Issue Position: Veterans

Issue Position

As a country we must be better about putting our veterans needs first. We can never fully repay the debt we owe our service men and women, but we must do all that we can to ensure their smooth and successful transition to civilian life when they return home from service.

When I served as Nassau County Executive, we recognized that the unemployment rate for veterans was higher than that of civilians, and in December of 2008, I spearheaded the county's Warriors to Work program, a public-private partnership that helped match veterans with open jobs in the local business community. I oversaw Nassau County's participation in a series of Veteran Stand Downs, which aim to support homeless vets in need, and through this and like initiatives, helped hundreds of needy veterans find jobs, training, treatment, shelter, and housing during my time in office.

In Congress, I will continue to fight for policies that help our service men and women transition smoothly from the battlefield to life at home. I will press for reform of the Department of Veterans Affairs--the recent scandals in healthcare at the VA are an example of government bureaucracy and corruption of the insidious kind--and ensure that our service men and women have timely access to quality healthcare services when they need it most. Finally, I will fight for better services and support on behalf of military families who serve alongside our armed forces. It's high time we treat our national heroes and their families with the compassion and respect they deserve.

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