Veterans Educational Equity Act

Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Chair, Members, on behalf of America's service men and women, our veterans, and their families, it is a privilege for me to present the Fiscal Year 2010 Military Construction/Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill.

I believe this bill and the work we have done since January of 2007 is work that all of us, Democrats and Republicans alike, can be very proud of. In this time of war, we have continued our tradition of a bipartisan Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, a bill that honors in a meaningful way the service and sacrifice of our service men and women, our veterans, and their families.

In the past 2\1/2\ years, along with the passage of this bill, the Congress will have increased veterans health care and benefits funding by 58 percent. That is unprecedented in the history of this country, and I believe our veterans and their families have earned every dime of that funding.

In addition, we have a new 21st-century GI Education bill. And, recently, President Obama signed into law a provision amending that bill that will provide a college scholarship to every child who has lost a mother or father in military service to our country since September 11, 2001.

In 2\1/2\ years, this Congress will have done a number of things on behalf of our veterans and troops, including adding 8,300 VA processors to reduce the

unconscionable backlog that veterans are having to stand in in order to receive their earned benefits.

We will have provided funding for an additional 115 VA community- based outpatient clinics, and this bill adds 30 more. We will have provided an additional 42 vet centers, and this bill adds 28 more.

We have allowed the Veterans Health Administration to hire an additional 2,657 doctors, 11,509 nurses, and other critical additional staff. We will increase the travel reimbursement rate, the per-mileage reimbursement rate for veterans having to travel, in some cases, hundreds of miles to VA hospitals--which has not been increased since 1979--we will increase that from 11 cents per mile to 41.5 cents per mile. To many in America, that extra 30 cents may not sound like much. To many of America's finest, our veterans, it's the difference between them being able to afford to drive to get the VA health care they need and deserve, or not.

Our increased funding for veterans in this bill and over the past 2\1/2\ years means our veterans have better access to health care they need and deserve and have earned. It means improved access to health care for veterans in rural areas. And it means the opening of the doors of our VA hospitals and clinics to many middle- and low-income veterans that have not been allowed the opportunity that they've earned through their military service. Additionally, these resources ensure that our veterans will have shorter waiting times for doctor appointments.

We have also worked hard to make sure that our service men and women know that Congress deeply respects the sacrifices that they and the unsung heroes of America's defense--their families--have made each and every day to keep our Nation safe. We've heard time and again in testimony that the best support we can give our military when they're deployed overseas is the knowledge that their families are cared for here at home. We have listened to that voice and have tried to fund a number of key initiatives for our troops.

For example, in the past year, this subcommittee will have added $2.8 billion for new military hospitals so that our service men and women know that their families will get the best possible health care in high-quality facilities while they are serving overseas. We've added $1 billion for new child care centers to serve 20,000 additional military children, and $570 million in additional funding for barracks because Congress needs to show our volunteer forces from day one that we appreciate their decision to serve.

The Subcommittee for Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs did not accomplish this alone. There are several key leaders that worked tirelessly behind the scenes to support these efforts. I want to especially commend Speaker Pelosi, who promised over 3 years ago that if she became Speaker she would make supporting our veterans and their families one of Congress' highest priorities. Speaker Pelosi has kept that promise to those who have kept their promise to serve our Nation, and I salute her for that.

I want to salute Chairman Obey, another one of the unsung heroes in supporting America's veterans, our military, the service men and women, and their families. While Mr. Wamp and I, as ranking member and chairman of the subcommittee, have often been out front on this, Chairman Obey has provided the allocations, the unprecedented historic increased allocations for our subcommittee that has allowed us to accomplish many of the goals and achievements that I have mentioned in the last few minutes.

In particular, above all other things that he has done, I want to thank Chairman Obey for providing a green light and encouraging and supporting and facilitating a historic initiative in this bill, which is, for the first time ever we will provide forward funding for veterans health care funding. That would not have happened without Mr. Obey's support.

In addition, Chairman Spratt--not a member of our subcommittee, but the chairman of the House Budget Committee--has played a key role, along with Chairman Filner, the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

And, finally, but absolutely not least, I want to thank my colleague, my friend, and the ranking member of this committee, Mr. Wamp of Tennessee. He has been a partner and a leader at every step of the way in supporting our troops and our veterans and their families. His commitment to our military and our veterans is deep, is genuine, and he puts it to work every day by working hard on their behalf. I want to thank him for his vital role in not only shaping this bill, but our bill last year as well.

Madam Chair, let me try to focus, rather than on a long list of numbers, on some of the major initiatives in this bill.

As I referenced, for the first time in history we provide an advanced appropriation for VA medical care. This will allow the VA to invest taxpayer dollars more efficiently and more effectively. And I want to thank Mr. Obey, Mr. Spratt, Mr. Wamp and Speaker Pelosi for making this possible. I want to salute America's veteran service organizations, leaders of our veterans organizations who have made this one of their highest priorities.

Second, we provide $450 million to build new troop housing for Army trainees, over 60,000 of whom are presently living in barracks that don't even meet minimum DOD standards. You know, 18- and 19-year-old military recruits don't have many lobbyists running around Capitol Hill on their behalf, but they deserve our Nation's respect and support for their decision to serve in the military.

Third, we provide $200 million for the Guard and Reserve Construction Initiative, recognizing the vital role these troops are playing in Iraq and Afghanistan and in our Nation's defense. And particularly, in addition to his other efforts, I want to thank Mr. Wamp for taking a leadership role on this Guard and Reserve Initiative.

Fourth, this bill begins a process of funding our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through the regular appropriations process, and we include $1.4 billion for vital military construction to support our troops in Afghanistan.

Fifth, recognizing that the mental wounds of war can sometimes be as painful and long lasting as the physical wounds of war, we provide $4.6 billion for the VA to continue its improvements in PTSD and mental health care for America's vets.

