National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012

Floor Speech

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AMENDMENT NO. 1211

Mrs. GILLIBRAND. Mr. President, one of the reasons I came to Congress was to be a voice for our troops and our military families. They answer a call higher than any other, fighting to protect our country, our way of life, our values--all that we hold dear. Our men and women in uniform fight, put their lives on the line every day for us, and our job is to fight for them and ensure that when they come home, they have an opportunity to go to college, find a good-paying job, afford a new home, start a family, have access to quality health care.

After a decade of two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we have asked more of our military than ever before, including our National Guard and Reserves. Our Reserve components are deployed in record numbers, including serving in combat zones. While they serve alongside our Active-Duty military, our Guard and Reserve members do not have access to all of the assistance, services, and benefits that the troops they fight shoulder to shoulder with have. Currently, our Guard and National Reserve members are left largely on their own to find and obtain services that they need to recover from combat, rejoin their families, and adjust back to normal civilian life. This needs to change.

I am offering amendment No. 1211, together with my colleague, Senator Blunt of Missouri, to give our National Guard and Reserve members the services they not only deserve but desperately need. This amendment would expand access to health care, family and financial counseling, and other services to which the Guard and Reserve members currently do not have full access. My amendment extends nationwide a highly successful program that is existing right now in Vermont. It would set up a system of support of fellow veterans across the country serving as outreach specialists, people our Guard and Reserve members can talk and relate to, and help them get access to the services they need. It would give the Defense Department the additional resources it needs to provide counseling and reintegration services for National Guard and Reserve members.

This amendment has the strong support of the National Guard Association, which said this amendment would help ensure that 448,000 National Guard men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11 are provided with the necessary services upon their return from war.

Members of the National Guard and Reserve are the citizen soldiers who step up and accomplish extraordinary acts of valor and bravery for our country. They are veterans. They deserve these services when they return because of the sacrifices they made and continue to make for our great country.

AMENDMENT NO. 1189

I would also like to speak in support of the amendment of Senator Murray, amendment No. 1189.

Mental health disorders, substance abuse, and traumatic brain injuries affect nearly 20 percent of all servicemembers who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan--that is one in five. But, unlike Active-Duty servicemembers, Guard and Reserve members do not have direct access to the counseling services they need, putting enormous strain on these veterans and the families who stand by them and who have stood by them.

The amendment of Senator Murray would embed mental health professionals in armories and Reserve centers, bringing mental health support within reach for Guard and Reserve members where and when they need it.

I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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