Political Quotes

“Madam President, I want to reiterate and underscore and expand on some of the comments made by Senator Kelly from Arizona in support of this legislation. We know that, as he said, our servicemembers put their lives and health on the line to keep us safe. Even those who come home can face long-term health risks from their service. Too often, we have not provided veterans the care and the benefits they have earned and deserve, particularly those exposed to toxic substances while serving in uniform. We have the opportunity this week, finally, to change that. This week in the Senate, we are on the verge of passing the most comprehensive expansion of benefits for veterans who faced toxic exposure, in our Nation's history. Providing healthcare and benefits for veterans who suffer from toxic exposure is a cost of going to war. We are willing to spend a lot of money going to war, as we need to, but we have never, never really stepped up taking care of our veterans-- those who return home--because it is also costly, but it is what we need to do. If you were exposed--fundamentally this--if you were exposed to toxins while serving our country, you deserve the benefits you earned, period, no exceptions. The Senate is finally on the verge of recognizing that. My office holds roundtables with veterans all over Ohio, and I have heard veterans raise this issue again and again and again. As many as 3\1/2\ million servicemembers in this country were potentially exposed to toxic smoke.…”