Dear Friend, 

Hurricane Harvey reminded communities across the country that we can better prepare for natural disasters. In the last 15 years, the federal government spent over $200 billion on disaster relief. Estimates of the total cost of Hurricane Harvey range from $75 billion to $190 billion, which would make it the costliest disaster in American history.  

Helping Harvey Victims

I helped pass a bill to provide emergency disaster funding for Harvey, so Texas can recover and rebuild, but the damage will require multiple aid packages over the next few months. 

Helping one another in times of crisis is at the heart of American values, but building our resiliency to natural disasters will save lives and money in the long run. According to the National Institute of Building Sciences, every dollar invested in preparedness and resiliency saves us four dollars in restoration costs. 

Preparing Communities for Disasters

Today, I introduced the bipartisan Strengthening the Resiliency of Our Nation on the Ground (STRONG) Act to give state and local governments the tools to plan ahead and improve preparation and response to extreme weather.

Creating a central information center would allow Governors and Mayors to see strategies that are working in other parts of the country and adapt them to make their communities more resilient. The bill would also ensure the federal government is supporting their efforts strategically and efficiently. 

San Diego Country officials predict this year will be the highest risk wildfire season our region has seen in years. Western states are facing some of the largest wildfires in recorded history. We can't wait for another devastating wildfire or Hurricane Harvey to finally have a national vision that strengthens community resiliency in the face of increasing extreme weather.

We can’t prevent natural disasters, but we can do more to reduce the cost to life and property. Until then, I hope Americans stay safe during hurricane season and San Diegans prepare their families for the remainder of wildfire season. And as always, thank you to the first responders across the country helping in the aftermath of these disasters. 

Sincerely,

Dear Friend,

I wanted to invite you to a community open house at Miramar National Cemetery this weekend.

Join me, Miramar National Cemetery, and the Miramar Cemetery Support Foundation, to learn about the burial options available to San Diego veterans, servicemembers, and eligible family members. 

Miramar National Cemetery is the newest VA cemetery in the western United States and a great addition to San Diego. As a proud military town, this new addition will help us honor those who bravely served our country. 

With Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at capacity for new internments, Miramar Cemetery offers a full range of burial alternatives for San Diego veterans and their families. 

I hope you will join us this weekend to learn how to use VA benefits to access these services.

Sincerely,

Dear Friend,

I wanted to share a recent op-ed I wrote with Senator Mike Rounds featuring a bill I introduced to give all Purple Heart recipients the full Post 9/11 GI Bill education benefits they earned. I hope you will take a moment to read it on CNN or below. 

Sincerely,

In December 2001, just months after the attacks of September 11 shook our nation, Sergeant Adrian Aranda of the United States Marine Corps was on a foot patrol outside of Kandahar Airport in Afghanistan. Kandahar had been liberated from the Taliban just days before, a significant step in the US mission to track down Osama bin Laden and deny al Qaeda a safe haven inside Afghanistan.

During that patrol, a landmine detonated directly behind Aranda. One of his patrol mates lost his foot in the explosion and another was wounded by shrapnel and had hearing damage. Aranda sustained burns, shrapnel damage to the left side of his body, a broken hand, hearing damage and a traumatic brain injury. He and his squad mates received Purple Hearts for their service in the war on terrorism.

Every Purple Heart medal is earned. With roots dating back to the American Revolution, the Purple Heart has been awarded to millions of American service members who are wounded fighting an enemy of the United States, or to the family of those killed in action. Every Purple Heart recipient has his or her own story -- just like Aranda's -- of sacrifice for the sake of America's safety.

But Aranda's story didn't end that day in Afghanistan.

After separating from the Marine Corps, Aranda pursued his education to set himself up for his post-military career. He first earned an associate's degree from a community college, and then graduated with a bachelor's degree from Texas Tech. During this process, Aranda discovered that he was eligible for only half of the benefits provided under the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill -- which gives veterans from the war on terror assistance to pay for their education -- because he had not served the required three years of active duty.

This despite the fact that he had been seriously wounded in the line of duty and received a Purple Heart.

We made a promise to the veterans who rushed to serve their country after 9/11 that we would honor their sacrifice and stand by them when they returned. That's why Congress passed the Post-9/11 GI Bill in the first place -- to expand education benefits so they match the 21st century challenges that our veterans face when they come home.

It's wrong that any Purple Heart veteran who suffered a life-changing injury in the line of duty be excluded from full benefits, but we're working to fix it. The two of us have introduced corresponding bills in the House and the Senate to extend full Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to every honorably discharged Purple Heart recipient now and in the future.

Aranda is not alone, either. In 2006, Marine Reservist Jonathan Richard Goldman was called into active duty in the middle of his undergraduate studies. Goldman deployed to Fallujah, a city that had seen some of the most intense street-to-street fighting in the Iraq War. On September 4, 2006, his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. Goldman suffered a concussion, burns, an ankle injury and shrapnel wounds to his left knee. For these injuries, he was awarded the Purple Heart.

Goldman returned home with his unit two months after the attack and was separated from active duty along with the rest of his unit. He went on to complete the degree that had been interrupted by his service and remained in the reserves until 2012, when he retired as a sergeant. But despite bearing battle scars and his Purple Heart medal, Goldman also did not qualify for full Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits because he, too, had not served the requisite three years of active duty.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill expanded veterans' education benefits to cover tuition and fees to a college or university, a monthly housing allowance and a stipend for books and supplies. In our changing economy, these benefits are necessary to help our veterans get the skills and education they need to make a successful transition to civilian life. These benefits are based on a rating system, with full benefits for veterans who complete at least 36 months of active duty service or are medically retired.

Even after everything they gave in service to their country, Sgts. Aranda and Goldman did not qualify for full benefits. One out of every five Purple Heart recipients from the war on terror who are using their education benefits are in the same position, and many others are discouraged from pursuing an education at all because their benefit doesn't cover the full cost of enrolling.

Our bills would give these wounded warriors full benefits and would help an estimated 660 Purple Heart recipients every year pursue a college degree or vocational training so they can land a good job and make the peaceful, prosperous transition to civilian life they deserve.

Supporting our veterans is an issue that still gets broad bipartisan support in Congress. Our bill has already been passed by the House Veterans Affairs Committee, and we are working to build more support in Congress to get the bill signed into law as soon as possible.

At our time of greatest need, these brave service members fought and bled for us. They don't just deserve these benefits. Just like their Purple Heart medals, they have earned them.