Members of the University of Massachusetts Student Government Association (SGA) are working to create a campaign against cuts to Veterans Benefits Administration due to the government shutdown. The discontinuation of their monthly allowances threatens both veterans and their dependents.

Veterans have put their lives on the line for our freedom and have done so for generations. Many served and left our military with their health. Others were less fortunate. The government has long vowed to be there for these brave men and women and it has become the American way to support such measures. As a country and state, we cherish and support our veterans. We cheer them in parades, plant flags for them in cemeteries and tell stories of their sacrifices to our children, friends and family.

5.18 million Veteran beneficiaries now lack funds to care of themselves, pay caregivers, buy food and pay rent due to the shutdown. When Washington was seized up in a refusal to work together and pass a budget, the government shutdown affected millions. Veterans should never be left out in the cold or made to be a political football. But bipartisan support for our veterans and the commitments we’ve made to them should never waver. They need to know we are rising up and demanding that action be taken.

The SGA urges state representatives to publicly acknowledge and address this issue on a state level. We recommend the federal government to fund the Veterans Administration for the purpose of providing these critical benefits to their constituents by any means necessary. We also encourage our state representatives to form a contingency plan for the Commonwealth to support its veterans. Finally, we support a federal bill to automatically distribute funds to the Veterans Benefits Administration in the event of future government shutdowns.

We, a nation of the people, by the people, for the people, must force the government’s hand. They are our elected representatives and the stewards of our money. We require government support, always and uninterruptedly, for our veterans. The SGA urges you to accept this call to action. Your representative has a website and a phone number. Act and get others to act! Tell your company about this and encourage co-workers to act. Tell your friends. Please know that this challenge is urgent, reasonable and beyond party politics.

Sionan Barrett is the Senate speaker for the Student Government Association and can be reached at [email protected].