Each Valentine’s Day we celebrate those we cherish most, showering friends, family, spouses, partners and others with acts of love. I believe that service is fundamentally an act of love, and that America’s military members demonstrate a deep love for our country when they serve.
My father served in the U.S. military along with four of my uncles; all made it home. When the chaplain handed me our father’s flag at the National Cemetery and said, “a grateful nation thanks you for your Father’s service,” those words became the touchstone for how I’d go on to serve our veterans in Congress.
Our troops and their families sacrifice so much. Some are wounded and survive, while others never make it back to their families. It’s not enough just to thank veterans. We need to provide them with the services they’ve earned in return for their sacrifice. That includes ensuring veterans get the quality health care they need to heal the wounds they’ve suffered, both mental and physical. It also means providing them with the housing and education resources necessary to achieve their goals once they return to civilian life.
Last year, I met Harry. He is 75, a Cold War veteran, a cancer survivor and resident of a rural area in Northern New Mexico. Harry told me he’s alive today because his VA practitioner, Dr. Gomez, responded to his concerns quickly at the local VA clinic. Dr. Gomez provided the care Harry deserved.
It’s stories like this that helped me and the rest of the New Mexico delegation in Congress defeat a plan last year to close four veteran health clinics in Española, Gallup, Las Vegas and Raton. I visited and spoke to countless veterans in each of these predominantly rural, Hispanic and Native American communities. All echoed what Harry told me: “It was my pleasure serving this country, but the thing is that they need to take care of us.”
We won the VA clinic closure fight last year. But as I told Harry, we wouldn’t stop at preserving veteran’s services — we would work to expand them. Budgets reflect values. Since I got to Congress, I’ve been working not just to thank veterans, but to honor their service with the funding and resources they need. In the American Rescue Plan, we recognized their immense sacrifice and delivered $17 billion in support to veterans.
In the very first budget I voted for, we increased funding for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs by 13 percent, and again in last year’s budget by 29 percent. I voted to expand access to mental health and suicide prevention resources, and supported the PACT Act to treat veterans suffering from exposure to toxic burn pits. When Senate republicans failed to support the bill, I was part of the chorus calling for its passage. I’m grateful this much-needed legislation became law.
This Valentine’s Day, I held my second annual Valentines for Veterans program, hand-delivering notes written by New Mexicans of all ages to our veterans expressing love and gratitude for their service. For next year’s Valentine’s Day, I invite you to act with love and do the same.
The policy and budget decisions I make in D.C. are meant to honor the service and love our veterans showed our country. However, as we begin a new session in Congress, I’m concerned there is a willingness among some to once again abandon our veterans. If we default on our financial obligations, veterans might not receive their disability checks and vital medical appointments may be canceled. All VA services would be negatively impacted.
If, as Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and his allies have suggested, we go back to the fiscal year 2022 budget, then the increased services we’ve secured for mental health, housing, helping burn pit cancer patients and so much more would be cut by $22.5 billion dollars.
My valentine to our veterans is a commitment to keep fighting for them, just as they fought for us.