Six, this bill includes funding for the 1,200 new claims processors to reduce the backlog of veterans receiving the benefits they've earned.

Seven, this bill also continues to open up, as I referenced briefly, VA medical care to more middle- and low-income veterans, many of whom have been locked out since a cap was placed on income thresholds back in 2003.

Finally, and this is important, we want to ensure that the historic increases for VA health care and benefits, that those dollars are spent wisely. And I know Mr. Wamp and I share a strong commitment to this; we want to see that every dime of that is spent for the highest priority needs of our veterans, so together we supported increasing the VA Office of Inspector General by $19.2 million. And we have every intention, through our subcommittee, of exercising increased oversight of the VA to see that these tax dollars are spent effectively and efficiently.

Just a few basic numbers: overall, this bill totals $77.9 billion in discretionary funding for fiscal year 2010. This is $239 million above President Obama's request and $5 billion more than fiscal year 2009. The bill will include $48.2 billion in fiscal year 2011 advanced funding for VA medical services, medical support and compliance. and medical facilities, an 8.3 percent increase over the historic funding level of 2010.

In military construction, family housing, and BRAC, the bill provides $24.6 billion and fully funds BRAC 05 at $7.5 billion. For the VA in fiscal year 2010, the bill provides $53 billion in discretionary funding. This is $5.4 billion above the 2009 funding and matches President Obama's VA request, which I should point out was the largest increase requested by any President in over three decades. The fiscal year 2010 increase for the Veterans Health Administration is $4.4 billion, which is 11 percent over fiscal year 2009.

Finally, I want to thank the people who work every day--in fact, day and night--behind the scenes without public applause for our veterans and our troops and their families. These are the people who make up the staff of the

Military Construction and VA Appropriations Subcommittee, and I want to thank them by name: the minority staff, led by Martin Delgado, Liz Dawson and Kelly Shea, and Erin Fogelman and Juan Alvarez from Mr. Wamp's staff. The majority staff: led by my subcommittee clerk Carol Murphy, Tim Peterson, Mary Arnold, Walter Hearne, and Donna Shahbaz, and Lindsey Davis on my staff.

I would also like to add a special thanks to John Conger, who has recently left my staff to work for the military as an employee of the Pentagon. All of these people have helped continue the long, proud tradition and legacy of this subcommittee to work on a bipartisan-- frankly, a nonpartisan--basis, always putting our troops and veterans first. And as I say that, I once again thank our ranking member for always fighting and putting first our troops and our veterans.

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With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, if there is a single unsung hero in this Congress on behalf of America's veterans, it's the gentleman from Wisconsin, the chairman of the full Appropriations Committee, Mr. Obey. And for that reason, I yield 2 minutes to him for any remarks he would care to make.

Madam Chair, I consider it an honor to be even able to speak after Mr. Young, who has committed his lifetime and his heart to our servicemen and -women and our veterans. He and his wife commit every week to going out to our DOD and VA hospitals to let those great Americans know that their sacrifices are not forgotten. I want to thank him for inspiring all of us to remember the sacrifice our troops and veterans have made.

With that, it's a privilege for me to recognize the vice chair of our subcommittee, who has been a leader at every step of the way on so many issues on behalf of our veterans, Mr. Farr of California, for 2 minutes.

Madam Chair, I would like to recognize a member of our committee, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Salazar), an Army veteran who has been a strong voice on behalf of our veterans and military, for 1 minute.

I first want to thank Mr. Buyer for taking the lead and for fighting to ensure that alternative sources of energy are utilized by the VA. This is an important issue and initiative.

Our bill does take into consideration this important need, and VA plans to fund a significant number of renewable energy projects with resources in this bill. I want to assure you that I will emphasize to the VA the importance of this effort.

I recognize, and I think this is critical, the result of your efforts, that every dollar saved through energy conservation in the VA will result in an additional dollar going directly to better health care and benefits for veterans.

I further look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure that the VA appropriately employs the use of solar technology to reduce energy costs and to benefit our environment.

Madam Chair, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy) who has been the leading voice in this subcommittee and the House for improving mental health care services for America's veterans and services to homeless veterans.

Will the ranking member yield?

The gentleman from Delaware has raised a very important issue, and as someone who once represented Fort Hood, Texas, through three combat deployments, I strongly believe in the need to treat our fallen and their families with the utmost dignity and respect.

So it will be a privilege for me to work with the gentleman on this issue. And I am hopeful that we can rectify this problem by the time we get through conference.

Madam Chair, I'd like to yield 1 minute to an active voice on our subcommittee on behalf of veterans and our troops, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel).

Madam Chair, I yield myself 2 minutes and yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) for the purposes of a colloquy.

I thank the gentleman. I agree with the gentleman that our veterans deserve quality health care. It's crucial to move forward to get the new clinic operational as soon as possible. The VA is recognized as a leader in quality health care, and we want to do everything possible to enhance that reputation.

Will the gentleman yield?

It's of the utmost importance that we address these concerns in a timely and expeditious manner so we can continue to get the quality health care the VA provides to the veterans in question.

I know that this matter has also been of concern to the veterans in the district of the gentlewoman from Ohio, Ms. Kaptur, and I know that she wants their concerns addressed as well.

The language in the committee report is not designed to needlessly delay the activation of the Toledo clinic, but simply to ensure some of the concerns raised by veterans are responded to.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield myself 2 minutes, and I'd like to yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson) for the purposes of a colloquy.

I yield myself 1 additional minute.

The committee believes this exclusion of California veterans was not the intent of Congress when it passed the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The committee will ask the VA to work with the affected States, including the State of California, to ensure that veterans attending private institutions can participate fully in the Post-9/11 educational assistance program.

Madam Chair, I yield myself 2 minutes and yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire) for the purpose of a colloquy.

I'm familiar with the unfortunate situation that occurred in Pittsburgh. There was a report issued by the Office of Inspector General, correct?

