Temperatures hit all-time lows in Iowa on Veteran’s Day. And it’s particularly bad for the veterans who have bravely served our country but are now left out in the cold.
HUD’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report finds the total number of reported veterans nationwide experiencing homelessness in 2018 decreased 5.4% since 2017.
But in Iowa, veteran homelessness increased 14.6%. As a country, we promised to take care of those who have protected us and, as a country, we are failing our veterans.
It’s not enough to say we support the troops; we need to actually DO that. We need to demand that our elected officials stop with the platitudes and start actually doing something.
We shouldn’t have to ask for donations of toiletries and care kits for veterans.
We shouldn’t have to ask for private citizens and non-profits to fill in the gaps.
We shouldn’t be cutting taxes for the wealthy at the expense of our veterans.
We should be able to count on Senator Ernst, a veteran herself, to lead the fight.
She should be at the forefront of fixing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TrumpTax) that hurts so many.
She should focus on Investing in affordable housing.
She should work on Improving the accessibility of affordable, quality health care.
She should absolutely protect the Medicare and Medicaid programs our veterans rely on.
As a veteran’s wife, daughter and mother, I say:
“Senator Ernst, keep your promise to serve those who have served our country.”
Photo by Gage Skidmore. Used under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license.
Sue Dinsdale is the Executive Director of Iowa Citizen Action Network, a grassroots public interest organization committed to creating social change in Iowa and across the nation. ICAN has united Iowa’s progressives for nearly 40 years. She is also leading the Iowa Chapter of Tax March: Tax March Iowa and the Iowa Main Street Alliance.