein, I will work to pass in the House my bipartisan bill, the Military Spouse Hiring Act, which incentivizes employers to hire spouses of members of the United States Armed Forces.

I am deeply humbled by the opportunity to be a voice for the over 40,000 veterans who live in NY-19 and it is my duty to make sure we honor and support them.

If you have served, thank you.

-- Antonio