Giving Troops the Respect that they Deserve

Posted by Sarah Lane on July 4, 2008

Today we celebrate our Independence. There is no better time to honor the young men and women currently serving our country. By truly honoring our servicemen and women, we need to make sure that our veterans are given all the tools and support necessary to help them achieve the American dream. Here's a statement from Jeff:

"During this important holiday I will join with thousands of Oregonians to celebrate the birth of America and honor the sacrifice and dedication of our troops," said House Speaker Jeff Merkley, candidate for U.S. Senate. "These men and women have done everything we ask of them and deserve our undying respect. While we have delivered for veterans here in Oregon, politicians in Washington, D.C. have denied our troops a tax deduction for their combat pay and proper health care when they return home. It is time to give our troops the respect they deserve."

Jeff Merkley believes as I do, that we must do everything in our power to fully take care of our veterans when they return home from service. Merkley believes we need to fully fund the VA, extend full benefits that our soldiers receive to the National Guard and Reserves and enact concurrent receipt benefits which would allow disabled veterans to receive full retirement pay when they leave the service. Merkley is also advocating for revising deployment guidelines so servicemen and women can match the amount of time spent on tours of duty to equal the time spent at home with their families.

Merkley has been 100% dedicated to improving the quality of life for our veterans. In Oregon, Merkley championed a bill which provided college education to family members of the fallen which he has pledged to fight for at the federal level. He also pushed through a bill that provided additional financial aid to veterans and passed a personal tax exemption to more National Guards members. Merkley also passed a bill creating incentives for employers to hire veterans. Merkley passed tax incentives for health care providers who participate in the TRICARE program. Merkley also passed House Joint Memorial 9 which urged the President to bring the troops home and end the war.

Merkley has a long history of working to better veterans' lives, but his work is not close to being done. That's why we need to work hard to elect Jeff Merkley who will do everything in their power to honor our soldiers and reservists the way they deserve.