Our Promise To American Heroes

As the son of a veteran, I am personally dedicated to looking out for the interests of all military personnel, active and retired, who call Texas home. The honor-bound agreement between our men and women in uniform and our nation does not end at retirement. No veteran should ever be forgotten.

Senator John Cornyn

Senator Cornyn learned the value of patriotic service to our country from his father who spent 31 years in the military, beginning as a B-17 pilot in World War II.  Growing up in an Air Force family and moving from base to base, Sen. Cornyn saw firsthand the sacrifices made by those who dedicate themselves to defending freedom at home and abroad. 

Senator Cornyn knows that our nation can never do enough to repay those who have selflessly served and sacrificed for our country.  He is committed to making certain that our nation’s active duty, National Guard, and Reserve military forces receive the best training, equipment, and education, and that our veterans receive the highest-quality health care, services, and other benefits they so rightly deserve. 

Texas is home to almost one in every ten U.S. service members, as well as 15 major military installations and several defense production facilities that manufacture critical military aircraft vital to sustaining American air superiority.  These programs are good for Texas and good for America, providing thousands of high-paying jobs while producing the tools our military needs to dominate the modern battlefield and keep our nation safe. 

  • Led the fight in Congress to recognize the November 9, 2009 attack at Fort Hood as an act of terrorism and ensure that the victims and families receive the same treatment, benefits, and honors—including the Purple Heart—as Americans killed or wounded in an overseas combat zone.  These heroes and their families received Purple Hearts and became eligible for these benefits in April 2015.
  • Supported the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act (S.167; 114th Congress) to honor a Texas hero taken too soon and to help all American veterans heal from the invisible wounds of war.
  • Introduced legislation to provide veterans in far South Texas (S.1534; 114th Congress) with a full-service VA inpatient health care facility.
  • Led efforts to protect victims of sexual assault in the military and co-sponsored The Victims Protection Act (S.1917; 113th Congress) to empower the victims and hold the military chain of command accountable.
  • Cosponsored the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 (S.12; 114th Congress) to exempt post-9/11 veterans, who already receive health coverage through the Department of Defense or Department of Veterans Affairs, from Obamacare’s employer mandate’s 50 employee threshold.  
  • Fought to address the growing VA backlog by introducing legislation that adopts the Texas Veterans Commission initiative as a model for the VA to partner with outside entities to eliminate the current backlog of claims, ensure new claims are fully developed before they are submitted, and guarantee that our nation’s veterans receive the benefits they have earned through their service.
  • Introduced the Safeguarding Elections for our Nation’s Troops through Reforms and Improvements (SENTRI) Act (S.1728; 113th Congress) to strengthen existing military voting laws and address difficulties that have prevented service members from voting in the last two federal election cycles.
  • Introduced the Wounded Warrior Tax Equity Act to protect our nation’s wounded warriors from IRS collection activities while they are hospitalized with service-related injuries. 
  • Supported legislation to protect the honor of those who have faithfully served our nation by cosponsoring the Stolen Valor Act (S.210; 113th Congress) to enact criminal penalties for those who commit fraud by misrepresenting their military service.
  • Joined with his colleagues to introduce the Careers for Veterans Act (S.495; 113th Congress), legislation to cut bureaucratic red tape and make it easier for veterans to look for work. 
  • Cosponsored the Military Reserve Jobs Act of 2013 (S.1320; 113th Congress) to grant hiring preferences for federal employment to members of the military reserve components. 
  • Cosponsored the Military Religious Freedom Act (S.3526; 112th Congress) to protect the rights of conscience of military service members.
  • Voted for the National Defense Authorization Act (P.L.114-92) in the 114th Congress.
  • Voted in favor of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill (H.R.2029) in the 114th Congress, which included an amendment authored by Sen. Cornyn requiring the Veterans Affairs Secretary to provide Congress with a plan to address the long wait times for veterans seeking health care at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System.
  • Supported the Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act of 2015 (S.993; 114th Congress), which authorizes the Attorney General to award grants for veterans treatment court programs, services to veterans who have been incarcerated, and training programs for others to identify and respond to incidents involving veterans.
  • Supported the Veterans Health Care Facilities Capital Improvement Act (P.L.112-37, 112th Congress), which reauthorized a number of important services for homeless veterans and low-income veteran families.
  • Supported the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act (P.L.112-154, 112th Congress), which improved access to VA services for veterans living in rural areas, expanded nursing home care for elderly and severely service-disabled veterans, and expanded individualized rehabilitation and reintegration services for veterans with traumatic brain injuries.
  • Supported the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act (P.L.111-346, 111th Congress),which expanded post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to include active service performed by National Guard members on state orders; increased reimbursement for licenses, certification tests, and fees to take admissions exams; and expanded GI Bill benefits to include on-the-job and apprenticeship training, flight programs, and distance learning.
  • Supported the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (P.L.111-97, 111th Congress), protecting military spouses with regard to residency, voting, and taxation as they move from state to state with their service member.

Texas Veterans Initiative

Improving Veterans' Access to Health Care

  • For too long, our veterans have faced consistent hurdles to accessing VA health care, especially when it comes to dealing with long wait times at VA facilities.
  • By increasing congressional oversight and forcing compliance with the VA’s own scheduling benchmarks and rules, The Veterans’ Health Care Integrity Act will hold the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs accountable.
  • This bill requires each VA medical facility director to annually certify (under penalty of perjury) compliance with the VA’s scheduling Directive, which provides explicit guidelines and timetables for appointment scheduling. 
  • If local VA health officials do not comply with these requirements, Senator Cornyn’s legislation will prohibit them from receiving awards or bonuses.
  • This legislation also makes 25 additional senior VA positions subject to Senate confirmation, so we can make sure our veterans have the best, brightest, and most ethical officials serving them.
  • This bill ensures the VA complies with its own policies, enhances Congress’s ability to conduct oversight, and strengthens the accountability mechanisms in place to ensure senior VA officials are focused on delivering timely service to our veterans. 

Incentivizing Law Enforcement Agencies to Hire Veterans

  • Our veterans have valuable skills that can keep our communities safe. The American Law Enforcement Heroes Act will encourage state and local governments to hire U.S. veterans as law enforcement officers via grant funding.
  • Not only will it give law enforcement access to skilled veterans while hiring, it will also ease the transition for these veterans from military service into civilian life.
  • This bill puts this preference in the law by incentivizing agencies through financial reimbursement for training and uniforms.
  • This legislation is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Enabling Veterans to Better Plan for Their Future

  • Under current law, service members are limited in how they save for retirement through both their pension and personal retirement plan.
  • While the 2015 Defense Authorization bill created a first-ever financial match from the military to veterans' retirement contributions, the IRS caps the amount veterans can save through their civilian jobs. 
  • The Servicemember Retirement Improvement Act fixes that problem by allowing veterans to contribute the maximum to both their civilian and military retirement plans.
  • A coalition of military service organizations including the Association of the United States Army, Military Officers Association of America, National Guard Association of the U.S., and the Retired Enlisted Association support this bill.

Holding VA Management Accountable

  • VA senior executives are not being held accountable, with the Obama Administration unable or unwilling to fire the worst among them. 
  • By amending the Veterans Choice Act, we can allow inadequate VA officials to be removed more easily.
  • This change would give the President the final word in dismissing VA officials, increasing accountability at the VA and at the top of the Administration itself.

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