I am a strong supporter of President Donald J. Trump. I support strong leadership, fiscal responsibility, and putting America first. But no administration — Republican or Democrat — should ever implement a policy that risks weakening our sacred obligation to wounded veterans.

President Abraham Lincoln set the moral standard in his Second Inaugural Address:

“To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.”

That is not symbolic language. It is a national covenant.

Under 38 U.S.C. § 1155, disability ratings are intended to reflect average impairment in earning capacity resulting from service-connected conditions. The law does not measure how well symptoms appear suppressed in a controlled clinical setting. It measures functional loss — the real-world impact on a veteran’s ability to work and live.

If new guidance requiring that medication effects be considered results in reduced disability ratings simply because symptoms are managed pharmacologically, then we are redefining disability in a way Congress did not intend.

Many service-connected conditions — PTSD, traumatic brain injury, orthopedic damage, respiratory injuries, chronic pain syndromes — require powerful medications. These medications often:

A veteran who functions only because of daily medication is not “less disabled.” He or she is managing a permanent service-connected injury at ongoing physical and psychological cost.

Furthermore, under 38 C.F.R. § 4.1, disability evaluations are to reflect the ability of the body as a whole to function under the ordinary conditions of daily life, including employment. If medication merely allows minimal stability while producing secondary limitations, that must be part of the evaluation — not a reason for reduction.

If this policy is interpreted in a way that lowers ratings without clear, sustained, documented improvement in occupational capacity, it must be challenged.

I am calling for:

Our Constitution grants Congress the authority to raise and support armies. That authority carries an enduring obligation. When a nation sends its citizens into combat, it assumes lifelong responsibility for the consequences.

This is not an attack on leadership. It is a defense of principle.

Supporting veterans is not partisan. It is foundational to American honor. If a regulation, however well-intended, risks eroding earned benefits, it must be corrected.

A government strong enough to wage war must be strong enough to keep its promises.

If you serve and are wounded in defense of this Republic, this Republic must stand with you — fully, faithfully, and without bureaucratic diminishment.

We must keep the covenant.