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Supporting Our Veterans

As the proud daughter of a Vietnam veteran who depends on the VA healthcare system, I know we have a solemn obligation to care for those who served our country. Veterans should return home to a system that honors their service.

Today, that promise is under threat. Congress and the current administration are pushing budget cuts and privatization schemes that would destabilize the VA system and leave rural veterans behind.

I will fight back against any attempt to dismantle the VA and ensure that all veterans, regardless of where they live, receive the high quality healthcare, housing support, mental health services, and career resources they’ve earned.

Honoring and Helping North State Veterans

Priorities

  • Oppose and reverse efforts to privatize the VA, keeping care accessible, accountable, and veteran-centered.
  • Increase funding for the VA healthcare system, especially in underserved and rural regions.
  • Expand rural access by investing in:
    • Mobile clinics
    • Virtual/telehealth appointments
    • Rural care provider incentives
  • Fill vacant VA positions and improve staff recruitment, training, and retention.
  • Provide transition assistance through career and technical education, job counseling, and VA benefit navigation support.
  • Reduce veteran suicide through:
    • Peer support programs
    • Crisis intervention
    • Group counseling and wraparound services

Advocate for better onboarding and outreach, so all veterans, especially new ones, can access their full range of benefits.

Why it Matters

Veterans make up 8% of the population in California’s First Congressional District, twice the national average. They are our neighbors, coworkers, and family members. They bring extraordinary leadership, technical skills, and life experience to our communities, but many also carry the invisible wounds of war.

Veterans face higher rates of PTSD, chronic pain, and suicide than the general population. For those living in rural areas like ours, access to care is even more difficult. The recent $16 billion budget cut proposed by the House majority would gut funding for veterans’ healthcare and benefits, including job training, homelessness prevention, and mental health resources.

At the same time, the VA is being undermined by hiring freezes, funding shortfalls, and dangerous privatization proposals. These attacks on the system are unacceptable, and I will do everything in my power to stop them.

What I Believe

Veterans deserve more than thanks. They deserve results from a well-funded, veteran-focused VA system that delivers care and services when and where they need it.

We must expand mental health and suicide prevention services, ensure veterans have access to timely care close to home, and invest in workforce transition programs that help veterans build meaningful post-service careers. Every veteran should be met with dignity, compassion, and a system that works for them.

How I'll Lead

As your Representative, I will:

  • Fight any proposal to cut funding or reduce staffing at the VA.
  • Oppose privatization efforts that prioritize profit over veteran well-being.
  • Advance rural access initiatives, including mobile clinics, virtual appointments, and tele-mental health tools.
  • Secure resources to fill VA staffing gaps and modernize support systems.
  • Champion bipartisan legislation that supports veterans’ mental health, housing security, job training, and reintegration into civilian life.

Our veterans kept their promise to serve our country. It’s time our country kept its promise to them.

Proven Leadership in Times of Crisis