WASHINGTON – In advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today took to the Senate floor to recognize and give thanks to America’s veterans.

“One of the things that we are most thankful about in this nation… is the service of our veterans who have stepped forward in uniform to give us the free country that we enjoy today… It is a proud recognition that we make as members of Congress to take care that the promises we made to armed services members that have stepped forward, donned the uniform, and then gone on to other service, that those promises are kept… Members of the Senate are working hard today to make our National Defense Authorization Act a reality again for the 60^th straight year and to serve those veterans and future veterans who have done so much to make our country free,” Wicker said.

Wicker’s remarks follow a column he wrote for Veterans Day outlining progress Congress has made in supporting veterans and their families.

Wicker cited efforts to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by passing laws like the VA MISSION Act and the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act. These laws have reduced wait times, expanded access to telemedicine and private care, and allowed the VA to fire employees for poor performance.

The Senate recently passed legislation authored by Wicker and Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va., that would designate September 30 as National Veterans Suicide Prevention Day in response to the troubling rise in veteran suicides during the coronavirus pandemic.

Wicker has also sponsored legislation that would provide compensation to veterans who were forced to retire early because of disabilities.

Wicker, who is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, is the son of a World War II veteran and the father of an Air Force officer.