Answering the call to serve our country in uniform is becoming less common, but no less courageous. 

We will always be proud that Arkansans from all walks of life continue choosing this path and make sacrifices to protect our freedoms and way of life.

Veterans Day is a time for all Americans to honor and remember this truth. While we can never fully repay our former servicemembers, we can keep our promises to them. That is a solemn responsibility to the more than 200,000 proud veterans who call The Natural State home.

Fortunately, we have made significant progress to strengthen the benefits and services veterans and their families depend on. I am proud to work alongside my colleagues on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee to champion bipartisan initiatives that move the needle to better support this unique community. 

And as chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), our panel works hard to deliver key investments that enhance overall care and increase resources for our veterans. We’ve made great progress on my efforts in telehealth, women’s health initiatives, medical innovation and modernizing VA electronic health and IT systems. 

Ensuring veterans have access to preventative and life-saving mental health support has been one of my ongoing top priorities. They are at a much higher risk of suicide than the general civilian population, which is why we have pushed several measures aimed at fighting this epidemic. The Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Grant Program I authored alongside Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) doubles down on mental health outreach in veteran communities. We are now working diligently to extend it and continue reaching those in crisis.

Veterans’ overall health is just as vital. Empowering them to efficiently coordinate and navigate appointments is key to achieving better outcomes. In light of that, I am championing policies to simplify the VA health care scheduling process and expedite access to community providers so getting timely, quality care will be easier than ever. 

We will continue working to advance these solutions this Congress while also conducting oversight of the efforts to implement recently enacted landmark laws.

One example is the PACT Act, which became law in 2022, ensuring veterans afflicted with toxic exposure illnesses are eligible for benefits related to treating those conditions. Others include efforts I led to modernize breast cancer screening policies and technology to support our nation’s growing population of female veterans. When properly executed, I am confident these reforms will help address pressing needs.

Another area my office has focused on to recognize former servicemembers has grown exponentially. 

The Veterans History Project, a Library of Congress initiative to record and catalog the oral histories of veterans, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. My team has been proud to interview and submit the stories of around 100 Natural State veterans while training over 1,200 Arkansans to engage with it, including conducting interviews themselves. Earlier this year, we hosted VHP representatives in Arkansas to collect more local veterans’ stories and share best practices with eager prospective participants.

Growing up, I remember interacting with so many adults in our community who spent at least some part of their lives serving our nation in uniform. Those experiences impressed upon me a deep sense of gratitude and respect that I still carry today. This perspective has also helped shape my priorities in Congress.

On November 11, as our nation celebrates Veterans Day, I encourage every Arkansan to demonstrate our sincere appreciation for their service and sacrifice year-round.