Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi represents the 8th District of Illinois, which includes Chicago’s west and northwest suburbs. He serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, the Committee on Oversight and Reform and as Chairman of its Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, Vice-Chair of the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, Co-Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Immigration Task Force, and as an Assistant Whip for the Democratic caucus.
He also is the founder and Chairman of both the bipartisan Congressional Caucus to End the Youth Vaping Epidemic and the bipartisan Solar Caucus.
Supporting our veterans, and ensuring they receive the benefits they've earned, will always be one of my top priorities. Our nation prides itself on our sacred obligation to prepare and equip those we send into harm's way, and to care for them when they come home. It is our job in Congress to fulfill this obligation.
While the federal government has recently taken steps to ensure our veterans have access to education, good jobs, and health care, we need to do more. Today, thousands of veterans are homeless and close to 13,000 of these are veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While veterans represent only 7 percent of the U.S. population, they represent 13 percent of homeless Americans. It is simply inexcusable that this problem persists today.
We need to redouble our efforts to help those who are still waiting for the benefits that they have earned, and we must work tirelessly to provide the tools necessary to enable our heroes to thrive in the country they so bravely defended. I will continue fighting to ensure that our veterans and their families get the care and benefits they need, expanding educational and employment opportunities, and ensuring they get the health care they deserve.