Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Moran Lead Public Service Announcement Urging Veterans to Get Vaccinated

“The COVID-19 vaccine is our best shot at ending this pandemic”

To better protect communities nationwide from the coronavirus, Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) are leading a bipartisan public service announcement (PSA) encouraging veterans and their families to get vaccinated.

Tester and Moran teamed up with committee members and Veterans Service Organizations to highlight the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine in a bipartisan effort to increase vaccine confidence among veterans-especially those in rural areas-and help communities recover from the pandemic as quickly as possible.

“As leaders of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, we’ve been hearing from folks across our states about one thing-the coronavirus vaccine,” said Chairman Tester and Ranking Member Moran. “The science shows this vaccine is a safe and effective tool in the fight to manage the spread of this virus, protect vulnerable populations including our nation’s veterans, and help save lives. The truth is that Veterans Service Organizations, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and veterans’ friends and families all have a role to play in getting veterans vaccinated. Together, we’ll keep working to get more veterans and their families the protection they need to put this pandemic behind and reopen our communities safely.”

The Senators were joined by numerous Veterans Service Organizations, including Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), The American Legion, Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs (NOVA), Iraq Afghanistan Veterans Association (IAVA), Military Veterans Advocacy, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), as well as Veterans and Military Families for Progress (VMFP).

Tester and Moran have been vocal advocates for increasing veterans’ access to COVID-19 vaccines, and have led recent efforts in the Senate to pass bipartisan legislation expanding eligibility nationwide. President Joe Biden signed the Senators’ landmark Strengthening and Amplifying Vaccination Efforts to Locally Immunize all Veterans and Every Spouse Act (SAVE LIVES Act) into law last month, allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide vaccination services to veterans and their families, regardless of whether they are enrolled in health care.