Our brave men and women in uniform lay their lives on the line - often far away from their homes and families - to protect our freedoms and defend our way of life. After more than a decade at war, our nation has had a dramatic increase in the number of new veterans, including an influx of women and former guardsmen and reservists. We must ensure that when they call on us, we are there to help. Whether it’s fighting for increased funding for veterans job training programs or dealing with the VA backlog, Gary is always looking for ways to help our service members, veterans and military families who have sacrificed so much for us.
As a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve and the son of a World War II veteran, Gary has a deep, personal commitment to keeping our promises to America’s veterans. In the Senate, Gary is working to ensure veterans who may have been erroneously discharged from the military because of mental traumas like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) receive fair treatment and don’t lose access to the benefits they have earned through their service. Gary has also introduced bipartisan legislation to extend a tax credit for small businesses that provide differential pay to military reservists and National Guard members called to serve on active duty.