“I think it is the highest obligation of the President, who is also our Commander-in-Chief, to take care of those who have served our nation.” –Hillary Clinton
Hillary believes that as a country, we have a responsibility to ensure the 21.8 million brave men and women veterans who have risked their lives to defend our country and the principles on which it stands get the support and respect they deserve. But our country is not doing as good of a job as we can to take care of our vets—on any given night, nearly 50,000 veterans are homeless, more than half a million are unemployed, and 22 vets take their own lives every day. Hillary believes that veterans have served America, and it’s time their country serves them. For many service members, the war is not over when they return home, and Hillary is committed to ensuring veterans receive the healthcare, benefits, and support they need to successfully reintegrate into civilian life and contribute to our communities.
Hillary understands the tremendous sacrifice servicemen and women make to America and her history demonstrates her commitment to veterans. The daughter of a World War II vet, Hillary has a long history of introducing, sponsoring, and advocating for legislation intended to help veterans and their families. In 2006 she introduced the Heroes At Home Act, which helped family members care for veterans with traumatic brain injury or PTSD. She also teamed up with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) to expand healthcare access to members of the National Guard and Reservists. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hillary worked to expand healthcare coverage and assistance to veterans suffering from mental health issues.
One of Hillary’s most significant accomplishments was the spearheading of legislation that helped veterans continue their education after service. The 21st Century GI Bill of Rights, signed into law in 2008, provides extensive financial assistance to veterans seeking higher education opportunities after they have completed their service. The law eliminated many of the barriers that precluded veterans returning from active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan from exploring these opportunities, such as the $1200 program enrollment fee veterans previously had to pay out of pocket. Hillary fought for this legislation in order to ensure veterans have access to educational opportunities that will prepare them for the economy of tomorrow.
In the spirit of continuing her dedication to veterans and their families, Hillary recently announced a plan to close loopholes that enable for-profit colleges to target veterans and exploit them for their own financial gain. She also wants to expand the Military Lending Act, which protects veterans from predatory lenders.
Hillary will also work toward solving some of the newer, but most critical issues facing veterans today, including the high rates of suicide. Although the VA has made progress toward addressing this issue, Hillary believes we can do more to help our vets. She will expand access to treatment for substance abuse and mental health issues, particularly post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and other invisible wounds of war. Ensuring that veterans get the mental health services they need will lead to stronger, healthier communities around the country. And providing educational opportunities to veterans will not only address the problem of unemployment and under-employment among this population, but will empower veterans to use their skills and give back to their communities and country.
The Republicans talk a lot about doing more for our veterans, but their policy proposals include devastating cuts to funding that our veterans rely on. Our economy and our country will be stronger when veterans are healthy and productive, and Hillary will fulfill our country’s duty to protect, support, and honor those who have served our nation.
This blog is part of a series based on the book, 52 Reasons To Vote For Hillary. In an effort to provide the facts about Hillary Clinton, her record, and her plans for America, the authors of the book have decided to publish one reason through Election Day. To find out more about the book, visit the website or buy your copy here.