Given the increases we've provided the Office of Inspector General at the VA, I look forward to working with the gentleman to see if we can't get the IG to take a second look at this serious issue in Pennsylvania.

Madam Chair, I yield myself 1 minute, and I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar) for the purpose of a colloquy.

I share the gentleman's concerns and look forward to working with him and the VA to see that we address those problems. Veterans serving out of the Houston office should not have to wait the amount of time they are having to wait to receive their earned benefits.

Backlog of VA Claims in Houston One of Country's Highest

Houston.--Houston has one of the biggest backlogs and some

of the longest waiting times in processing veterans' claims

for disability benefits in the nation, according to the most

recent data released by the U.S. Department of Veterans

Affairs.

Nearly 18,000 veterans are waiting for the Houston VA

Regional Office to process their applications for disability

benefits, the Houston Chronicle reported Saturday. Also, 26

percent of the Houston claims have been pending for more than

half a year, compared with the national average of 21

percent.

Total claims in Houston, including nondisability

compensations and pensions, add up to almost 24,000, with 24

percent pending for more than six months. That percentage is

also higher than the national average.

The number of claims on appeal from Houston--11,389--is the

highest in the country. ``The situation at VA's Houston

office is among the worst in America,'' said Paul Sullivan,

executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, a national

advocacy group. ``Our veterans and their families deserve

better.''

Nationwide, the total number of VA claims has increased

from 638,648 this time last year to 723,152, as of June 20.

The number of claims received by the Houston VA Regional

Office has increased by 26 percent since last year, more than

twice the national average of 12 percent, said spokeswoman

Valerie Martinez.

The Houston office has outsourced some of its claims

processing to other VA facilities, and it has been authorized

to hire 105 employees to improve efficiency, Martinez said.

At a congressional hearing in Washington last week, VA

Deputy Undersecretary for Benefits Michael Walcoff said it is

incorrect to designate all claims around the country as a

backlog because the total number ``includes all claims

received, whether pending for just a few hours or as long as

six months.''

Madam Chair, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining?

I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Houston, Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee.

Madam Chair, as I finish this debate, I want to add in my thanks to others. I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis). He, along with Mr. Young, has spent his entire congressional career dedicated to fighting for a strong national defense and for seeing that the men and women who provide that defense are respected in a meaningful way, and that once they have taken off our Nation's uniform, they continue to be respected as veterans. He has been an active leader as chairman of the committee, as ranking member of the committee and in our subcommittee deliberations has continued to be an active voice on behalf of our troops, our veterans and their families; and I thank the gentleman for that.

Finally, I think it's appropriate, Madam Chair, that the last word in this debate from my side are not the words of my own, but the words of America's veterans. I would like to include in the Record of this debate letters in support of this legislation from the DAV, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American Legion, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the AMVETS.

Disabled American Veterans

Washington DC, July 9, 2009.

Hon. Chet Edwards,

Chairman, Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans'

Affairs and Related Agencies, House Appropriations

Commitee, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Edwards: On behalf of the 1.4 million members

of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and its Auxiliary, I

would like to express our strongest support for H.R. 3082,

the FY 2010 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and

Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which provides record

funding levels for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health

care and benefits programs for fiscal year 2010.

Perhaps even more significant than the FY 2010 funding, the

legislation also contains $48.2 billion in advance

appropriations for VA medical care for fiscal year 2011. As

you know, advance appropriations for VA health care has been

the highest legislative priority for DAV and many other

veterans service organizations in recent years. We applaud

you, Chairman Obey, House Leadership and other Members whose

support led to its inclusion in this bill.

Once enacted into law, advance appropriations for VA

medical care will prevent budget stalemates from threatening

the quality and timeliness of veterans health care services,

a problem that has plagued VA for decades. With this crucial

budget reform in place, VA will have the time and assurance

necessary to effectively plan how to meet the health care

needs of our nation's sick, injured and disabled veterans.

The House vote to approve H.R. 3082 will be a major

milestone towards ensuring sufficient, timely and predictable

funding for veterans health care programs, and DAV urges all

Members of the House to vote in favor of this legislation.

Again, thank you for all that you have done to ensure that

veterans, especially disabled veterans, have access to timely

and quality medical care today, and for years to come. I look

forward to continuing to work

with you in the future to build better lives for America's

disabled veterans and their families.

Sincerely,

Raymond E. Dempsey,

National Commander.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to offer the amendment on behalf of Mr. Cohen of Tennessee. It's an important amendment. I don't think there's any objection to it.

I thank the Chair.

I want to salute Mr. Cohen of Tennessee for his leadership in bringing this issue to the House. We are facing tremendous challenges. The number of veterans who need mental health care services, including PTSD services face a tremendous challenge finding enough psychiatrists, psychologists and mental health care professionals to provide the services that these great Americans so very much need. Mr. Cohen has taken the lead in this amendment in providing an additional $1 million for educational debt forgiveness for mental health care professionals who agree to employment at the Department of Veterans Affairs. I have actually had a number of discussions with VA employees in my district, and I think there is a sense that this kind of incentive might really encourage mental health care professionals who otherwise would not go into the VA system to do so. So I think this is a very important amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I would like to take this time to thank the gentleman and Mr. Langevin for their leadership on this amendment. I also want to thank the gentleman for everything he has done in the past 2\1/2\ years. Our subcommittee cannot appropriate without his subcommittee authorizing it, and all the accomplishments we've listed absolutely would not have happened without the leadership of Mr. Filner. And a particular thanks to Mr. Filner who has been the national champion in the Congress for advance funding. It's truly a historic initiative this year.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I don't know all the processes of the timing and who had what amendment, but what I do want to make clear is Mr. Buyer obviously clearly has been a real leader on this effort. So I salute you for your leadership on it and commend you for it.

