Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan bill, H.R. 4233, the Student Veterans Counseling Centers Eligibility Act. The issue to which I will speak is exceedingly personal to me and my district, as I represent close to 90,000 veterans, most of whom are or will be receiving benefits via the Post-9/11 GI Bill or the Montgomery GI Bill. The transition from Active Duty to civilian life can be challenging for some of our servicemembers. It can be tremendously difficult for many of our servicemembers to return to education after sacrificing so much for our Nation abroad. This is especially true for older and nontraditional student veterans. A few months ago, alongside Ranking Member Bost, I had the privilege of introducing the Student Veterans Counseling Centers Eligibility Act. It passed out of the Veterans' Affairs Committee with a unanimous vote. Our Nation's veterans represent the very best among us here in the United States, but many serve at great personal cost. A recent RAND study reported that 20 percent of veterans on the GI Bill experience feelings of depression or PTSD. That 20 percent amounts to over 170,000 veterans, which is almost double the number I mentioned previously of the veterans I represent in my district. As one can imagine, serving as a member of our Armed Forces can be extremely stressful. Too often, we see the tragedy of our veterans losing their battle with mental health issues when returning from service.…”