Veterans

I am so grateful for the many sacrifices our service members have made for this country. Our veterans put their lives on the line to protect the liberties we hold dear. It is our responsibility to ensure that when they return home, we as a nation take care of them and their families. It is only right. Our commitment to them should include securing an affordable place to live, the dignity of work and education, and quality health care. Our nation is safer and stronger when we care for the veterans who dedicated their lives to protecting us.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plays a critical role in guaranteeing that veterans receive the care and support they deserve. As you know, the VA continues to need adequate funding to hire physicians, case workers, and other administrative staff to ensure shorter wait times and better outcomes for veterans. In this spirit, I joined 94 House Democrats in a letter to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs expressing concerns about the effects of President Trump’s executive orders on service delivery at the VA.

Mass firings and cancellations of VA programs are forcing our veterans and service members to make difficult decisions to protect their families and finances. Trump Administration officials have announced plans to cut 30,000 VA employees, about a quarter of which are veterans themselves, by September. This is part of President Trump’s broader plan to “terrorize” the federal workforce, which I have been fighting against with every power I have. Across the federal workforce, experts suggest upwards of 80,000 veterans will be pushed out of their positions because of these unending attacks. These workforce reductions are a gross disservice to the veterans and military family that we ought to support.

The Trump administration’s cuts threaten health care enrollment rates for veterans and could increase service wait times as bureaucratic paperwork grows while staffing plunges. The VA also ended the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program created to stop foreclosures for veterans and servicemembers with VA-backed loans. 80,000 veterans, servicemembers, and their families are now staring at house foreclosure with no safety net. Military families are already facing economic uncertainty from President’s Trump’s policies and now tens of thousands must make drastic changes to their lives because of this Administration’s chaotic and rogue initiatives.

As your Congressman, I will continue to fight for veterans and their families to get the benefits and support they need. 

Relevant Legislation

I am proud to have either sponsored or co-sponsored the following legislation, and I will work tirelessly towards passing this legislation in the 119th Congress.

H.R.2102, the Major Richard Star Act, expands disability benefits for combat-disabled veterans.

H.R. 3312, the SERVICE ACT of 2025, creates grants for the development and implementation of veterans response teams within law enforcement agencies.

Community Engagement and Public Education

Since coming to Congress in 2023, I have hosted a series of events and learning opportunities to make sure I am informed about issues affecting veterans. This includes:

• Creating a Military Advisory Board, where current service members and veterans advise me on issues affecting them and their peers.
• Hosting a Veterans Pinning Ceremony, where we recognized the sacrifice of over 25 veterans from Maryland’s Fourth Congressional District.
• Honoring Vietnam-Era Veteran Sergeant Arthur Martin for his previously unrecognized service to the United States in Vietnam before the beginning of the Vietnam War.

Our veterans deserve our unending respect and the benefits that will allow them and their loved ones to not just survive but thrive.