Political Quotes

“Madam President, recently I met with members of the American Legion of Arkansas during their annual convention. This year they celebrated 100 years of helping veterans. I was honored to join them on this occasion and share how proud we are of their efforts to serve their fellow veterans. Since its founding, Legionnaires have been leading advocates for veterans and their families. They are committed to strengthening the policies, programs, and institutions to support those who have worn our Nation's uniform. One of the ways they have been instrumental in achieving this is bringing Legionnaires from across the country to Washington to share the Legion's priorities with me and my colleagues. Members from Arkansas expressed that one of the top issues for the Legion this Congress, as has been the case for the past several years, is suicide prevention. The American Legion and other VSOs like the VFW, AMVETS, IAVA, Wounded Warrior Project--and the list simply goes on and on--are pressing for action to improve access and treatment for veterans who are at risk of suicide. We all know there is room for improvement on this front. Congress has provided significant funding increases to the Department of Veterans Affairs to decrease veteran suicide rates. In fiscal year 2010, the VA requested $62 million for suicide prevention outreach. That number nearly quadrupled to $222 million within 10 years. Despite the sharp increase in resources, sadly, 20 veterans commit suicide each day.…”