Rep. Steve Buyer (IN) published a blog post on The Hill today. Read the following excerpt:
As former chairman, and current ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, one of my highest priorities has been to ensure that veterans have every opportunity to live full and prosperous lives.
This principle includes providing veterans and transitioning service members with benefits and services to succeed in today’s workforce by maximizing their employment opportunities. Sadly, our government appears to be failing in this regard.
Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that more than a million veterans cannot find jobs, and of this demographic, two critical age groups of veterans bear the brunt of the unemployment rate.For our newest and youngest veterans, ages 18-24, unemployment is at the extremely high rate of 20 percent. Perhaps even more troubling, 700,000 veterans between the ages of 35 and 64 are unemployed. These years of life typically provide the highest earning potential as well as the greatest financial requirements to pay for such items as mortgages and children’s tuitions.