FACT SHEET: Democrats Deliver for Texas Veterans

It is the bravery and courage of our veterans that allows us the freedoms and liberties we enjoy. Veterans have made a great sacrifice for our country and we are in endless debt to them. We make a pact with these heroes that after they return home from their service to our country, we will in turn give them the care they need and deserve.

In San Antonio today, Democrats will highlight in detail how, the Biden-Harris Administration and Texas Democrats in the U.S. Congress have delivered for Texas veterans – and how when we win at the statewide level in November, we will continue to work tirelessly to provide the support that veterans need and deserve… because for too long, too many Republicans have used their power to undermine the efforts of Democrats to support our veterans.  

Read below for a fact sheet on how Democrats are delivering – and will continue to deliver – for Texas Veterans: 

PACT Act

With the President signing into law the PACT Act earlier this summer – a bill that was the result of years of tireless work by Texas Democrats, veterans, and advocates – we have come one step closer to upholding our end of that bargain.

The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promises to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 expands access to VA health care and benefits for toxic exposed veterans and their survivors, improve care and increase research related to toxic exposures, and provide VA with important resources to serve veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.

According to the Military Times, the PACT Act “is the culmination of years of work by advocates to improve health care and benefits for veterans suffering injuries from burn pit smoke, Agent Orange spraying and other military contaminant exposure. It has been widely celebrated as a potential landmark legislative victory in veterans policy.” Additionally, it is estimated that “ about one in five living American veterans could benefit from the PACT Act”.

Texas has one of the highest veteran populations in the entire country. Veterans across the state expressed their outrage at their Republican leaders in Washington failing them so dramatically.

No words can express the proper amount of shame that all Texas House Republicans should feel: every single Texas House Republican voted against the PACT Act. 

But it's not just Texas House Republicans who voted against this bill. 

Both Cruz and Cornyn voted against this bill. The signing of this bill came after a national shame campaign to convince Senators Cruz and Cornyn to reverse course and switch their votes on the bill. 

This national shame campaign was possible because of the hard work of Jon Stewart and other national voices. Democrats, meanwhile, showed their unwavering support for veterans and their families: Every single Texas House Democrat voted in favor of the PACT Act.

How the Biden-Harris Administration is Delivering for Veterans, Beyond the PACT Act:

The Biden-Harris Administration has passed additional legislation benefiting veterans in addition to the historic passing of the PACT Act. Joe Biden signed four bills benefiting veterans that, per Spectrum News:

• Expand maternal health care access for women veterans;
• Expand tuition benefits to families of veterans;
• Create a program for military members with healthcare background to get jobs in the federal health care workforce; 
• And Order the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study race and ethnicity disparities in compensation by the VA, and the rejection of claims for VA benefits.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimated that 8.1% or 37,085 adults living in the U.S. who are experiencing homelssness were veterans. Texas has the third highest population of homeless veterans. As of January 2020, there are approximately 1,948 veterans facing homelessness in Texas. 

The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to eliminating veteran homelessness. 

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Veterans Affairs (VA), and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) are committed to ending veteran homelessness through a whole-of-government effort. This process includes prioritizing several strategies that work including:

• Making ending veteran homelessness a top priority by pursuing targeted technical assistance in communities with the highest prevalence of homeless veterans. 
• Leading with an evidence-based housing approach by reinforcing targeted interventions such as HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH), Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF), and Grant and Per Diem. These interventions assist veterans in obtaining stable housing as quickly as possible without barriers and preconditions. 
• Researching underserved veterans such as veterans with other than honorable discharge status, Native American veterans, and veterans who are women, members of racial and ethnic minority groups, LGBTQ+, aging, and/or living in rural areas. The agencies are implementing continuous evaluation of current policies and the development of new strategies to identify and remove barriers to housing, ensure that programs operate in an equitable manner, and address disparities in access. 
• Increasing the supply of and access to affordable housing by engaging landlords and affordable housing developers, supporting the use of federal programs to create and subsidize affordable housing, identifying ways to improve Veteran access to these housing units, and supporting state and local collaboration to finance and create affordable housing.
• Ensuring the delivery of quality supportive services by working with federal and community stakeholders. By working together, they are identifying ways to ensure veterans have access to quality supportive health, mental health, and legal services alongside employment and housing assistance provided by VA or community partners. 
• Preventing homelessness among veterans by accelerating the pace of re-housing veterans who are currently homeless, as well as working to significantly reduce the number of veterans who newly experience homelessness through enhanced homelessness prevention efforts. 

Last Veteran's Day, President Biden said “Our veterans represent the best of America. You are the very spine of America, not just the backbone. You’re the spine of this country. And all of us - all of us - owe you.” The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to support, and continue to support the great veterans of this country.

Policy Proposals from Beto O’Rouke for Governor and Jay Kleberg for Land Commissioner:

While serving in Congress, Beto was able to deliver for Texas Veterans. Beto served on both the Veterans Affairs and Armed Services committees in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Beto’s VA health care plan added two new VA clinics in El Paso, almost doubled the amount of mental health providers at the local VA, and brought down wait times down from an average of 71 days to an average of 5 days. 

Beto was also able to author and pass legislation that expanded access to VA mental health care to veterans with other-than-honorable discharges, grant every separating service member access to a mental health screening, improve and customize transition assistance for service members leaving the military. 

Beto has pledged to “strengthen services for those who have put their lives on the line for this country”. Beto will prioritize efforts to:

• End veteran homelessness in Texas by the end of his first year in office.
• Cut property taxes for disabled and low-income veterans.
• Dramatically expand the state’s veterans health care case management system.
• Strengthen services for veterans suffering from toxic exposure.
• Expand access to medical marijuana and other alternatives to harmful opioids
• Strengthen access to education and employment benefits that our veterans have earned. 

Beto has a track record of showing up and delivering for veterans and will continue to support veterans. 

Under the current Land Commissioner of Texas, state-run veterans homes had double the death rate of other long-term care facilities during the height of the COVID pandemic. 

The General Land Office is responsible for providing low-interest land loans and housing to Texas veterans, and overseeing nine long-term veteran care facilities and four veteran cemeteries. 

Democratic Land Commissioner Nominee Jay Kleberg believes that Texas veterans deserve better and will invest in better care for Texas veterans homes, reduce interest rates, put human and financial resources to increasing awareness of Veterans Land Board (VLB) programs, and partner with communities in the management of veteran cemeteries. 

Kleberg will work to support the PACT Act and re-appropriate existing funds to establish the Texas Toxic Burn Pit Registry and Outreach Program housed under the Veterans Land Board (VLB).