
Ruben Gallego
July 23, 2026 · Newsletter
I'm a Marine with PTSD. Today I introduced a bill that could help save men like me.
This morning, I introduced a bill to create the first-ever federal Office of Men’s Health and expand access to evidence-based physical and mental health care for men.
This one is personal to me.
I’m a combat veteran who has lost too many of my fellow Marine brothers to suicide. I’ve spent hours on the phone talking my brothers down. I’ve driven across state lines through the middle of the night to keep them alive. And I’m living with PSTD myself.

For a long time, I hid my mental health from my family. I was ashamed. They knew me as the strong man, the protector of the family. I thought that admitting I was struggling meant I was failing them.
Then my first son was born, and I realized that I was responsible for another life.
I didn’t want to pass on this generational trauma onto my kid. I had to learn to talk about it. And I had to learn that strength isn’t suffering in silence, it’s getting help so you can be a better father, partner, and provider.
Easier said than done — I know. But that’s what this bill is all about.

Men account for nearly 80% of all suicides in the United States. And veterans are even more likely to die by suicide.
The Office of Men’s Health would make it easier for men to get mental health screenings and connect them with treatments that work — from traditional therapy to innovative approaches — while helping break the stigma that keeps too many from asking for help.
And it’s not just about mental health; it’s about physical health, too.
Right now, men are dying younger than women from preventable causes. We face higher death rates from prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers, and too many of us put off seeing a doctor until it’s too late.
The bill pushes for targeted public awareness and early screening for high-risk populations, so men get care before a manageable condition becomes life-threatening. Importantly, it would do all that without taking one dollar away from the Office of Women’s Health.
This isn’t a quick online fix. That’s not how you help men. You help them by giving them access to real support.
If we can save lives by breaking down the stigma around mental health, encouraging men to see a doctor sooner, and giving them better access to care, then it’s worth doing.
That’s why I introduced this bill. Let’s get it done.
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