This was a truly amazing veterans day. To all our veterans I say: thank you to every single one of you for putting on that uniform and going out there, putting your life on the line for someone else. Whether you’re Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines - thank you for all of your service to our country.

Following veterans day, this week I helped introduce a bipartisan bill to recognize the service of the over 2 million female veterans in our country. When we made that promise to take care of our veterans, we swore to uphold that promise to all veterans - men and women alike. But unfortunately, there’s no doubt that female veterans still face unique challenges and healthcare needs that the VA has not yet been able to successfully address. Fixing this critical failure starts at the top, and our bill to change the mission statement of the VA to be more inclusive is a needed first step.

I also know personally that when I deployed to Afghanistan and was injured, it wasn’t just a challenge for me, but it deeply impacted my wife and our entire family. That's why our bill also acknowledges the ongoing needs of families, caregivers and survivors.