Walker Champions His Record On Veterans’ Issues

Gov. Scott Walker spoke to veterans in Milwaukee on Wednesday about what he’s done as governor to help veterans, as well as what his plans are for continuing to do so should he be re-elected.

It’s still a little unusual for politicians to hold campaign events at the Milwaukee County War Memorial. The site’s mission is “to honor the dead, by serving the living.” Walker nevertheless met with about 40 veterans there to talk about his accomplishments from the past four years.

“It’s been my honor as your governor to replenish the Veteran’s Trust Fund, (work) with the Legislature to add a new veterans home so that we can care for more service members and their loved ones, to make sure that we continue to improve the quality of the care by adding staff and adding resources, particularly now at (the Wisconsin Veterans’ Home at King),” said Walker.

Walker said he’s worked hard to help members of the military just back from overseas to find jobs in the state. Democratic candidate for governor Mary Burke, however, said that Walker still hasn’t done enough, particularly in terms of helping veterans find employment.

“I think we have to be doing a lot more, because we know that the unemployment rate among veterans is much higher than the population in general,” said Burke. “There’s not enough that has been done.”

Burke’s own plan for helping veterans includes reviving veterans’ advisory committees and trying to restore some help for those exposed to asbestos. Walker signed an illness damages bill earlier this year making it harder to file asbestos-related lawsuits, which some Democrats argued would disproportionately affect veterans, dubbing the bill “Corporate Profits Over Veterans Act.”

Walker did announce Wednesday that if he’s re-elected, he’ll work with the Legislature to ensure that hiring goals in state government for veterans and veterans with service-connected disabilities are part of state statutes, and not just part of the executive order he signed last June.