Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman of the VA Committee, Senator Moran, for his leadership. What we have done here today is a very, very good thing. I think the biggest challenge facing the VA today is that we are losing 20 veterans a day to suicide. It has been that way for some time. People have been looking for solutions--looking for solutions--and the fact is that there is no silver bullet. But what we have done today is give the VA more tools in their toolbox to be able to address this problem of mental health and veteran suicide amongst our veterans. I thank Chairman Moran for his comments about CDR John Scott Hannon, after whom this bill is named. As Senator Moran has pointed out, this Navy SEAL served our Nation for 23 years. And after combat, Scott returned to Helena, MT, but, unfortunately, the invisible wounds of war followed him right back home. He was open about his journey to recovery, getting involved in the Montana chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and using animal therapy and programs at Montana Wild. But, unfortunately--and I know his family is watching right now--on February 25, 2018, Scott succumbed to the wounds of war that caused his mental illness. As Chairman Moran has pointed out, this bill honors his legacy by supporting the kinds of programs that helped improve Commander Hannon's quality of life by expanding our understanding of mental health conditions and the treatments that may have made diagnosing the conditions easier.…”