“We Support Veterans” Is Not a Policy Position
It’s a bumper sticker, not a budget.
At this point, “We Support Veterans” has achieved the political equivalent of “Thoughts and Prayers.”
It is printed on banners.
It is stamped on campaign mailers.
It is recited at ribbon cuttings.
It is tweeted on Veterans Day.
It is also, by itself, completely meaningless.
Support is not a strategy.
Support is not legislation.
Support is not oversight.
Support is not funding.
Support is a sentiment. And sentiment does not pay rent, fund health care, modernize benefits systems, or fix broken policy.
The Bumper Sticker Problem
You can fit “We Support Veterans” on a bumper sticker.
You cannot fit:
• A fully funded VA mental health staffing plan
• DIC parity reform
• CHAMPVA modernization
• Electronic health record accountability
• Survivor workforce reintegration programs
• A sustainable caregiver policy
Those take budgets. Hearings. Votes. Amendments. Offsets. Negotiations. Follow through.
Those take work.
The uncomfortable truth is this: public expressions of support cost nothing. Real policy requires tradeoffs.
What Support Actually Looks Like
If we are going to use the phrase, let’s define it.
Supporting veterans means:
• Funding programs at levels that match demand
• Fixing administrative backlogs instead of renaming them
• Conducting hearings without partisan theatrics
• Passing survivor equity legislation instead of praising sacrifice
• Ensuring oversight continues after the cameras turn off
• Addressing VA issues before a crisis headlines
Support is measurable. It shows up in line items, not lapel pins.
The Budget Test
Here is a simple rule.
If the phrase “We Support Veterans” is not followed by a funding allocation, a bill number, or a policy mechanism, it is branding.
And branding without backing is performance.
Veterans and military families do not need applause. They need access. Stability. Predictability. Equity.
A speech costs nothing. A program costs money. One changes optics. The other changes outcomes.
AND this does not mean charging fees to veterans on home loans or anything else to cover the cost of programs to seriously injured veterans and surviving spouses. This means doing the hard work of finding funding that does not cost veterans, they have sacrificed enough!
Survivors Hear It Differently
For surviving spouses, caregivers, and families navigating benefit systems, the phrase can feel particularly hollow.
Support does not fix:
• A capped malpractice claim window and amount
• A benefit currently set at 43% instead of the industry standard of 55%
• A workforce system that overlooks spouses with relocation gaps
• A claims backlog that delays stability
Telling a survivor “We support you” without correcting structural inequities is not compassion. It is avoidance.
Oversight Is Support
The most pro veteran thing Congress can do is boring.
Show up to hearings.
Ask focused questions.
Avoid grandstanding.
Track implementation.
Revisit broken systems.
The most pro veteran thing agencies can do is measurable.
Report metrics honestly.
Correct course when data shows failure.
Prioritize service delivery over reorganization headlines.
That is what support looks like when translated into governance.
Raise the Standard
The military community deserves better than a slogan.
We should expect that when a leader says, “We support veterans,” it is followed by:
• Here is the bill
• Here is the funding
• Here is the oversight plan
• Here is the timeline
• Here is how we measure success
Anything less is decoration.
And while bumper stickers are great for trucks, they are not a substitute for public policy.
If we truly support veterans, it should be visible in the budget, reflected in legislation, and felt in outcomes.
Everything else is just vinyl.
