Our remarkable district, bordering the nation’s capital and the Potomac River, is home to several key military installations, including the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for tens of thousands of men and women who served our country with valor.

I feel personal ties to veterans’ issues. My dad, who lived to be 93, was a West Point graduate who served in Korea and was part of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Trieste (where I was born). My father-in-law, who lived to be 92, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was awarded two Purple Hearts. It is extraordinary what their generation gave us and what the military generations following have continued to do.

I lead the Veterans Transition Support Act, which aims to improve the disability claims process for veterans. The bill would expand the Solid Start program to help transitioning service members file claims pre-separation and minimize interruptions in medical care and benefits. We owe our troops and, after their service, our veterans, the best possible care. And when there are problems with accessing that care, we should move in good faith—and without unnecessary partisan rancor—to remedy the situation. 

We also must strive to be a nation that engages in foreign conflicts only as a last resort after diplomatic options are exhausted, with deeply thoughtful consideration of all factors.