Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4635, the Peer-2-Peer Counseling Act. I want to thank my friend and colleague, Mr. Coffman, for his leadership on this very important issue. The bill we are considering today will help ensure that our women veterans are fully equipped to transition back to civilian life. Women veterans are the single fastest growing group of veterans in America. They face many challenges unique to our women warriors. Women veterans need access to peer counselors who are trained in recovery from military sexual trauma, post-traumatic stress, and mental health conditions that they may be struggling with. I think it is also worth noting that women veterans are disproportionately juggling childcare, which complicates their ability to seek treatment elsewhere. They have special needs and experiences. Our women veterans should have the opportunity to receive the advice and counseling from someone who knows what they have been and are still going through as women warriors. We need to help ensure that they have the resources to succeed. The VA must also do more to help ensure that every veteran is able to benefit from peer support and has awareness and access to those services. That is why I am so pleased that this bill today requires the VA to conduct outreach to ensure that our women veterans know how to get access to this important and valuable assistance.…”