{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://millermeeks.house.gov/media/press-releases/miller-meeks-joins-push-hold-hearing-veteran-mental-health", "Miller-Meeks Joins Push to Hold Hearing on Veteran Mental Health", "2021-08-31", "2021", "2021-08", "Republican", "House", "IA", "Mariannette Miller-Meeks", "M001215", "millermeeks.house.gov", "millermeeks", "https://millermeeks.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014Today, August 31st, 2021, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) joined a letter to Rep. Mark Takano (CA-41), the Chairman of the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, urging him to immediately hold a full committee hearing on veteran mental health following recent events in Afghanistan.\n\n\u201cMental health in our veteran community has always been a challenge. For decades we have worked to improve mental health access and services for our veterans,\u201d said Miller-Meeks. \u201cOver the last few weeks, the world has watched Afghanistan become a true crisis. I have spoken to many veterans and active-duty soldiers who served in Afghanistan and they need to know that we support them and their sacrifice to our country.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs the world bears witness to the Biden Administration\u2019s failure in Afghanistan, the VA Committee must be laser-focused on supporting the veterans who served there,\u201d said Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12), the Republican Leader of the Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee. \u201cWe know this continued crisis is already taking a toll on veterans\u2019 mental health. That\u2019s why I joined my colleagues in calling on Chairman Takano to hold a hearing to ensure the men and women who served have what they need to cope. We should have no higher priority.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a physician of more than 30 years, I am deeply concerned about the psychological impact that President Biden\u2019s failed withdrawal is having on veterans and active-duty service members across the country,\u201d said Rep. Greg Murphy (NC-03). \u201cI represent over 89,000 veterans in North Carolina\u2019s Third District, which includes Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Every day I am hearing from veterans and their loved ones who express serious concern regarding ongoing events in Afghanistan. As members of HVAC, we have an obligation to provide resources for our veterans and assure them that they are not alone. There is never any shame in asking for help. I urge Chairman Takano to call our committee back to Washington immediately so we can hear from experts and discuss much-needed veteran mental health services in the wake of this crisis -- we simply cannot afford to wait.\u201d\n\n\"Those who honorably served in Afghanistan deserve our appreciation and support,\u201d said Rep. Jake Ellzey (TX-06). \u201cThey did not fail our country. Washington did. The untold impact that this withdrawal will have on our service members must be addressed.\"\n\n\u201cThe American people owe a great debt to our veterans, and Congress cannot let them down during this extremely emotional and painful period,\u201d said Rep. Barry Moore (AL-02). \u201cThe House Veterans Affairs Committee must reconvene immediately to examine the impacts of our failed Afghanistan retreat on the mental health of our veterans. Congress must send the clear message to all those who served that their sacrifices will never be forgotten and our joint resolve to support them is unshaken.\u201d\n\nTo read the full text of the letter, click HERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:11:17Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://millermeeks.house.gov/media/press-releases/miller-meeks-joins-push-hold-hearing-veteran-mental-health"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8135379068553448, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}