Our great nation was built on the dedication of our servicemen and women and their willingness to sacrifice. We owe them our best resources while they serve and our unwavering support when they return home. I am committed to ensuring our nation's veterans have the support and benefits they have earned, including access to health care. I am pleased to have helped secure nearly $500 million in funding for a new Veterans Hospital in Louisville, which broke ground in November 2021. This will be a state-of-the-art facility for our medical community and the nearly 50,000 veterans who live in and around Louisville.

Congress has also implemented measures to improve the treatment of our nation's veterans, including the single largest increase in funding for the Veterans Administration in our nation's history, significant funding to improve suicide prevention and outreach programs, and the Post-9/11 GI Bill that gives more veterans the opportunity to earn a college degree. I am proud to have led the effort in 2019 to repeal the Survivor Benefit Plan-Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (SBP-DIC) offset, or “Widow’s Tax,” that adversely impacted surviving spouses’ benefits.

When we challenge our young men and women to put on a uniform and risk their lives for our country, we must promise to always take care of those who answer the call. Honoring this pact is among the key virtues that make America worth fighting for, and I intend to see that it is fully honored by our federal government.