There was no intention of any partisan politics being involved in this. I'm glad, as you are, at the end of the day because of your work and Mr. Filner's work and Mr. Langevin's work that these great Americans will be honored. I salute the gentleman for that.

Madam Chair, I rise to claim time in opposition. I want to clarify that I support this amendment.

It is a good amendment. I thank the gentlewoman for offering it. I just want to say I think it is important to send a message that we want all veterans, regardless of their income levels, to have access to the full appeals process. That is what this amendment is about. I support it.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I rise to claim my time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of the amendment. I commend the gentleman for this. I have seen firsthand what it means to our living veterans to know that they will have a place of honor to be remembered by their loved ones and the country which they served.

The State Veterans Cemetery Program is a great State-Federal partnership. This is a tremendously important amendment. I'm glad to support it.

I yield back the rest of my time.

I thank the gentleman for his leadership.

Madam Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition to the amendment, but let me make it clear I am very honored to support this amendment.

I commend Mr. Sessions for his interest in pursing innovative health care procedures for our veterans. We provided tremendous increases for health care funding for our veterans over the last 2\1/2\ years. In addition to that funding and the oversight of that funding, we need to encourage the VA to be innovative. We want them to be prudent and careful. Perhaps, as we go through to conference, we should encourage the VA not only to provide a report on where it is used and how often it is using hyperbaric oxygen therapy, but perhaps we ought to work with them, encouraging them to do some studies to look into the potential opportunities of this type of care making a real difference in the lives of our veterans.

I am proud to join with the gentleman in support of his amendment.

I yield to the ranking member, Mr. Wamp, for any comments he would care to make.

Madam Chair, I rise to claim the time in strong opposition to this ill-advised amendment.

I would like to begin by yielding to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), the chairman of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee.

Madam Chair, reclaiming the rest of my time, I have great respect for the principled position of Mr. Flake. I disagree with it. He believes that basically the administration should decide in 100 percent of the cases where America's tax dollars should go. I believe article I of the Constitution gives the Congress the responsibility for that.

And I feel very strongly that, while he has a principled position, he misstates and inaccurately states the process by which these project decisions were made. These were made based on what was right for our military troops and their families. The vast majority of these congressionally designated projects have gone through the Department of Defense approval process, and the Department of Defense said they were needed.

Now, he said he simply wanted to strike the earmarks. Despite his intentions, let me tell you the impact, because it's not simple intentions; it's actual impact where amendments make a difference.

If his amendment passes, we will cut $56 million for 16 National Guard readiness centers and Reserve centers. We will cut $44 million for nine military ranges and training facilities. We will cut $83 million for 16 quality-of-life facilities such as housing, clinics, and military family centers. We will cut $98 million for 16 projects to improve force protection, facilities for emergency responders, and flightline safety. We will cut $86 million for 18 equipment maintenance and storage facilities and $47 million for seven military research and testing facilities.

We will cut a project to provide properly sized and configured storage space for Mark-48 torpedoes at one of our key submarine bases, and a new hardstand for weapons maintenance at the Marine Corps' East Coast Logistics Base will be lost.

The gentleman would cut a new chapel complex to replace more than 15,000 square feet of trailers and World War II-era facilities. And he would cut a platoon-sized machine gun range at the Army's Joint Readiness Training Center.

I know he has no intention of harming our military--I would never accuse him of that--but in my opinion, he misrepresented the process by which these decisions were made. And I think not only Democrats, but my Republican colleagues, would agree that this has been a fair, legitimate process.

And by the way, it should be no surprise to anyone that Members of Congress who ask to be on the Armed Services Committee and the Military Construction Appropriations Committee are Members who represent military installations. So the allegation that because they get a higher percentage of congressionally designated funding compared to other Members somehow suggests a spoils system is just simply dead wrong, and I reject it categorically.

I would yield any time to my friend, the ranking member, Mr. Wamp, for any comments he would care to make.

I will yield the gentleman 15 seconds.

Reclaiming my time, the amendment would cut these projects out of this bill.

I would be glad to yield to Mr. Wamp for any comments he would like to make.

Madam Chair, I rise to claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I

don't oppose this amendment. I support this amendment.

I want to thank the gentlewoman for raising this issue, and I am glad to support her effort on this.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

It is, indeed, a high privilege and a great honor to stand on the floor today with Chairman Edwards and present the 2010 Military Construction Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

Indeed, this bill is not about us, it's not about our individual districts. It's about them, those that volunteer to serve our country in the uniform of our Armed Forces, past, present, and future, their willingness to stand between a threat and our civilian population, extend freedom from this generation to the next, and join the thousands of others that have preserved our freedoms and protected our way of life.

This is a very important bill; it is worthy of our support. It is a bipartisan product. As the chairman said earlier, this bill is not pushed by lobbyists or outside interests other than the veteran service organizations and the families of those that are serving and have served.

It is our honor, and frankly our sacred duty, to make sure that we give these great Americans what they deserve and what they need. I think if you ask our men and women in harm's way today, what can we do for you, the first thing they would say is take care of our families while we're serving and, when we come home, support us. This bill does that, and I'm grateful for that.

I can't thank Chairman Edwards enough. He is diligent, he is fair, he is honorable, and he is totally committed to these men and women in uniform. And we are working together to guarantee the efficiencies of these resources and the investments that we're making.

This bill funds the needs for military construction and family housing for our troops, their families, the quality of life construction projects, and provides funding for all the programs that the Veterans Administration and related agencies have asked for in their budget request. This bill literally touches every soldier, sailor, aviator, marine, military spouse, child, every veteran who participates in VA programs; and it takes good care of our national cemeteries and monuments that are funded in this bill as well.

We worked together through 18 hearings. We asked a lot of questions; we had very good witnesses. So a totally cooperative effort.

