{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-hosts-us-secretary-of-veterans-affairs-for-tour-of-key-ri-vet-programs-and-facilities", "Reed Hosts U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Tour of Key RI Vet Programs & Facilities", "2023-11-20", "2023", "2023-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "RI", "Jack Reed", "R000122", "www.reed.senate.gov", "jackreed", "https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases", "scraper", "PROVIDENCE, RI \u2013 U.S. Senator Jack Reed today welcomed U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough to Rhode Island for a series of meetings with local veterans, support organizations, and VA professionals. Their engagements focused on meeting with the workers and employees providing Rhode Island veterans with the care, benefits, and services they earned.\n\n\u201cI was pleased to join Secretary McDonough today to meet with some of Rhode Island\u2019s finest \u2013 our courageous veterans. We have heard from organizations that support veterans about how we can work together to improve services and outcomes,\u201d said Senator Reed, the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, who served in the U.S. Army after graduating from West Point. \u201cSecretary McDonough is a dedicated public servant who I\u2019ve known since his time as a congressional staffer focused on foreign policy and advising former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. I\u2019m pleased to work with him now as he leads the Biden Administration\u2019s efforts to provide high-quality care and benefits for our nation\u2019s veterans. Today\u2019s sessions gave us numerous takeaways that we can bring back to Washington and continue to build on for the benefit of Rhode Island\u2019s veterans.\u201d\n\nSenator Reed and Secretary McDonough began their tour of the Ocean State with a tour of Operation Stand Down Rhode Island (OSDRI), where they saw first-hand how the organization is working to support veterans experiencing homelessness and provide other legal and support services for at-risk veterans.\n\nUnder the direction of Secretary McDonough, ending veteran homeless is a priority for the VA. The department is on track to meet its goal of housing 38,000 homeless veterans this year. OSDRI is a key local partner in this effort. The organization helps Rhode Island veterans to secure stable housing, employment, basic human needs, and legal and benefit assistance.\n\nFollowing the tour of OSDRI, Senator Reed and Secretary McDonough met with medical professionals, staff, and patients at the Providence VA Medical Center. Through a series of meetings and discussions, the group highlighted latest efforts to increase access and improve outcomes for veterans in need of VA care and services. Last Congress, Senator Reed supported and helped to pass the PACT Act, the largest expansion of access to VA healthcare and benefits in recent history. Secretary McDonough is now overseeing the implementation of the law.\n\nA Minnesota native, McDonough previously served as White House chief of staff under President Barack Obama. Following his time with the Obama Administration, McDonough worked for the Markle Foundation, focusing on employment and job training for Americans, before he was tapped by President Joe Biden to helm the VA. He was confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs with the support of 87 U.S. Senators in February of 2021.\n\nAs the head of the VA, McDonough is responsible for caring for some 9 million veterans nationwide, including some 800,000 aging Vietnam War veterans. The VA employs more than 377,000 people and supports 170 medical centers and more than 1,000 outpatient sites nationwide.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "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://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-hosts-us-secretary-of-veterans-affairs-for-tour-of-key-ri-vet-programs-and-facilities"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8681571818888187, "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"}