Caring for Our Nation's Heroes

Caring for Our Nation’s Heroes
We must honor the service of all of our men and women in uniform, remember those who perished at war, and celebrate the courage of those who come home. In Congress, our work is founded on a solemn promise: just as the military pledges to leave no soldier behind on the battlefield, we will leave no veteran behind when they return home.

Yesterday, I hosted a roundtable with veterans service organizations and advocacy groups as part of ongoing efforts to discuss and address the critical issues facing our nation’s service members and their families, as well as veterans. More than a dozen Democratic Members attended the roundtable and raised serious concerns about the growing veterans disability claims backlog and announced a legislative package of 10 bills to address the underlying issues.

Here in Congress, every day is an opportunity to honor the sacrifices of our service members and their families and to ensure we serve them as well as they served us. We have a solemn responsibility to care for our men and women in uniform, on the battlefield and at home. We must act to strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs, speed up the claims process, and extend economic opportunity to our veterans. It is the least we can do for those who sacrifice so much on behalf of our security and our freedom.

Congresswoman Pelosi and House Democrats hold a roundtable with veterans service organizations and advocacy groups.

As we honor our veterans, we must always remember our MIAs and POWs. They will not be forgotten. Our nation can never fully repay the debt of gratitude we owe to the courageous men and women who have worn our nation's uniform.

For more information on services offered to San Francisco’s veterans through my office, please click here.

Celebrating Earth Day
For more than four decades, Earth Day has brought Americans together to honor our moral responsibility to preserve our planet, protect our environment, and address the pressing challenge of climate change. Across the country, families and students spend this day serving their communities, cleaning up their neighborhoods, promoting conservation, and participating in the effort to ensure clean air, clean water, and a cleaner planet.

On Earth Day, Democrats and Republicans must no longer treat our environment as a point of partisan political debate. We must work side-by-side with the American people to create a future of sustainability for our children and grandchildren, prosperity and opportunity for our families and communities, and security and energy independence for generations to come.

Return to Order on the Budget
Last week, the House Democratic Leadership and I sent a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner calling on the Speaker to appoint House conferees without further delay and follow regular order to reach an agreement on a budget focused on jobs, economic growth, balanced deficit reduction, and a strong, thriving middle class.

Click here to see the full text of the letter.

Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my website. I am also on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NancyPelosi.