I want to thank all of our subcommittees from both sides. Specifically today I want to thank Mr. Farr and Mr. Crenshaw, who really supported the chairman and myself through this process, Mr. Farr as vice chairman, Mr. Crenshaw when I could not be there on certain days; outstanding work by them.

This bill reflects bipartisan input and cooperation, and that is the tradition of this bill, and we have honored that tradition and worked very well together, and it truly is a bipartisan bill.

I want to just talk about a couple of initiatives in the bill without going into specific numbers because Chairman Edwards has already highlighted many of the numbers.

The Guard and Reserve initiative is extremely important because we have been fighting terrorists since September the 11th, 2001. The op tempo of our National Guard and Reserve forces remains at a very high level. It's very likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future. The Guard and Reserve have had more than 719,000 activations since September the 11th, including the current level of 142,000. So I'm pleased to join Chairman Edwards in supporting the additional $200 million in this bill to address urgent unfunded requirements for the Army and Air National Guard and for the Reserve forces of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.

On BRAC, the BRAC 2005 account in the President's budget request is $7.5 billion. The department and the services have testified that it's going to be absolutely critical for them to have this funding on October 1 of this year in order to meet their September 15, 2011, statutory deadline to complete BRAC 2005. I will continue to work with Chairman Edwards to make sure that this gets done on time. However, the House-passed defense authorization bill cuts $350 million from this BRAC account for this year on the cost of the provision that requires prevailing wage equivalency with Hawaii for military construction on Guam related to the relocation of our Marines from Japan. The CBO has scored this provision as costing $10 billion over the next 10 years. That's twice the amount of the entire relocation from Japan to Guam, and this is the largest Milcon investment in a generation, and it's really important that we address this issue throughout this process. I spoke at the Rules Committee yesterday to raise this issue. We have spoken with the leadership of the House. We have spoken with the leadership of the Congress to say this is a problem and it has to be addressed as this bill moves forward and as the process moves forward because we simply can't afford to double the cost of the relocation from Japan to Guam based on a prevailing wage issue. It's too much. Too much. We've got to resolve it.

On the advanced appropriations issue, the chairman spoke eloquently about this. We reached a bipartisan agreement. I am very pleased with the way they allowed Ranking Member Mr. Lewis and me to weigh in because none of us want to retreat from our constitutional prerogative or obligation we have to oversee all the funding on an annual basis. However, we share the goal of making sure that the VA has the money they need in a timely manner and can make decisions that maximize their effectiveness because it's a big bureaucracy, and when the money is in doubt, the changes and reforms necessary to improve efficiency can't be met. The bill contains $48.2 billion for advanced appropriations for medical services, medical support and compliance, and medical facilities, which is $3.7 billion above the amount recommended in the fiscal year 2010 bill on these accounts.

On VA spending I continue to be concerned, as is Ranking Member Lewis, about the ability of the VA to absorb large funding increases provided in this bill. I'm very pleased to support the increases, but it is absolutely our job to make sure not just that we raise the funding levels but that the money is well spent, spent in a timely manner, that it's effectively spent, and that there is accountability through the entire process. So we continue to raise this issue. I think there is a bipartisan commitment to this, and I want to point that out as well.

I'm happy to yield to the ranking member.

Reclaiming my time, on this same front, the information technology account is a significant increase, $833 million above the 2009 enacted level, an increase of $559 million above the 2009 level when the reprogramming action that was approved is taken into consideration. It is a large, unchecked spending increase to one account, and the GAO and the OIG and others have documented the VA's inability to effectively manage these resources. I agree with Secretary Shinseki when he testified that he's going to need IT to be a key part of his plan to transform the VA. However, with the documented concerns about this account, it remains doubtful that this will occur.

Not more than 3 hours after our subcommittee markup, the staff participated in a briefing at the request of VA's Assistant Secretary for IT. The

purpose of this briefing was to provide the committee an update on a thorough analysis that the VA was undertaking to review their IT portfolio. The VA reported that there are a number of IT programs that are more than 13 months behind schedule and more than 50 percent over budget. We asked for the list of these projects along with the 2009 and 2010 costs for these programs. More than 3 weeks have now passed, and the VA has yet to provide the list to show the costs for these troubled IT projects. That is an example of how increasing the funding can be very helpful if the checks are in place to make sure that the money gets to where it's supposed to go. So it's not just increasing the funding; it's making sure that the veterans benefit from this increased funding, to make sure that the bureaucracy of the VA is held accountable, to make sure that we insist on efficiencies and that the money flows down in a timely manner.

And then the National Cemetery Administration--I want to note the increased funding for this account, $20 million above the 2009 enacted level of $230 million, and that will go a long way to allow the VA to meet the current needs as well as giving the ability to look at cemetery expansion in areas where expansion is needed. That includes Chattanooga, where we have a very historic national cemetery.

Without mentioning names, because the chairman already has, I can't say enough about this professional staff, those behind me, those behind him. It's an honor for all of us to be part of this team. I don't think there is a higher privilege that any of us could ask for than to serve the men and women in uniform of our Armed Forces past, present, and future.

Madam Chairman, as I conclude, I want to thank Mr. Lewis and Mr. Obey, who serve as the distinguished ranking member and chairman of this committee. This is a good bill. It deserves our support. I look forward to continuing our work through the conference committee, and I want to encourage Chairman Edwards and Chairman Obey to insist that we have a conference committee, that we meet with the Senate, that we look eye to eye and we resolve any of our differences. I think that is the regular order that we desire to return to.

Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

I'm running for Governor, sir.

Madam Chairman, at this time I yield 3 minutes to the former chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and the current ranking member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee who also serves as a very valuable member of our subcommittee, Mr. Young of Florida.

Madam Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to Ander Crenshaw from Jacksonville, Florida, who would be the vice ranking member if there were such a position, but he is an incredibly valuable asset on our subcommittee and has done just an extraordinary job this year.

Madam Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Indiana and the ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Mr. Buyer, for the purpose of a colloquy.

