opportunity i have right now to e i don't take that opportunity for granted. i am very proud and i feel a sense of responsibility and e that i live up to the dreams and goals of those people who come before me. announcer: watch the full q&a interview with don scott c-spann now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org. your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more, including wow. >> the world has changed. today, a fast, reliable internet connection is something no one can live without. so wow is there for our customers, with speed, reliability, value, and choice. now more than ever, it all starts with great internet. wow. announcer: wow supports c-span as a public service, along with these other televisi

providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. "with honor action" to talk about the issueveterans in politics. the organization what was this beginnings? guest: it's an organization i founded with veteran six years ago and they were in search of veterans running across party lines who could put the country first but phase type barriers to entry because of the cost of election. most served and iraq and afghanistan. we established a political action community that elected veterans that take the with honor pledge to serve with integrity, civility and courage to work in a bipartisan manner. 19 got through that cycle.

that caucus has grown to 30 members in the house and they also work with six senators who are bipartisan and have passed 150 laws focused on national security, national service and veterans affairs. host: what makes a veteran a good candidate for politics? guest: the screening process is important but one of the portions of being a vet is usurped from americans from all walks of life on missions larger than yourself. these day the only public institution that has trust is the u.s. military and our veterans so this is a way of bonding across the divide that are so corrosive to the country.

our mission about veterans per se but fighting polarization through these principal vets that decide to be work courses and not show horses. when you look back at the data veterans used to be about 70% of congress and it function more effectively. veterans as a group have been more bipartisan in the way they vote and cosponsor legislation so that is where we are orienting on. this group can do difficult conversations when culture wars are flying. host: is there a special quality about a vet? guest: i think it's her commitment to service. it's about putting the country ahead of yourself. you can't really understand it until you have signed the oath of office that says i will giv

e up to my life. host: when you look at the number of people leaving congress, but is the message at this time? guest: look for individuals who will be committed to this pledge to work across party lines and have served this country in uniforms. we've evaluated 2000 veterans is supported 10% of those we have supported vets down ballots but our focus is on congress. host: in 1970 33 out of four members has some sort of military service and now it is one and six. guest: what we've seen in the past 10 years the number of veterans has held constant and

amount of veterans running. there are fewer amounts of veterans as world war ii and vietnam veterans have passed on in less than 1% serve in uniform and less than 2% serve in any sort capacity so fewer americans are serving but those who do serve disprortionately look for ways to serve again. host: you talked about the bipartisan nature of veterans as +2far as your group would you label yourself a partisan group? guest: we are strictly bipartisan because we look to support independents. the largest political affiliation sin w become unaffiliated americans. those consist of our

stakeholders who feel they don't have a pitical home and folks who will not just take the partisan route but will be together and work on serious issues. that's just what we're seeing right now. host: this is our guest ye barcott of "with honor action" for democrats (202) 74800, for republicans (202) 748-8001, for independents202) 748-8002. i'm sorry if you are a veteran 748-8001.48-8000 and if no(2 what do you think about ukraine? guest: it's at the top of the

list. the first group that met with members of parliament was the four country caucus group of 30 veterans, bipartisan across party lines led by tony gonzalez and navy v and jason crow who was an afghanistan army ranger and that group has consistently been on the front lines of advocating for the right type of support. jared goldman has introduced a piece of legislation called defending borders democracies an alternative to the ability to assist ukraine if the senate bill does not passint

those are the types of actionsr. host: when it comes to ukraine is there a veterans case to be made for the continuing activity there? guest: this is not about one particular country it's about the fight for democracy versus autocracy. we have done an amazing job so far with providing assistance to enable ukraine on the front lines. we worked with one of the veteran members of the four country caucus and we saw the battlefield for two years. their morale remains high because it's an existential fight for them. host: when it comes to other veterans issues what top sought list? guest: the key pieces of legislation that's been around mental health.

moulton who i served within the marine corps help initiate the 991 number for veteran suicide which is available to americans across the country. he also initiated with senator mark kelly, and other veterans an act called the printed act after a navy veteran who died from suicide and it's a way for military members to highlight for their chain of command when they are having a mental health issue and destigmatize it. this isqu important in the military and society writ large. host: for those who come back from service? guest:d for those who suffered

artillery concussions and they are suffering from disp■roportionately high mental health trauma. there are new remedies that need to be experimented with and testedhrough the v.a. to address mental health. this population is one that has suffered not only because of th■ effects of war but the inability and loneliness of coming back to the home front and all of a sudden being out of uniform and looking for a larger purpose. that is one of the areas we focus on is trying to provide th l support so they can be a credible citizens. host: our conversation with rye barcott, (202) 748-8000 for veterans and everyone else (202) 748-8001.

