Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I want to begin by thanking Chairman
Isakson for giving the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American
Veterans Act the priority it needs and deserves. I know the Presiding
Officer, as a veteran, understands and supports the vital mission of
this legislation.
I also want to thank the veterans service organizations, particularly
the IAVA, for the critical role they have played in heightening
awareness and educating the American public about the scourge that
veteran suicide reflects in our society, the unacceptable 22 veterans
who commit suicide every day in the greatest, strongest Nation in the
history of the world.
Our veterans all too often succumb to the invisible wounds and inner
demons that come home with them. They lack the mental health care they
need and deserve because the VA lacks the resources to provide that
health care.
I know the VA is committed to do better. Senator Isakson and I have
just returned from 3 hours at the VA, where we heard the Secretary, as
well as his top-ranking staff, commit to using this act as a means of
enhancing and increasing the quality and quantity of mental health care
our veterans deserve. Far too many of our veterans have succumbed to
suicide, including a friend of mine, Justin Eldridge, whose widow
Joanna was my guest at the State of the Union.
She has struggled in the wake of his death with their children to
survive this tragedy. Her courage and strength mirror those same
qualities of bravery and fortitude demonstrated by Susan Selke who
testified before our committee about her son Clay Hunt, for whom this
bill is named. My hope is we can continue this bipartisan work
together.
I thank Senator McCain, the cosponsor of this bill, and hope we keep
faith with all of our veterans and make the VA the pioneer and champion
of mental health care so we end the scourge of veteran suicide in this
great Nation.
I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this measure.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
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