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We recently celebrated Veterans Day, an opportunity to renew and deepen our appreciation for our nation’s veterans.

Servicemen and women don’t take an oath to a political party or specific person, they take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. American veterans have fought to uphold the nation’s ideals for centuries, making the United States a truly exceptional nation founded on freedom, prosperity, hope and opportunity.

Thomas Jefferson expressed well that the Declaration of Independence is the “why” America was created, and the Constitution was the “how.” Jefferson’s words, however, would be meaningless without Washington’s sword, and the millions of Americans who have fought for these ideas in the last 245 years.

In our country’s short lifespan, it has undergone many trials, but the resilience and sacrifice of our American service members has kept America strong amid these many storms. Some were drafted, some volunteered, but all of them served under the guiding principle, that America is worth protecting. As Ronald Reagan said, the United States is “the last best hope of man on earth.”

Pennsylvania has sent our young men and women to every battle our country has fought. Today, the Keystone State is home to over 840,000 veterans, and the Ninth District has nearly 48,000. These men and women bring the values and patriotism of their service to our towns; they start businesses, serve in government and give back to their communities.

Recently, I participated in the Small Business Committee’s Veteran Small Business Roundtable led by Ranking Member Blaine Luetkemeyer and with participation from Leader McCarthy and Whip Scalise to learn about the issues these veteran business owners face and how we can strive to cultivate a business environment in which they can succeed.

Hearing the stories of how our American heroes made it from military to Main Street and their experiences of creating jobs and enriching their communities was truly inspiring.

Unfortunately, many veterans also face serious challenges, whether it’s translating their skills to civilian work, overcoming a disability or accessing healthcare. Tragically, 18 veterans die by suicide each day. We have a duty and responsibility to support our veterans as they return to the country they fought to protect.

As a member of Congress, I take our nation’s commitment to its veterans very seriously. I was proud to serve on the Veterans Affairs Committee in my first term in Congress. Since being elected, I’ve championed legislation to increase access to care for veterans, streamline veterans’ benefits and address the plight of veteran suicide.

Ensuring disabled veterans are able to live independent and healthy lives has been a special priority of mine as well. I am leading the bipartisan AUTO for Veterans Act to improve the VA automobile grant program so disabled veterans can replace modified vehicles after the vehicle has exceeded its useful life. This week, I introduced the bipartisan Autonomy for Disabled Veterans Act to increase the amount of VA grant support disabled veterans receive to make accessibility improvements to their homes. This has not been increased in over a decade.

We live in freedom and prosperity in the United States because of our veterans. As a country, we are eternally grateful for the sacrifices them and their families made to uphold our way of life and protect the freedoms our founding fathers fought so hard to create.

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, represents the Ninth Congressional District and is a member of the

House Foreign Affairs Committee.