Issue Position: Our Veterans
Issue Position
America's support for our troops doesn't stop once active duty ends. We must make sure our returning and current veterans have access to health care and other resources to successfully transition back to civilian life. Honoring the hard work by those in the military is a promise I'll make sure our country keeps. When I began my career in public service as a State Representative, my very first bill was a bipartisan proposal to give tax relief to business owners serving in the military. My commitment to those who have risked their lives to keep our country safe will not waver.
To keep this commitment to our veterans, I've worked to confront challenges and find legislative solutions here in Congress. For instance, I learned that a taxpayer-funded "mobile medical unit" that's supposed to serve rural veterans was sitting unused for months at a time. More than 40% of our nation's veterans live in rural areas, and many throughout Southwest Washington must drive 50 miles or more to fill a prescription or get a flu shot. Having these mobile units active and traveling to our rural communities would make it much easier for folks to access these basic services. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I pushed a legislative initiative that earned bipartisan committee support demanding accountability for the eight mobile medical units in Washington state and across the country.
I've also consistently supported legislation that makes sure veteran benefits and disability assistance keep up with the increasing cost of living.
Backlogs in disability claims have kept too many veterans waiting for months and even years to gain access to health care or disability payments that they earned through their service to the country. That is why I've fought to reduce the processing times. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has responded by providing more resources to cut down on the backlog. While progress has been made correcting this problem, there's still more work to be done.
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