Veterans

Veterans have sacrificed so much for our nation and our community, and it is an honor to represent so many of these heroes across Central and Northwestern Illinois.
In return for their service, we must ensure our veterans receive the best care possible to treat injuries and ailments acquired during their time in duty. Veterans should never have their hard-earned benefits and care threatened by Washington politics.
I will always work to make sure our veterans’ needs are met, even long after they’ve hung up the uniform.
More on Veterans
Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) released the following statement after Republicans let the government shutdown after refusing to work with Democrats on a bipartisan government funding bill that would lower health care costs for millions of Americans.
Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) called out Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s effort to rename the USNS Harvey Milk during Pride Month, despite Harvey’s commendable service during the Korean War that continues to inspire LGBTQ+ service members to proudly wear the uniform.
Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) honored U.S. Navy veteran and LGBTQ+ icon Harvey Milk, who served on a submarine as a diving officer in the Korean War, during a House Armed Services Committee hearing. Congressman Sorensen questioned U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan and demanded to know why the U.S. Navy decided to scrub Harvey Milk’s name from a ship named in his honor.
Today, Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) voted no against Republican’s partisan big billionaire bailout that makes massive cuts to the SNAP food assistance program and Medicaid health insurance to pay for a huge tax break for billionaires.
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressmen Eric Sorensen (IL-17) and Blake Moore (UT-01) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) led a bipartisan letter urging Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to maintain support for the Department of Defense’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC).
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Eric Sorensen announced today that his guest for the State of the Union address will be James Diaz, a resident of Monmouth, Illinois. Diaz, a disabled veteran who served overseas during the Gulf conflicts of the 1980s and 1990s, was unexpectedly laid off in February 2025 as a result of actions taken by the Trump administration and Elon Musk.
ROCKFORD, IL – Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) announced a $634,022 grant to Veterans Path to Hope, an organization that supports veterans across Northern Illinois, including in Stephenson and Winnebago Counties, to support suicide prevention programs for veterans and their families.
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BLOOMINGTON — Local elected officials celebrated the first anniversary of Connect Transit's Connect Flex service Tuesday with a visit from U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, DRockford. "This on-demand program makes getting around even easier for seniors and veterans and families, and it represents what we can accomplish when we listen to the needs of our neighbors and then respond together, working across party lines to find the ways to meet the needs," Sorensen said.







