WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) backed bipartisan legislation to better support the mental health needs of veterans and servicemembers as they return home. The Daniel J. Harvey Jr. and Adam Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition to Reduce Veteran Suicide Act would improve the Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Solid Start program by providing increased mental health support for transitioning servicemembers and veterans.   The bill was named in memory of two Marines who lost their lives to suicide: Lance Cpl. Daniel J. Harvey, Jr., of Rhode Island, and Cpl. Adam Lambert of Iowa. “When I got back from Iraq,

“We are seriously alarmed by this administration’s obvious attempts to interfere with the science and politicize the drug review process in order to restrict abortion access.” WASHINGTON — Today, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joined the entire Senate Democratic caucus in writing to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kennedy and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Makary expressing alarm over the Trump administration’s plans to conduct “its own review of the evidence” on the safety and effectiveness of mifepristone. Mifepristone was approved by the FDA in 2000 and is used in the overwhelming majority of abortions in the United States. Access to medication

WASHINGTON – Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Representative Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) introduced the bicameral Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act last week, legislation to protect and expand Social Security benefits for older adults. As Social Security benefits have failed to accurately account for rising costs and inflation, the Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act makes necessary changes to the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) formula, better supporting older Americans who rely on Social Security benefits. This year’s COLA was recently announced as 2.8 percent—a number that three out of four Americans aged 50 and older say is not enough to keep up with rising prices.