Protecting Those Who Protected Us Act of 2013

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

Here we are again, deja vu all over again. The leadership of the other side of the aisle is again attempting to distract the American people from looking at their cynical shutdown efforts by trying to hold them under the torn and shredded garments of our veterans.

This is a hoax. This is a fraud.

Simply stated, this bill will not provide enough funding to pay for all the programs, where every Member of this House understands that veterans benefits are vital and crucial pieces of our ongoing obligation and commitment to our veterans.

However, we should all be clear and we should understand that in accepting this piecemeal proposal, we are in fact cutting $6.2 billion in funding that this body voted in June, in the bill that we approved 421-4.

This proposed CR does not address, touch, or do anything for the remaining VA discretionary accounts, which are equally important to our veterans and our families:

The Information Technology account, which includes $155 million for the Veterans Benefits Management System and is vital in speeding up the claims process, is not included;

The Office of the Secretary account, which includes the Board of Veterans Appeals which provides decisions on claims appeals, is not included;

The National Cemetery Administration is not included, which means that burials, Madam Speaker, at the national cemeteries will be conducted on a reduced schedule;

The Office of Inspector General account is not included, which means that audits and evaluations, administrative investigations, health care inspections, and the Inspector General hotline will be suspended;

The medical research account is not included;

The construction accounts are not included;

Grants to State veterans home and State cemeteries are not included.

On June 4 we passed a full bill, a complete bill, a bipartisan bill. We provided more resources for veterans in the bipartisan bill we passed in June than are provided in this anemic attempt to hide the cynical Republican efforts to justify a government shutdown underneath the veil of the service and sacrifice of generation after generation of veterans.

This is shameful. Veterans can see through this hypocrisy. The American people can see through this hypocrisy.

We need to end this lifeboat strategy offered by the Senator from Texas, where the only visible functions of government he approves or sanctions will be opened.

Open the entire government. Serve the American people by passing a clean resolution discharging our constitutional responsibilities and voting down this phantom of a funding bill that does a disservice to our Nation's heroes--our veterans.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, at this time I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Lowey), ranking member of the full Appropriations Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) for a unanimous consent request.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey) for a unanimous consent request.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Barber) for a unanimous consent request.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Clarke) for a unanimous consent request.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 370, I call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 72) making continuing appropriations for veterans benefits for fiscal year 2014, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on House Joint Resolution 72, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

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

We bring before the House today, Madam Speaker, legislation that will ensure that our veterans are given the benefits that they have earned and that there's no delay in the processing of disability claims.

Madam Speaker, the other day, President Obama gave us a list of things that are important and vital that the Nation do to make sure that there is no interruption in services. In particular, we as a Congress, as a House want to make sure that our veterans are taken care of. Everything they have earned through their service to their country, we want to make certain it is taken care of.

This legislation before us today is essential because the VA has told us that funds for these benefits will run out by the end of this month. So it's essential we pass this legislation right now.

Although the Veterans Health Administration is funded a year in advance, we have to pass this legislation today, Madam Speaker, to ensure that veterans and their survivors receive disability compensation benefits.

We have to pass this legislation today to make sure that 517,000 low- income veterans and their family members receive their pensions. We have to pass this legislation today unanimously so that three-quarters of a million students will receive their post- 9/11 GI education benefits. We need to pass this legislation today, Madam Speaker, so that 54,000 unemployed veterans will be able to be eligible for training assistance through the veterans retraining assistance program.

Finally, Madam Speaker, we also have to make sure we get this legislation passed so that 67,000 veterans with service-connected disabilities receive their vocational rehabilitation and employment subsistence allowances.

It's also important to note that this legislation will provide $223 million for cemetery headstones and burial plot allowances that our veterans by their service to our Nation have earned.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, it is my privilege at this time to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Madam Speaker, the only question before the House tonight is: Will we unite to support our veterans?

I am pleased, at this time, to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller), the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman.

Madam Speaker, at this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe).

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding this time and thank you for bringing up this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill.

This bill continues to provide our Nation's veterans with access to important benefits that they have earned in service to their country. To let these important health benefits slow or stop would be to renege on our promise to

our soldiers that, in exchange for taking care of this country, the Nation will take care of you.

