Political Quotes

“Last month President Biden announced a vision to advance progress on his Unity Agenda in the year ahead. I am encouraged by the agenda's focus on reducing veteran suicide, which has been one of my highest priorities since coming to Congress. I am encouraged by the specific focus on expanding outreach to justice- involved veterans, who may be at even greater risk for suicide. In recent years, we have seen some signs of progress on this issue. From 2018 to 2020, age- and sex-adjusted veteran suicide rates fell by nearly 10 percent. However, with nearly 17 veterans still dying by suicide every day--a rate that is more than 50 percent higher than suicides among nonveteran adults--we know that we have much more work to do to save lives. Part of the administration's agenda is an important focus on increasing lethal means safety, which is an intentional, voluntary practice to reduce suicide risk by limiting access by those in crisis to lethal means, like medication, firearms, and sharp instruments that can be used to inflict self-directed violence. The data on lethal means safety are clear. People who reduce their access to lethal means during times of heightened risk are reducing their risk of dying by suicide.…”