John --

I wanted to keep you updated on something that I’m working on in Congress that is really important to me.

This month, I was able to successfully put forward a plan in the House of Representatives to bring $5 million in additional funding for long-term, inpatient beds for mental health care for veterans.

I’m going to get personal with you for just a moment, John: It’s not something that I talk about very often, but when I returned home from combat with the U.S. Marines overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress.

But this is not just a personal issue for me -- when I ran for Congress, I made a promise to look out for Maine’s veterans and to make sure that they had someone fighting for them in Congress as hard as they fought to defend our country.

And frankly, it’s frustrating to me that some of our Veterans Administration hospitals and facilities in Maine don’t have some of the resources they need to take care of veterans who seek help. Our veterans deserve better care -- that’s the bottom line.

I was lucky to have a support network of friends and family when I returned home from service, but I know that not all of our servicemen and servicewomen are as lucky. For so many, the VA is the best resource they have to transition back to public life.

We need to make sure that health care for our veterans is there when they need it. This funding package will help a lot of veterans and truly make a difference in their lives.

At the end of the day, I want veterans to know that they have an ally in me.

Respectfully yours,



Jared