Honoring and Supporting Our Veterans
On Veterans Day this November 11th, 88 years after Germany signed the Armistice to end World War I, we honor and celebrate those who so nobly served our country. There are 25 million veterans from World War I through the Global War on Terrorism. More than 2 million veterans live in California, the most of any state.
Congress has been working non-stop to make sure everyone who sacrificed for our country is treated with the respect and care they deserve. Overall, veterans funding has nearly doubled since 1995. This substantial commitment of resources resulted from the need to dramatically improve services, as well as to care for our new generation of veterans.
Increasing veterans’ access to health care has been a top priority, and we’ve made great progress. The number of veterans using VA health care has doubled over the past ten years. In just the last two years, medical care funding has increased by almost 20 percent. At the same time, we have kept a lid on health care fees and co-pays. The VA health care system has stood out for its cost-efficiency and quality of care. We owe veterans and taxpayers nothing less.
Congress has also increased veterans’ retirement benefits and home loan guarantees. We recently passed, and President Bush signed into law, a bill that provides a 3.3 percent cost-of-living adjustment for veterans’ disability compensation. We have also expanded and upgraded other services, including job training and benefits to dependents.
Here in the Foothills, we have honored and supported veterans in our community. In October, my office was proud to co-host a Career Expo to help veterans and others take the first step in finding a job in public safety or health-related fields. For the second year in a row, we took part in the Veterans History Project. The Project records the experiences of veterans so that future generations can learn about the selflessness and heroism displayed by the men and women who served our country.
While Congress stands with our veterans each day of the year, on Veterans Day, we especially celebrate and pay tribute to the service of every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine and Coastguardsman. They deserve our deepest gratitude for their extraordinary sacrifice and unyielding protection of our freedoms.
