Clay Hunt SAV Act Will Save Veterans' Lives

Floor Speech

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Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, those who sign up to serve and defend our
country deserve our respect and support when they return home. Sadly,
there is a crisis in our country when it comes to our veterans' health
care. With an average of 22 veterans a day taking their own lives, we
are failing them.

That is why Congress took action to pass the Clay Hunt Suicide
Prevention for American Veterans Act so as to improve mental health
care services and suicide prevention programs at the VA and at the
Department of Defense. By establishing pilot programs to recruit and
keep psychiatrists and to establish support networks for veterans, the
Clay Hunt SAV Act will help servicemembers transition to life after the
military. The bill is named after Clay Hunt, a brave soldier who served
in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Tragically, Clay took his own life when
he returned home.

I want to thank my Minnesota colleague, Tim Walz, for his leadership
on this issue, and I encourage the President to quickly sign this
legislation into law and get our veterans the support that they
deserve.

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