Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, over the past 2 years, our Hampton Roads and Navy communities have been devastated by multiple sailor suicides, in particular aboard the USS George Washington and at MARMAC. As a former Navy helicopter pilot and a primary care nurse practitioner, it infuriates me that the number of sailors who die by suicide continues to rise. It is clear for anyone to see we have to better serve those who serve our great Navy and our country. That is why this week I introduced the Sailor Standard of Care Act. This important bipartisan legislation would increase mental health resources and require mental health screenings for sailors assigned to limited duty, address challenges servicemembers and their families face accessing mental health care through TRICARE and implement a system to track quality of life programs and their success rates. It is imperative that we address the mental health challenges facing today's Active Duty servicemembers and veterans and that we do it today. This is exactly why I came to Congress. We speak so much about providing our military men and women with the necessary equipment, technology, training, et cetera, to be able to ``fight tonight,'' and rightfully so. However, all those resources in the world are meaningless without the capable men and women behind it. Right now, the harsh reality is that suicides among Active Duty servicemembers are at an all-time high. Tragically, they increased by more than 40 percent between 2015 and 2020.…”