Today, Congresswoman Schakowsky released the following statement in honor of Veterans Day:
"Today I join with Americans all across the country in honoring our nation's 21 million veterans for their valiant service. Veterans Day is a time to recognize those who served and those who gave their lives to protect our freedoms. Veterans and their families have won our gratitude for the sacrifices they have made to protect the well-being and security of our country.
Veterans deserve to be thanked today and every day. They also deserve to know that their nation is there for them just as they were there for their nation. As Congress returns to tackle the budget, we must ensure that we provide the funding necessary to meet the needs of our nation's veterans.
We are making progress in tackling the many problems that veterans face when they return home through the GI Bill's and Post-9/11 GI Bill's housing and educational assistance. Targeted programs at the local, state and federal level such as Helmets to Hardhats are working to reduce veterans' unemployment rates. Skills learned in the military are now more easily transferable to private-sector employment. Efforts are underway to improve veterans' health care by reducing wait times and improving quality. But there is much more to be done.
Every day, 20 veterans die by suicide. Women veterans and veterans over age 50 are at greatest risk. We must address this crisis by providing early outreach, veteran-to-veteran supports, and access to care.
We must ensure that no veteran is homeless and that every veteran can find accessible housing. We must build housing that is inclusive -- that doesn't create barriers for veterans and others who live with mobility challenges.
The 5.5 million spouses, parents, and children who provide caregiving for veterans need to more help and more options. We must build on the VA's Caregiver Support Program to get it to them.
Improving and expanding these initiatives are critical, and so, too, is avoiding cuts in other services upon which veterans depend. SNAP benefits provide food to help 1.5 million veterans. Veteran-owned small businesses benefit from Small Business Administration loans.
More than 4 in 10 veterans -- 9.4 million -- have earned and rely on their Social Security benefits. I believe those benefits should be protected and expanded.
As a member of Congress, I will continue to fight to make sure our veterans are treated with dignity, are properly cared for upon returning home and can easily access the services they have earned.
I hope that you all take time to thank our veterans and military women and men for their service -- today and throughout the year. If you are a veteran yourself or have contact with a veteran who you believe may need assistance, I hope that you will reach out to me. My office and I are eager to do whatever we can to help."