This legislation continues funding for the processing and delivering of disability claims and other health benefits at the current annual rate of approximately $82 billion until December 15, or until we enact full-year appropriations.

Yesterday, when we considered this bill on the floor under suspension, Republicans and Democrats alike united behind the duty of this Congress to provide for our veterans. Frankly, I'm surprised it didn't pass with the vote of every single Member, but some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle chose not to support the care of our former servicemen and -women.

But I believe that, given this second chance, where a majority will do, my colleagues will come together to pass this important bill. Not only is it important for the well-being of our veterans, but it's important for the well-being of the Nation as a whole. Every step we take to fund one section of the government is a step we can take toward reopening the entire government.

Even if we do not agree on much, we can agree, Madam Speaker, that we can't allow this government shutdown to persist much longer and continue to inflict harm on the United States. The clearest path forward is coming together on a bipartisan and bicameral basis to work out our differences, find a solution, and end this shutdown. And the way to do this is laying right in front of us.

The House passed the other night a motion to go to conference with the Senate on the differences that we have between us. It is the old, time-honored tradition of the House and Senate having a conference together to work out differences that is the way this place should be working; and yet the Senate refuses to sit down with us.

Madam Speaker, our conferees are waiting at the table downstairs, even as I speak. And if the Senate would just send over their conferees, we can work out the differences and the shutdown and solve the rest of the Nation's problems.

I urge my colleagues to provide for our veterans and help us get out of this shutdown disaster. Vote ``aye'' on this bill.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise for the second time this week to talk about this particular piece of legislation. Why the second time? Well, because the Democrats banded together to kill this veterans funding bill once before. And as I mentioned before the Democrats moved to kill this veterans funding bill, we worked to ensure that disabled veterans, low-income veterans going to school on the GI Bill, and survivors of those killed in the line of duty continue to receive their benefits that they are due, the benefits that they in fact have earned.

Madam Speaker, the House Democrats must not know that Bernie Sanders, the chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, introduced a bill on Monday night that related to veterans funding, and I'd like to share with everyone a bit about that effort. And I quote from press reports:

Veterans Affairs' Chairman Bernard Sanders introduced the

legislation (S. 1564) Monday night and quickly got the

backing from four other Democrats on the panel, as well as

Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, the top Republican on the

committee . . . Specifically, the bill would protect

mandatory compensation and pension benefits for veterans and

families, including survivor benefits. It would also, among

other things, continue money flowing to educational programs

for veterans . . . The bill, he predicted, would be passed in

enough time to ensure veterans benefits are not disrupted.

Burr said he expects the Senate to adopt the legislation by

unanimous consent.

Does this sound familiar? It should. Because this is the very piece of legislation that we're talking about on the floor today. And I have a suspicion why the Democrats keep stalling this veteran funding bill--they are playing politics.

I ask the Senate majority leader and my friends in the Democratic leadership to unite. Take up the bill that the ranking member has already said that fully funds veterans on June 4.

Madam Speaker, of course we support funding for our veterans. The House already passed a full-year funding bill in June by a vote of 421-4, which was $6 billion more than the cheap ploy now being considered.

It is essential that the VA can continue offering services, but we must also ensure that veterans receive job training, children receive immunizations, and that our food supply is safe.

Radical Republicans have shut down the government because they refuse to allow a vote on a spending bill that they wrote, the Senate passed, and the White House would sign.

Three days into the shut down, the majority can't even tell us what they want to reopen the government. Just yesterday, one of their Members said:

We have to get something out of this. And I don't even know what that is.

The House majority has shut down the government, but not to reduce spending or for some other policy reason. It is for pure petulance, and they don't even know what they're trying to accomplish.

Ending the shutdown couldn't be more simple. Stop playing games. Allow a vote on the bill--with your number--to end the shutdown that the Senate passed and the President will sign.

This could end in 30 minutes. Just take the bill with your number, let it pass here, send it to the White House, and that's the end; and we can get on with business to serve the people that we were elected to help.

My constituents want us to work on these serious issues, as do you.