we have ron from cleveland, a vietnam vet. caller: why do think donald trump is such a great man for veterans? host: you have to stop listening to your tv and go ahead with your question or comment. ultimately a veteran's view of the commander-in-chief is quite important? guest: thanks to ron for his service in the vietnam war.our n veterans who will put the party ahead -- country ahead of their party. the polarization is a threat to our competitiveness and our existence as a democracy and this is not tied to any one individual.

we are fighting that with principal defense to get them elected and support them once they are elected. host: from jose in virginia calling in on the veterans line. caller: i am an afghan veteran of 22 years and i wanted to get commentary on the a any advocac. i'm still working with afghan interpreters who are in danger from the taliban is there any push on that? do you know the for veterans advocating for foreign policy? guest: i'm on the board of that important initiative afghan

allies has been k■a key action n the bipartisan caucus. sinceu the tragic withdraw from afghanistan. there is an act called the african adjustment act developing a pathway for legal permanent residents for 80,000 afghan allies who were here that fought in the toughest conditions about war and that was introduced by one of the vice chairs of the four country caucus. last week there was an important advancemenled by jason crow and a veteran helped to initiate the afghan allies protectio act and that finally passed through the appropriations to allow

siv's. thus to assist overseas living in difficult conditions and they have to serve alongside her units. not only those 12,000 but they will be able to include their dependents, their wives and children. a fairly robust initiative that passed into law. this is a bipartisan issue but just because something is bipartisan in washington that's this dysfunctional it does not mean it will gonywhere and that's part of our coordination to be able to advance things that really matter even in this chaotic host: what about the smart power

aspect? guest: retired military officers who are a enlisted flag officers and smart power blends the tools of hard power tools along with cultural influence and state department eight initiatives and that is a toolbox for promoting democracy it's a good organization aligned with ours. host: what is your past military background? guest: i served in the marine corps from 2001-2006. i■[ served in the same unit as mike gallagher a founding member of the four country caucus and went to basic school with s ande that experience. host: what did you feel about

scott gallagher's announcement for leaving congress? guest: this is an extremely difficult environment to be in and especially challenging when you are younger and have a young family and his kids are under the age of four with another one on the way. he campaigned from the beginning that he believed in term limits and here is a guy living up to his word and made a big impact ahead of the chairman of the select committee on the ccp and cap that bipartisan from day one and initiated a major piece of h honor has endorsed the tiktok bill. host: is rosella from the bronx new york.

this is mr. barcott? i served shortly and i did not get released without psychological help and i went through a lot of diabolical things but my brain was still intact. i went in as a positive person at 17. when i see this state of the place now. i realize how oppressed people are because right now i don't leave two blocks out of my house. i'm in therapy now and am able to address it and i've got my benefits and i'm in touch with veterans.

i was in a structured environment. instead of becoming a product of that environment became a trustee for the wn and constantly excelled no matter what my challenges and i know how difficult it is to come back home in dealing with trauma from the military, it was a were internally and i empathize and sympathize and encourage you and implore you to keep doing what you are doing. every bit of help is a domino effect pushing against the waves. even though sometimes people don't understand why you would have to encourage another person. i want you to stay doing just what you are doingexude confide.

his attractive people who are oppressed. guest: thanks for sharing that and as you mentioned, the therapy and theoblem and go get help that's a big step. thus one of the important things to addressing our mental health crisis.ur with honor focuses on fighting polarity and there are other laws that this group has passed. this area of mental health is one of many that organizations focus on. we have heard about others about afghan allies and ukrainian valleys. host: this is catherine from ohio. i would like them to

straighten out the disability program. r served in he died before he could get anything. he died because the cleveland clinic that he was up for a transplant. i'm upset about entitlement programs. i've been soliciting for my children since they were born. i am bipolar. and i have been trying to apply because his federally written since when children were born. my daughter is 2422. they can't make alive because they don't give you start you

out with the brain exam which is how i came into the system. back had an mra where they would check your brain and check for damage and the neurologist, he sent me to a psychiatrist. when my disability came back i was so mad at them diagnosing me with ptsd that i yelled at them. it led me into college and everything■# else. afghanistan took my college away. on disability with two grown children deliberately impoverished. host: thank you for your story. guest: i am sorry to hear what you and your family are going through. the polarization of congress in our country makes solving any of

these problems were difficult. the most basic things of an injustice in the government agency and something not being done the right way. that's where we're focused on getting to this root cause and we are doing that by helping elect principled veterans across the country we have screened over 2000 and elected manearly 90. i hope the issue that you raised is one that can be addressed with time through actions like this. host: how would you assess the ability of the v.a. dealing with mental health issues? guest: there is strong leadership in the v.a., denis r

events including one that initiated the passing of the global war on terrorism on the national mall. with mike gallagher and jason crow cochairing. they have to the mindset of always looking to do better in continuing lease speaking out on improvements and one of those things the secretary has done is prioritize outreach. we are looking to be constructive parts of continuing to improve the v.a.. host: our next call is paul a vietnam vet. caller: how are you doing?