I want to thank the chairman for this commitment and express my strong support for funding these renewable energy projects, compliment Mr. Buyer for his tenacity and perseverance here on this front, because I know that we can reduce VA's high energy costs with the use of these new renewable energy technologies. I look forward to working with each of you as we continue to advance renewable energy projects at VA facilities.

I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Madam Chairman, I yield myself 3 minutes and yield to the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) for the purpose of a colloquy.

I yield to the chairman of the subcommittee.

Reclaiming my time, I stand with you, Mr. Chairman, and will work with Mr. Castle as well to resolve this matter in conference.

I yield to Mr. Castle.

Madam Chair, may I inquire as to the time remaining on each side.

I continue to reserve.

Madam Chair, I yield myself the balance of our time.

As we close the general debate on the 2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill, I want to tell a brief story because today the President of the United States is in Italy at the G- 8; and photographs show him with my friend, the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, over the last couple of days. I have to tell you--I was with my friend, the Prime Minister, a couple of months ago here in Washington, and I asked him about the extraordinary challenges that our country faces today. And when I think of the men and women in uniform of our Armed Forces--and I know in my heart that that is truly what our country is all about, people volunteering, even sacrificing for each other--I said to Kevin Rudd, ``What's the attitude in Australia and around the world about these tremendous challenges that we face? And what do you think about the United States of America's ability to deal with these many challenges?'' He said, ``Well, we're optimistic. We've read your history. We understand how extraordinarily difficult it was during the Civil War and the great World Wars. We know that you came out of the Great Depression and that you have overcome extraordinary adversity. We've seen your free enterprise system, your brilliance and your innovation, and we know how resilient your people are. So we have great confidence that you will do it again,'' he said with a smile on his face.

And I would just say to all those men and women that served us in uniform--because they are the true patriots of our time. Yet again, they stand on the shoulders of those that have come before us, and our veterans are our most important citizens--that the burden is on us to extend our way of life and preserve freedom and to try to secure our liberty. This is the challenge of our time, and the world is counting on us. This bill goes a long way to meeting these needs, and we do truly stand at the water's edge together today. There is a lot of rancor and division in the House over process in other appropriations bills, but not today. Today we come together to do what's right for our men and women in uniform, for our military installations around the world under every command, for our veterans and their families and for the quality of life of our troops.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I claim the time in opposition but not to oppose this amendment but to support this amendment.

I thank my colleague from the State of Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for this amendment. We support the amendment, Mr. Chairman.

Madam Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition, even though we support the amendment.

I yield our time to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer).

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to thank, actually, the Rules Committee yesterday for agreeing to this amendment coming before the House today.

Mr. Sessions has persevered on this issue now for some time. He deserves great credit. It has tremendous potential, and I look forward to working with the chairman and Mr. Sessions as we go forward. I also support the amendment.

I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.

Madam Chairman, I just want today to start by saying most of us in our jobs have parts of our job that we like better than other parts of our job. Serving on this subcommittee is part of the job that I really like, not only because of the importance of the subject, dealing with and providing for the members of our military and those veterans who have served in the past in the military and, as Mr. Wamp said, those who will serve in the future, but also because of the way this subcommittee does its work. With the leadership of Chairman Edwards and the leadership of Ranking Member Zach Wamp, this subcommittee works together for the good of this country. And while we may have some objection to the process on how appropriations bills are brought to the floor without totally open rules, you will be hard-pressed to find something wrong with this bill or some reason to vote against this bill. It's just not there.

There are some problems in the Veterans Administration, which is a huge bureaucracy, that can't be solved by money. The money that the committee has made available adequately meets the requirements as proposed to us by the administration.

There is something else that this committee does that seldom gets mentioned. And I want to just take a brief comment and talk about-- General Colin Powell was visiting in Europe. General Powell was asked a rather critical question that, in effect, the question criticized the United States for our arrogance and how we do things that are not good for other people. And General Powell thought for a minute, and he said, You know, the only thing that we have asked from you in Europe is enough ground to bury our dead.

There are 22 American cemeteries in Europe. The subcommittee has responsibility to provide funding to maintain those military cemeteries, and they do a good job and they are beautiful. And for those Members who haven't had a chance to visit them, you really should.

There are 22 American cemeteries, graves of 106,757 American soldiers who lost their lives freeing the people of Europe from the oppression of Hitler's Nazis.

This subcommittee has that responsibility and does a really good job, and I am proud to work with Chet Edwards and I am proud to work with Zach Wamp and all the other members of the subcommittee and the staff who are so dedicated to meeting our mission, to doing the job that we were responsible for doing.

As I want to say to our chairman and to my ranking member, this is the part of the job that I really like around here. There are a lot of other parts that I like too, but I really like this one. Working with you two gentlemen is just very, very special.

This bill appropriates $108.9 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs for 2010, a 15.4 percent increase in the funds for veterans medical and services available this year. This bill funds the expanded GI Bill benefits authorized last year by the 110th Congress, it funds an additional 1,200 claims processors to reduce the backlog of veterans' disability claims, and it expands programs to help homeless veterans.

Our subcommittee also reaffirms its longstanding support for veterans medical care programs by providing $34.7 billion for VA medical services, a 13 percent increase over current year funding. The members of our subcommittee also approved a new method of funding veterans medical care to ensure that the uncertainty of our legislative cycle does not negatively impact the ability of the Department of Veterans Affairs to plan for and deliver the best in medical care for those who served our nation. In addition to providing funding for VA medical care in Fiscal Year 2010, it also provides advanced funding for the following year, Fiscal Year 2011.

Our committee also continues to place the highest priority on providing the best care and services for our service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan and have

been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. One of our nation's centers for the treatment of PTSD and TBI is the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Bay Pines, which I have the privilege to represent. Included in the bill we consider today is $96,800,000 to build a state-of-the-art medical facility at Bay Pines to better screen our returning service members for mental health problems and to provide the state-of-the-art facilities in which to treat them. The Committee approved my request for the design and engineering funding for this project last year to accelerate the construction of this vitally needed unit.

