Facing Mental Health Challenges Doesn't Make You Weak

Floor Speech

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Vermont for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as you can see even behind her, it says, ``Facing mental health challenges doesn't make you weak. It makes you human.''

Even as I say this, I think about Damon in my community who took his life. He was a veteran. He served our country. He came home. He continued his service by being one of our firefighters.

When I read that every single day in our country, in our Nation, about 17 veterans die by suicide, I was shocked. That is 17 families, Mr. Speaker, whose lives will never be the same. This is just one of the heartbreaking effects of war and the reality of the mental health crisis in our Nation.

We must work harder than ever to ensure that no person, no human being, or veteran is left behind, and everyone receives the mental health support and love that they need to survive.

The forever wars of the past decades have left behind immense trauma, and far too often our government fails to provide our veterans with the support they need and deserve. If we cannot provide the necessary mental health care in support of our veterans when they return home, we should not be sending them to war.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we must prioritize improving access to mental health services to every single American and every single family across our Nation. This is critical to creating a better quality of life for our communities and their families and everyone in our communities that continue to struggle.

I will let every veteran know in this moment, as you hear me, I hope I can save a life by telling you this, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, which offers free confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for those experiencing a mental health crisis or contemplating suicide.

For our veterans looking for care that is designed for the unique challenges facing your community, please know that you can now access the Veterans Crisis Hotline by dialing the 988 number and pressing 1 to get connected. This is important because on that other line, you may be connected to a veteran who understands how you feel.

By shedding light on the realities of the mental health crisis in our Nation, we can create an environment where people feel seen, they feel heard, and understood. We must break the stigma surrounding mental health challenges and ensure that healthcare is a human right, not a privilege.

If you are a veteran in crisis, a person in crisis, please know that there are people that care deeply about you, and we want to support you. Please reach out for help if you need it. Again, that crisis line is 988. You only need to dial 988. Again, from the bottom of my heart, please believe me when I tell you, you are not alone.

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