Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today in enthusiastic support of H.R. 6411, the Support The Resiliency of Our Nation's Great Veterans Act, commonly known as the STRONG Act. I am proud that this legislation includes language from my bill, H.R. 4233, the Student Veterans Counseling Centers Eligibility Act. I introduced this bill alongside Ranking Member Bost to aid veteran transition back to civilian life, especially for those looking to further their education. Far too often, we see the tragedy of our selfless defenders losing their battle to mental health issues when returning from service. The intention of our provision is to aid more of our veterans who are readjusting to civilian lives by providing them with overdue access to vital mental health resources. This is especially personal to my district, as I represent 89,000 veterans, many of whom are or will be receiving benefits via the Post- 9/11 GI Bill. Regardless of which side of the aisle we sit on, we have an obligation to make sure that our counseling services are more accessible for our veterans, and I am glad that the STRONG Act focuses on this obligation. My provision would expand counseling and mental health support to student veterans through the VA's readjustment counseling centers, also known as Vet Centers.…”