Veterans Day is a time for all of us to honor and remember the patriotic Americans who dedicated their lives to protecting ours in the Armed Forces. We thank our friends and family members who served and pay our respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. These brave men and women deserve the very best we can offer them so they can lead their lives with dignity.

Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege to meet with Nevada veterans all across our state. Having the chance to hear from our veterans and their families about their service and sacrifice has had a profound impact on me. Coming from a military family myself, with my father having served in Korea after the war and both of my grandfathers having served in the U.S. Army, it has always been my priority to make sure our veterans get the benefits they’ve earned and deserve.

We reached a monumental achievement with the bipartisan PACT Act, when both sides of the political aisle came together to create legislation ensuring veterans exposed to toxins in the line of duty get the expanded benefits and medical care they need. This bill also included my provision to finally expand health care and disability benefits for some veterans suffering from exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam over 50 years ago. Now, my focus is on implementing this legislation and working with affected Nevada veterans to make sure they get the care they need. That’s the most important part of my job: connecting with Nevadans and delivering for them.

I’ve talked to disabled veterans in Nevada who have had to make expensive alterations to their clothes because of irregular damage by their prosthetics or wheelchairs. They told me that to cover these costs, they had to go through extra hoops to prove their service-related injuries every single year just to receive a clothing benefit the Department of Veterans Affairs already knows they need. That’s why I introduced and passed bipartisan legislation, the Brian Neuman VA Clothing Allowance Improvement Act, to guarantee that service-related clothing benefit automatically renews each year.

It’s a similar story with my work to create the Office of Women’s Health at the VA. I spoke with women veterans in Nevada who told me they had trouble accessing proper health care, so I helped pass the Deborah Sampson Act, named after the trailblazing woman who spent her life fighting for the recognition of her service in combat. This bill eliminates some of the barriers and unique challenges women veterans face and ensures they can get the medical care they need.

We have been able to get a lot of great things done in Congress to support our veterans, but there is still more work ahead. I’m proud that my partner in the Senate, Jacky Rosen, and I secured funding for the construction of a new and improved veterans hospital in Reno. This facility will be an upgrade to our existing VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System, which is long overdue. The men and women who risked everything to defend our freedoms deserve the best medical facilities and equipment available, and both Senator Rosen and I are committed to making it happen.

I am also taking steps to ensure that veterans’ benefits keep up with the rising cost-of-living. As wages and prices increase, compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and military survivors must also increase so they can provide for themselves and their families. That’s why I co-sponsored the Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2024. I’m going to keep working to pass this bill and ensure that our veterans can receive their benefits without worrying about fluctuations in our economy, and that they know this country supports them as they have supported us with their bravery, service, and sacrifice.

I am grateful for all the men and women of Nevada and across this great nation who have served our country in the military. This Veterans Day, we honor those who risked everything in defense of our democracy, and we forge ahead in our efforts to support them.