from agent orange in vietnam and i think god for the dav they helped me considerably but what really fixed me up is the bonded administration is giving better benefits to illegal aliens the veteran sleeping on the street. and i urge every veteran don't vote for a democrat. guest: as you may be aware one of the important pieces of bipartisan legislation aloy otht services including vab and the iraq■8 pack was something that t done in the past two years across party lines that addresses illnesses that extend from agent orange.

so thank you for your service. host: does that talk about burn pits? guest: burn pits and illnesses that extend from agent orange. z&we have robert from massachusetts. caller: good morning. i am a vietnam veteran and i served for 20 years in the navy. i have a 30% disability but is deducted from my navy retirement checks which i lose 6000 ag about this? guest: i am not aware but we will look into it. our group would be a natural one

to look into it. one of the first bill passed was the goldstar act and that enabled a reduction in excess taxes to over 60,000 goldstar families so thank you for bringing that to our attention. host: there was a pew research poll and they said if they were positive or negative reception they said it was positive but between the ages of 18-29 felt it was a negative perception. guest: in the past five years we've seen an erosion of trust in the military americans who serve at a lower

capacity and percentage that prev of young americans serve in the military or civilian service and one things we have done is pushed to advanced americorps was a way of serving. we think service is theeey that helps unite us across party lines. one of the first candidates we supported for a gubernatorial his line is that service can save the first bill he put forward was a bill to enable more service these are the types of initiatives we are seeking to

help maintain the value set they can maintain the values going forward. host: what do you think is behind the negative perceptions of the military? guest: i think they've been directed to the culture wars there is an eat those and i studied us in undergraduate and he focused on the gap between civil and military relations and how it has gotten wider over the years and why it's important to defend this as a way to protect our institutions and stop this erosion of trust. host: let's hear from christine honor line for others. thank you to our guest

for the work he and his group are doing. group, what is your own climate of how much change and impact you can really have. i am only 30 b i feel society is so intense and to me, it seems so great that i do not have hope it will get better from here. i'm curious how you feel about that? you want to have hope and you have to with the amazing work you are doing. i wanted to hear it from your view given how everything is? guest: that' a powerful and important question and if i am being honest this is a difficult

environment. wey83v set up the organization between january 6 and the divisions that manifested on our televisions. that event ripped the band-aid on even more relationships in congress where there are some members of the freshman class have never had a conversation with each other. these divisions run very deep d what gives me hope and i am an optimist is the actions of those members and the four country caucus and you can see all of the members are making the right decisions of putting the country ahead of narrow self-interest. deciding■ to be workhorses instead of show horses and

making difficult decisions. ■÷a good example is tony gonzalz who was in a fight for his seed because he is a republican primary opponent and wide does he have a republican opponent? he took full of folks who are not along the orthodoxy we are there and we will support him and that is something that some of the voters can do. it is not aligned with incentives to buck your party it is just the opposite but that is what we need to recognize and support and that is what with honor action does. host:■ how well the job does the government do in preparing them for civilian life? guest: i think the government is doing a better job than when i got out in 2006 where you how to

transition assistance program that lasted 24 hours and then you are out. in my case i had a great network and folks were looking out for me i missed my father was a veteran. i have a soft landing but what is happened over time is making that program more robust the transition assistance program and working with our top companies who are looking to hire veterans. they may notice an investment on the front and because they have to teach them skills but it's in their self-interest because you will get someone who will run through walls for and serve a mission higher than yourself and has operated in difficult circumstances. it's an area of the knees to have continued improvement but

it is one we are working on a lohe james said afghan veteran thank you for calling you are on. caller: good morning c-span i like the high definition on the new set that looks nice. i have one question about the major richard starr act. i wonder if that is going to pass? guest: semper fi. it's an important piece of legislation we well and were opt this can get through it does have bicameral support whichqh s something harder to get these days in the path to get done this year. host: a marine veteran,caller: e

with opioids they refused to give to veterans with chronic injuries. i have shrapnel in my back and legs and a whole lot of other injuries. if you go to the v.a. and asked them for pain relief they write you up as a drug addict. i am 73 years old. make me a drug addict but the chronic pain of veterans is being completely ignored for some kind of politic purpose, what's the idea there? guest: thank you for mentioning that it is not an issue where we have worked organizationally but it may be as one where we show that we will take a look at it. host:t month there was a situation where general austin his information about his

hospital stay he eventually talked about it what is to think about the situation and long-term impacts of that? guest: my perspective was that it was important to have that level of transparency to say this is where i was on it and i felt it became a political football in the use or for their own political benefit which was unfortunate. every reaction is a call for impeachment and that does no good for our country and both sides do it to each other which is why we are trying to build a ballast, a group that says take a pause and turned the temperature down let's announcer: we are going to leave live coverage on c-span.om ntsb chair homendy: normally ou