The following is a release from the office of Sen. Patty Murray:

In honor of Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) spoke on the Senate floor to honor our nation’s veterans and call on the country to recommit to the promises we make to them. Senator Murray, a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, urged her colleagues to join her in making the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) work better for veterans in Washington state and across the country.   

Sen. Murray will spend Veterans Day at various events in Washington state, including the Habitat for Humanity Veterans Build event, UW Seattle’s Veterans Day, and the Puyallup Tribe’s Veterans Day celebration.

Video of Sen. Murray’s floor speech is available here.

“M. President, this Veterans Day we pause to honor the men and women in our military –who stepped up to fight for our freedom and to protect our families. In my home state of Washington, we have a lot to be thankful for. More than 600,000 of our friends, neighbors, and family members have bravely served their country.

“As the daughter of a World War II veteran, I know the sacrifice it takes to keep our country safe and protect our values. And thanks to my father, and the countless other veterans I’ve had the honor of meeting –I believe that when brave individuals sign up to serve our country, we must fulfill our promise to support them when they get home. M. President— we should honor our veterans by showing them we’ve got their back long after the war is over.

“And while I would like to stand here and say our country is doing everything we can for the people we owe the most to—that we are fulfilling the promise we made to them when we sent them off to fight for us—I believe our work is far from over. While Congress passed a sweeping bill last year to provide new resources and add more accountability to the VA—I continue to hear from veterans across my home state of Washington about care that is falling short.

“Despite structural changes at the VA, veterans are still waiting on-surgeries, MRIs, oncology appointments, mental health screenings, you name it. Our veterans have already fought for our country, they shouldn’t have to fight to get the health care or benefits they were promised, so we’ve got to fight on their behalf.

“As a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I am committed to making this country work better for our veterans. And even though there are challenges – there’s hope.

“Just two weeks ago, we successfully passed the Homeless Veterans Services Protection Act out of the Senate- to make sure a VA policy change doesn’t cut off services and force our veterans on to the street. That bill cleared one hurdle — now, I call on my colleagues in the House to get this done.

“I am also fighting to end the VA’s outdated ban on fertility services for veterans so they can start families. There is absolutely no reason to deny this service for members of our military-especially when they were injured while fighting for our country!

“And I believe we must extend the critically important military caregiver support services program to veterans of all eras, a program that enables injured veterans to recover and stay in their homes, with their families, instead of being in a hospital or nursing home. And M. President, these aren’t the only things I’m working on – because our veterans kept their end of the bargain—and we must keep ours.

“That means access to mental health care to help deal with the often invisible wounds of war. That means a solid path to a college degree. That means job-training programs and transitional services, so veterans have a path to good careers after their military service is complete. These things aren’t about going above and beyond – that’s the bare minimum of what our country should be doing to fulfill its promise to care for our veterans.

“So Mr. President, as our country recommits to that promise this Veterans Day – I want to let veterans know in my home state of Washington- and across the country-that I will not stop fighting for them. I again want to express my heartfelt thanks to all the veterans around the country who served, and for all those still serving today.

“And I call on all of my colleagues and fellow citizens to honor our veterans every day of the year with the kind of action that shows them – we’re grateful for your sacrifice. Thank you.”