We also include in the bill $371,300,000 for a new VA medical facility in Orlando that will benefit veterans throughout the state. Florida continues to experience one of the largest inflows of veterans of any state in our nation. All of Florida's VA medical facilities feel the strain of a growing caseload, especially during the winter months. The construction of this long anticipated VA hospital in central Florida will ease that burden on all the existing hospitals.

Madam Chair, this legislation honors those who wore the uniform in the defense of our nation and freedom here and throughout the world. We also honor those who wear the uniform today by ensuring that they live and work in the best facilities today whether it be on U.S. soil or on our bases in the furthest points of the world.

This includes the facilities for the forces leading the worldwide battle against terrorism which is being directed by U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, which neighbors the 10th Congressional District I represent.

Just this week, I joined General David Petraeus, the Commander of U.S. Central Command, to break ground on a new headquarters facility that was supported by this committee and for which this committee approved my request four years ago to accelerate the funding to begin its design and engineering. Our bill this year includes $21,000,000 to accelerate construction of a Consolidated Communications Facility to support the Joint Components of Central and Special Operations Command at MacDill. Communications is critical for both commands to manage operations that are underway half a world away. This facility will ensure that our war fighters will have the most up-to-date and secure communication capabilities for them to do their job.

This legislation also includes $15,300,000 for the Central Command Commandant Facility which will coordinate air operations for Central Command's commanding officers and support staff to enable them to deploy rapidly and efficiently. This is imperative given the geographic distance and the number of crises that continue in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.

This facility will provide a secure facility to accommodate the Joint Special Operations Air Component, train increasing numbers of personnel, and store authorized equipment. In addition it will provide a Sensitive Compartmented Intelligence Facility to conduct analysis and assessments to provide Central Command with accurate and comprehensive situational awareness for our forward deployed forces.

Another $7,000,000 is included for a much needed Child Development Center to care for the children of our service members who work around the clock to support their missions. This facility is designed to accommodate and care for the many families of our many working parents at MacDill Air Force Base. And $16,000,000 is included here for a new dormitory to provide unaccompanied enlisted personnel with safe, energy efficient housing.

Madam Chair, this is a good bill. It fulfills our nation's promise and commitment to care for our nation's veterans, those who serve; those have served in the past, and those who will serve our nation in the future.

I want to commend my friend Mr. Wamp and Chairman Edwards for your strong advocacy on behalf of America's veterans.

Mr. Chairman, last year, as you may remember, I offered an amendment that would have provided direct funding for VA to advance projects at 16 VA medical centers that were identified for the use of solar photovoltaic roof applications, but the amendment was ruled out of order on a technical issue.

You and I have had several conversations about renewable energy issues and, however, working with the Secretary, as I had indicated, I was able to ensure that the VA funded these projects with the overall amount that included the fiscal year 2009 appropriations act, of which you had no objection.

Subsequently, at the beginning of this Congress, with the prospect of a forthcoming stimulus bill, I had met with the Secretary of the VA on renewable energy projects to benefit our veterans and to provide additional funding to invest in these renewable energy projects at the VA. I was pleased the stimulus bill provided the VA with more than $1.4 billion. That's almost half a billion more than what I even submitted in the request, so I thank the chairman.

And the VA stimulus spending for the additional 31 solar photovoltaic feasibility studies also included studies for cogeneration, of which the chairman must have done, along with wind and geothermal projects. And based on those study results, the VA plans to fund up to eight solar projects, nine cogenerations, six wind, and five geothermal using stimulus dollars.

Mr. Chairman, the VA also expects to implement the remaining 23 solar projects, 29 cogeneration, 4 wind and 4 geothermal in fiscal year 2010, subject to the feasibility determinations.

With this in mind, I want to ask my friend: Do I have your assurance that the bill before us would provide the sufficient funds for the VA to move forward with these renewable energy projects?

I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

I would thank the leadership of Mr. Edwards and Mr. Wamp for your commitment for renewable energy within the VA.

Is there any remaining time on the majority side?

Madam Chair, I rise in support of this amendment to increase funding for the Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events by $3.5 million.

Seven or eight years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the U.S. Olympic training center in San Diego, and I was inspired by the attitude and positive example that our Olympians that train there continue to set for all Americans. It is truly a remarkable place.

Then as I drove away from the training center, I was also upset. I was upset because at that time in history the United States Olympic Committee was embroiled in a scandal. I was very bothered that individuals were seeking to profit off of someone else's ideal, the pursuit of excellence. I then set the course to help reorganize the United States Olympic Committee. I am very pleased that the committee was reorganized. They did great things as we went into the 2004 Olympics and then the 2008 Olympics, summer Olympics on both. Based on the experience and the relationships that developed with the Olympic Committee and the relationships of the VA, we were able to create a memorandum of understanding between the Olympic Committee and the VA to further create these sports programs. That led then to our bipartisan legislation, Public Law 110-389, to authorize a total of $10 million to fund a VA grant program to increase participation in sports at all levels by disabled athletes.

This program creates a partnership between the VA and the United States Paralympic program and grassroots disabled sports programs such as those sponsored by the Veterans Service Organizations, Disabled Sports U.S.A., and local parks and recreation organizations.

Madam Chair, it is well known that sports are a great venue to rehabilitate a wounded veteran both physically and mentally. We need to offer every possible avenue for our wounded heroes to regain their self-esteem in the face of what are often severe disabilities. By increasing the funding to the full authorization, we will ensure a fast start for the program and maximize its impact on the disabled veteran community.

