On the recordFebruary 27, 2013
As the Representative of the Sixth District of Illinois and the son of a Korean war veteran, I'm honored to serve over 34,000 veterans. We have a deep commitment, as we know, to support those who've risked their lives to defend our freedom and help them in their transition back to civilian life. I've been active in a program called Helmets to Hard Hats, and there's a jarring unemployment figure for veterans that we are all sobered by. More than 844,000 veterans currently face unemployment, and veterans aged 18 to 24 face a staggering 31 percent unemployment rate. There's an opportunity for us to work together, and I'm pleased to have recently joined the Congressional Veterans Jobs Caucus in an effort to bring Republicans and Democrats together to be like-minded as we seek to serve those who have served us so well. There's a myriad of obstacles that are in place that need to be remedied, and together we can join with the Disabled American Veterans organization, which is here in Washington, D.C. this week to celebrate their success and our obligation to them. ____________________
