Today, Wednesday May 23rd, I was fortunate to be able to observe Memorial Day early as I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues from the Women’s Caucus in our annual ceremony to honor women military personnel and veterans. The ceremony took place at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in
Each year I am struck by the bravery and sacrifice demonstrated by the women service members that I am privileged to meet at this ceremony. They are remarkable individuals who’ve made important contributions in defense of our country. As our nation observes Memorial Day this year, a solemn day made more somber by the grievous losses we continue to experience in
One way to honor their service is by fulfilling our responsibility to properly care for our veterans and active duty military personnel. I am concerned that this Administration has failed in this regard by not providing our troops with necessary supplies and denying them adequate health care and benefits once they finally return home. The awful conditions at Walter Reed demonstrate this failure and the need for Congress to take action.
Fortunately the House has already moved forward with a number of measures to support out troops and our veterans. We recently passed several pieces of legislation to improve benefits for both active military personnel and veterans including the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1585), the Returning Servicemember VA Healthcare Insurance Act (H.R. 612), and the Traumatic Brain Injury Health Enhancement and Long-Term Support Act (H.R. 2199). These bills are an important first step as we work to support the military men and women who’ve served our country bravely. It is important that we continue to honor their service, not just on Memorial Day, but through out the year.
Pictured above: (center) Congresswoman Capps meets with
