I became a national security and terrorism prosecutor because of 9-11. I wanted to help keep America safe. As someone who has worked on cases involving corruption, terrorism and threats from China and Iran, I know how important it is to support our veterans and service members. These courageous men and women put their lives on the line to protect us.
We have 120,000 veterans living in Riverside County, the third-largest veteran population in California. Sadly, in Riverside County, the rate of veterans who have diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure is considerably higher than the general population, and almost one in three veterans under the age of 40 are unemployed. We need to help get veterans onto insurance plans and create additional tax incentives for employers to hire veterans who’ve given the country so much only to come home without a job.
Support for Veterans and Service Members:
- Ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs has the resources to provide the highest-quality medical care and support to our veterans;
- Address the mental health challenges faced by many veterans, especially reducing suicides among veterans;
- Expand veterans’ access to continuing education, vocational and job training, including the excellent programs offered to veterans and service members at UC Riverside; and
- Ensure that our military is the best-trained and equipped in the world, ready to win on every necessary battlefield.
The attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 was a stain on our country’s history, and it is the reason I decided to run for Congress. My opponent Ken Calvert believes former President Trump’s “big lie.” Rep. Calvert’s refusal to stand up to President Trump when he tried to extort Ukraine by withholding the weapons they needed to fight Russia is shameful and unpatriotic. We need leaders in Congress who will confront threats to democracy at home and prepare our country from adversaries like Russia and China.
Some additional facts about Ken Calvert’s record:
- Calvert voted to overturn the 2020 election results.
- Calvert said he hoped that charges would be dropped against January 6th insurrectionists.
- In March, Calvert voted against the PACT Act before later reversing himself.
- Calvert voted for billions in cuts to veterans healthcare that could eliminate up to 30 million veteran outpatient visits
- Also in the 117th Congress, Calvert attacked the right of servicemembers to access abortion and veterans’ rights to birth control coverage.
- Calvert has a staunch anti-LGBTQ record, which includes voting against the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and backing Trump’s ban on transgender servicemembers.
