John,
This Veterans Day, I wanted to take a moment to honor all the courageous men and women who have risked their lives and made tremendous sacrifices for our families and liberties.
As a nation, we have a responsibility to care for our veterans. But unfortunately, we haven't always upheld that responsibility when it comes to the health, safety, employment, and prosperity of and for our vets.
Our veterans deserve quality, accessible health care.
When news broke in 2014 that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was concealing long wait times at health care facilities, I knew we had to act quickly to defend the health care rights of our veterans. That's why I supported the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act -- which allows veterans facing long wait times or geographic barriers to VA care to obtain medical services through non-VA providers.
Our veterans deserve support with finding employment when they transition to civilian life.
More than 450,000 unemployed veterans are currently struggling to find work -- that is simply unacceptable. To help get our veterans back on their feet with good-paying jobs, I introduced the Manufacturing Jobs for Veterans Act -- to provide skills training for veterans in manufacturing career pathways -- and cosponsored the Putting Our Veterans Back to Work Act which provided support for veteran-owned small businesses and strengthened successful programs like the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP).
Our veterans deserve to be protected from discrimination.
Over 1 million LGBT veterans and servicemembers face discriminatory laws and challenges preventing them from accessing VA benefits and services. That's why I introduced the Voices for Veterans Act -- to add LGBT veterans to the membership and scope of VA's Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans, ensuring that their compensation, health care, rehabilitation and other unique needs will be accounted for.
I'm also a strong supporter of the Equality Act -- landmark legislation that would amend the Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit, and the jury system.
We've made strides, but there's still plenty of work to do when it comes to providing our veterans the support they need. Let's make sure we advocate for them not just on Veterans Day, but every day.
To all the veterans and their families, thank you for your service. I am honored to represent you and will continue to fight for you in Congress.
-- Suzan DelBene
PO Box 477, Kirkland, WA 98083
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