VA Transparency & Trust Act of 2021

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support Representative Bost's bipartisan legislation, the ``VA Transparency and Trust Act,'' or H.R. 2911, and for which Representative Pappas, Representative Mann, and I are original co-sponsors. This bill provides additional oversight for the funds Congress made available to VA through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act in 2020, as well as the American Rescue Plan which we passed earlier this year.

The purpose of H.R. 2911 is to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a detailed plan for obligating and expending coronavirus pandemic funding made available to the Department of Veterans Affairs by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES Act, or the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. H.R. 2911 also requires the VA Office of Inspector General to report to Congress semi-annually on VA's actual expenditures and obligations, comparing it to their detailed plan, and on other subjects. Finally, H.R. 2911 requires the Comptroller General of the United States to report to Congress twice--in 2022 and 2024--

on VA's process for developing its funding request, among other subjects.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, Congress has provided over $36 billion dollars in supplemental funding--that is, funds that are in addition to VA's annual budget--to fund various pandemic-related operations and programs at VA.

Specifically, Congress provided to VA:

$60 million in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in March 2020 to support medical services and medical community care;

$19.5695 billion in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act in March 2020 to support medical services, community care, medical facilities, informational technology systems, general administration, and other purposes; and $16.694 billion in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 in January 2021 to support medical care and health needs, supply chain modernization, the VA Office of Inspector General, a COVID-19 veteran rapid retraining assistance program, and other purposes.

With these significant investments in VA operations and programs, legislation is needed to ensure that VA efficiently and effectively obligates and spends these funds to achieve Department goals. The legislation provides ongoing oversight opportunities for relevant Congressional committees until all funds have been expended and provides for the VA Office of Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office to provide intermittent reviews of VA's spending and allocation process, similar to prior reporting.

H.R. 2911 adds to the existing oversight on VA's spending. It will enable greater transparency for Congress and the public to ensure that these funds are spent wisely to support critical VA programs and services as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2911) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a plan for obligating and expending Coronavirus pandemic funding made available to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 2911.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support Representative Bost's bipartisan legislation, the VA Transparency & Trust Act, for which Representative Pappas, Representative Mann, and I are original cosponsors.

This bill provides additional oversight for the funds Congress made available to the VA through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act in 2020, as well as the American Rescue Plan, which we passed earlier this year.

In addition to requiring the VA to report biweekly on how it spends these supplemental funds, the bill mandates the VA Office of Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office to periodically report on VA's spending of these funds.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2911 adds to the existing oversight on VA's spending and will enable greater transparency for Congress and the public to ensure that these funds are spent efficiently and effectively to support critical VA programs and services as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas), my good friend and the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Mr. Speaker, I also ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 2911, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2911, the VA Transparency & Trust Act of 2021.

In the American Rescue Plan, the VA requested and received $17.1 billion in emergency funding. I demanded justification from the VA to support that funding, and very little came. I asked why the VA needed additional money since roughly $10 billion in CARES Act funding was still available, and no one answered.

Ranking Member Tracey Mann offered an amendment to oversee the use of those funds during the committee's markup of the American Rescue Plan. It was voted down on party lines.

What I feared at that time I can now confirm. The American Rescue Plan has essentially become a blank check for the VA to the tune of $17.1 billion.

H.R. 2911 would establish strict oversight and reporting requirements over all remaining COVID supplemental funds. It would also require the VA inspector general to conduct regular audits of these funds.

Lastly, it would require the GAO to conduct a complete review after all funds have been spent.

I believe these requirements are appropriate given that we are talking about tens of billions in taxpayer dollars. We should all expect full transparency on the use of these funds.

I thank Chairman Pappas and Ranking Member Mann for joining me in introducing this bill. I encourage all my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Ranking Member Bost, for introducing this legislation. I was proud to support it alongside my colleague, Tracey Mann, from the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. It is the VA Transparency & Trust Act of 2021.

Now, the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis turned our world upside down, and it hit our veteran community especially hard. The issues our veterans faced before the pandemic

have only been exacerbated by COVID-19, and they contend with a new host of health and financial hardships.

That is why I joined with many in this Chamber to strongly urge for support to our veterans in COVID-19 relief packages, including the American Rescue Plan. That plan provided a much-needed investment in the VA, but we must all work together to ensure that this funding is used effectively to support our veterans and to increase the quality care that they receive.

As chair of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, and ensuring veterans get the care they have earned is a top priority.

This legislation would require the VA to report to Congress on the emergency funding that it has already received. It will provide the enhanced oversight that is warranted to ensure funds are being used efficiently and in ways that are truly meeting the needs of those who have served us all.

Mr. Speaker, I urge swift passage of this legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2911 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.