Ian Brickey (202) 675-6270, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- This afternoon, the United States Senate voted to confirm Denis McDonough to serve as the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. McDonough previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor and White House Chief of Staff under President Barack Obama. President Biden has emphasized veterans issues within his administration, including First Lady Jill Biden’s relaunch of Joining Forces, an initiative she began in 2013 with then-First Lady Michelle Obama focusing on supporting military families and veterans.
In response, Sierra Club Military Outdoors campaign manager Rob Vessels released the following statement:
“The confirmation of Secretary McDonough to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs is an important step towards addressing the many challenges facing our veterans. Nowhere is that more true than veterans’ health.
“Our veterans served honorably to defend this country, but many return from that service with trauma — visible and invisible — that they continue to carry as they adjust to civilian life. For more than a decade, Sierra Club Military Outdoors has led the field by helping veterans heal from trauma through outdoors therapy and the restorative power of nature.
“The passage of the Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act makes 2021 a critical year for veterans health, and we are looking forward to working with Secretary McDonough and the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify the best ways to ensure veterans can heal from service-related trauma on the public lands they served to protect.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.