[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 182 (Wednesday, November 8, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H8647]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PROVIDE MORE FOR FEMALE VETERANS

  (Ms. GABBARD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, female veterans represent the military's 
fastest-growing population with an estimated 2.2 million women, 
including 14,000 in my home State of Hawaii, who have served our 
country. Yet, when these women come home or transition to civilian 
life, they are still facing a VA that was created by and for men and is 
ill-equipped to understand and serve their unique needs.
  Women veterans have lower rates of access to the VA than men, but 
face higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, military sexual 
assaults, unemployment, and homelessness. We have a responsibility to 
take care of all of our veterans when they return home, and to make 
sure that they are getting the best care and benefits that they have 
earned and deserve.
  In recognition of Veterans Day, we must fix this and pass the Deborah 
Sampson Act to eliminate barriers and improve quality of care and 
services, and empower our female veterans alongside our male veterans.
  I urge all of my colleagues to pass this legislation to address the 
glaring gender disparities at the VA and to ensure that our women 
veterans receive the services that they have earned and deserve.

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