Representative Angie Craig Testifies on Her Efforts to Address Veteran Suicide Epidemic at House Veterans Affairs Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON, DC —Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig testified in front of the House Veterans Affairs Committee on the epidemic of veteran suicide plaguing Minnesota and states across the country. Despite an ongoing effort by the State of Minnesota and veterans' advocacy groups, Minnesota continues to lose around 100 veterans to suicide every year. Craig's testimony was an effort to raise awareness around this critical issue – and to build support for legislative solutions that would help to address VA staffing issues, resolve gaps in care and improve rural Veterans' access to mental health care.

"I am particularly concerned about those in rural areas and former service members who do not qualify to receive care at the VA. Tragically, despite years of attention and effort, Minnesota continues to lose around 100 veterans annually to completed suicide," said Representative Craig. "We know that suicide is often preventable, yet its causes are complex and treatment too often remains inaccessible."

Earlier this Spring, Craig hosted a roundtable on addressing the veteran suicide epidemic in Minnesota and across the country. Craig was joined at the event by representatives of the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and the Minnesota National Guard as well as veterans advocates and Marc Soto, the father of Senior Airman Mathias Soto-Elgueta, a Minnesota Air National Guardsman who took his life in December 2020.

In Congress, Representative Craig remains committed to addressing the challenges facing those returning from service and working to increase resources for mental health services available to our nation's Veterans, especially in rural communities.

A full video of Representative Craig's testimony is available here.