I want to thank Chairman Edwards and Mr. Wamp for meeting this request. I ask all Members to support my amendment. You say, Steve, ``my'' amendment? What do you mean? Well, the amendment before the House--are you ready for this--is word for word, comma for comma, period for period the amendment that I submitted to the Rules Committee.

Now bipartisanship is an affirmative act. It requires two people. It is a choice. You can either do things the partisan way or you can do things the bipartisan way. You see, when I drafted this amendment, I sent my staff down to speak with Mr. Filner's staff. I made an offer to him that if he wanted to be on this amendment. His staff then said, Mr. Filner is working on an amendment. The two staffs then exchanged both amendments. My staff said to Mr. Filner's staff, Your amendment could be subject to a point of order, but if you would like Mr. Buyer to be on your amendment, that's fine.

Mr. Filner made a choice. He wanted to have his own amendment. So he submitted his amendment to the Rules Committee, which was subject to a point of order. I submitted my amendment to the Rules Committee clean. Clean. It is mystical, almost magical, how my amendment ends up with somebody else's name on it before the House floor. It is truly magic. But in the end, bipartisanship is a wonderful thing, because through that magic and mystery that is what we have here, Mr. Chairman. We got our bipartisanship in the end because the most important thing is these disabled veterans will have an opportunity to use a platform of healing. That is what we are about.

So it is important that we get rid of the politics. That is my quest here. That is why I enjoy working with you, Mr. Edwards and Zack. Stop the games. And I would yield to the gentleman.

I reclaim my time, you are absolutely right. I applaud Mr. Filner for his legislation. He worked with me to create that legislation.

But, Mr. Filner, I want to work with you, and it is a choice. You chose not to, but in the end, through mystery and magic, we got our bipartisanship. So I will continue to extend my arm of the magic dust.

I ask for everyone to support this mystical and magical amendment.

I yield back.

Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chairman, this amendment would simply strike funding for all of the Member-requested earmarks for military construction projects and would return the money to the various accounts.

I am not here to dispute the merits of any of the earmarks in this account. I have no doubt that each of these projects will vastly improve the quality of life for military servicemembers and for their families, but that is not the issue here. I am here to draw attention to what we have talked about before, and that is the spoils system that these earmarks represent.

There are 109 Member-requested earmarks in the bill; 43 of them are going to powerful Members of Congress who serve in leadership or as appropriators, committee chairs, or ranking members. That represents about 40 percent of the share of earmarks being taken by less than 24 percent of the Members of the House.

I am sure my colleagues will tell me that these projects are sorely needed at the military bases they are earmarked for and that servicemembers will suffer without them, but what about the many installations that don't receive Member-requested earmarks in the bill and the servicemembers stationed there?

Neither Camp Lejeune nor Camp Pendleton received any Member-requested earmarks in the bill. Each of these camps houses a Marine Expeditionary Force comprised of tens of thousands of marines who deploy with great frequency. I am willing to bet that each of these installations have suggestions for new structures to build. Why haven't they received any earmarks in this bill? The answer is pretty simple: Neither of them resides in a district represented by a powerful Member of Congress.

The earmarks in this bill total more than $578 million. That is just a little bit less than the earmark totals for the CJS and Ag bills put together. Of that dollar amount, more than $240 million are being taken home by powerful Members of Congress. That is nearly 41 percent. When you take into account earmark dollars secured by rank-and-file Members in conjunction with powerful Members, that number jumps to more than $300 million, or 52 percent.

So just to reiterate, the earmarks in this bill favor powerful Members by a ratio of 2 to 1. One-quarter of the Members of this House are associated with more than half of the earmark dollars in this bill.

I wish I could say that this is an anomaly, but this is pretty consistent with the rest of the appropriation bills we have considered so far this year, and I have a chart that demonstrates that.

Earmark dollars associated with powerful Members of Congress. Again, those are committee chairs, leadership, or those on the Appropriations Committee, representing 24 percent of the Members in this body. In the CJS bill that we considered earlier, 58 percent of the earmarked dollars went to just 24 percent of the Members.

In the Homeland Security bill, 68 percent of the earmarked dollars went to just 24 percent of the Members of the House.

In the Interior bill, 64 percent of the earmarked dollars went to just 24 percent of the Members of the House.

In the Agriculture bill, 67 percent of the earmarked dollars go to just 24 percent of the Members of the House.

And in this bill, 52 percent of the earmarked dollars go to just 24 percent of the Members of this House. That is a pretty stark pattern.

There are different types of earmarks, obviously. There are those that are simply wasteful. We see those for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and whatever else that is easy to laugh at. Sometimes it is small amounts of money and sometimes it is a lot larger.

And then there are those, particularly in defense bills, where you are giving no-bid contracts to private companies. There is often a pattern of campaign contributions coming back to Members who secure no- bid contracts in private companies. That does not describe what is going on here.

These earmarks, as I mentioned, I have no doubt that they are for a legitimate purpose. But here is another problem with earmarking: It represents a spoils system where rank-and-file Members of the House are not given access to those that others are.

In the Homeland Security bill, it was particularly stark. As I mentioned, a huge percentage, nearly 70 percent, went to just 24 percent of the body. In fact, more than 50 percent went to just 14 percent, those represented on the Appropriations Committee, and these were for predisaster mitigation programs, flood control districts and the like. I don't think Mother Nature decides, I'm going to hit those districts represented by appropriators more than I am going to hit other districts. It is just because they are able to do it, and so they do it. So the rest of the country that competes for these grants on a competitive basis has, at least in that case, 25 percent of that account is earmarked before they can even compete for the rest of the grants that are given out on a competitive basis. Madam Chair, that is just not fair. That is just not the way we should do this. I think we ought to rethink this and we ought to strike that funding in this bill.

Will the gentleman yield for a 15-second clarification?

I thank the gentleman.

The gentleman mentioned that this would cut several programs. This does not cut one dollar. It simply returns the money to the account and the military services would decide where to best----

Madam Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.