Protecting Moms Who Served Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in strong support of the bipartisan legislation, Protecting Moms Who Served Act.

But before I do, I want to thank Congresswoman Lauren Underwood for her leadership on this bill. I would also like to thank Senator Duckworth and Representatives Julia Brownley, Gus Bilirakis, and Brian Fitzpatrick for their co-leadership.

Together, Congresswoman Underwood and I are the co-founders and co- chairs of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, as well as lead sponsors of the Momnibus--comprehensive legislation that addresses every dimension of the maternal health crisis in the United States.

And it gives me great joy to say that the Protecting Moms Who Served Act will be the first bill of the Momnibus to pass in Congress.

The United States continues to have the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world. Women and birthing people of color die during or after pregnancy at 3 to 4 times the rates of their White counterparts.

For the nearly 2 million women Veterans, maternal health outcomes are not any better. Pregnant and postpartum women who served face unique maternal health risks that deserve our attention.

For example, the risk of pregnancy complications may be higher for women Veterans receiving maternity care through Veterans Affairs, since these women frequently have multiple medical conditions that can increase pregnancy complications.

Furthermore, it is suggested that military deployment may increase the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. A post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis can increase the risk of spontaneous pre-term birth, preeclampsia, or gestational diabetes.

Women Veterans with more symptoms of PTSD or moral injury like shame, guilt, or demoralization, are also at greater risk for postpartum depression in the three years following the end of their military service.

More specifically a study on the impacts of PTSD or moral injury, found that one in two women Veterans who became pregnant during the study, had a negative pregnancy outcome.

These outcomes include postpartum depression or anxiety, miscarriage, obstetrical medical conditions, emergency c-sections, the baby's need for intensive care post-delivery, preterm birth, stillbirth, and ectopic or tubal pregnancy.

Our women Veterans have upheld their duty to serve and protect and, we as Members of Congress must do the same.

The Protecting Moms Who Served Act bill will codify and strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs maternity care coordination programs to ensure Veterans receive the high-quality maternal health care and support they have earned.

This is a noteworthy advancement since maternity care coordination programs are associated with improved maternal and birth outcomes, increased use of beneficial health services, and decreased costs, especially among women with chronic or pregnancy-related physical or mental health conditions, or social vulnerabilities.

Additionally, this bill will commission the first-ever comprehensive study of America's maternal health crisis among women Veterans, with a particular emphasis on racial and ethnic disparities.

This study is needed to provide further understanding of the maternal health challenges experienced among women who served.

On May 12th, this legislation passed the house with unanimous bipartisan support.

Today, we are here to vote once more and finally send this bill to the President's desk, changing the lives of millions of women Veterans and their children.

Let's remember that strong and supportive healthcare for birthing people supports the future of our Nation by investing in the well-being of children and families.

And today's vote ensures a healthcare system for women Veterans that will offer the best maternal care available.

I am proud to see our progress towards ending maternal mortality and disparities among our moms who served. I look forward to continuing to address these issues in Congress as we examine and discuss the maternal mortality and morbidity issues that threaten our Nation.

To all my colleagues--lets pass the Protecting Moms Who Served Act for our women Veterans, their children, and their families.

What we do here today will live beyond our time in Congress and impact generations of women who serve.

It is time we make sure that Veterans, who have done so much for our country, receive the support and resources they need.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 958) to codify maternity care coordination programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Madam 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. 958.

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

Madam Speaker, the United States is the only industrialized nation where the maternal mortality rate is on the rise, and we have one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the developed world.

Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native moms die from complications from pregnancy at approximately three times the rate of White, Latina, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander women, regardless of income or education levels.

Today, women veterans are the fastest-growing cohort in the veteran population, and more than 40 percent of women veterans using VA for their healthcare are of reproductive age. Black women serve in high numbers and represent nearly one-third of women using VA for their healthcare.

The Protecting Moms Who Served Act, introduced by Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, would codify maternity care coordination in law and provide additional resources to the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that veterans receive the best prenatal and postpartum care possible.

Madam Speaker, we do not yet know if pregnant veterans have better, worse, or equal rates of maternal mortality compared to nonveterans. This bill would address this knowledge gap by requiring the Government Accountability Office to conduct a comprehensive study on maternal mortality and morbidity among veterans.

This study would not only examine racial and ethnic disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity but also would seek to capture data from Federal programs besides VA, including TRICARE and Medicaid as well as the Indian Health Service, private insurance, and the uninsured.

While there is not yet enough data to make an authoritative conclusion, there is some evidence that veterans who use VA have lower maternal mortality rates than nonveterans. The study mandated by this bill would identify what best practices VA has implemented that result in better maternal health outcomes.

Madam Speaker, last year, approximately 6,000 veterans using VA became new moms. Moms who have served our Nation exemplify strength and resilience. Supporting moms means ensuring gender equity, and that begins with health equity. I, therefore, ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the Protecting Moms Who Served Act.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley), my good friend and chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Health, and also the cosponsor of this important piece of legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood), my good friend and author of this bill, and a member of the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am delighted that we are taking this significant step in addressing the terrible mortality rates that we are facing among our Nation's moms, especially our moms of color. And to the extent that we can shed light on this issue through this very important legislation being brought forward by Ms. Underwood and Ms. Brownley, I think that this is truly, truly a tremendous step forward.

Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 796) to codify maternity care coordination programs at 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 insert extraneous material on S. 796.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 796, the Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021, sponsored by Senator Tammy Duckworth. The House companion to this bill, H.R. 958, was championed by the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood) and unanimously passed the House this past May.

The Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021 will codify the maternity care coordination program that the Veterans Health Administration first established in 2012 and updated in a November 2020 policy directive. This will help ensure that veterans across the Nation receive high- quality, culturally competent healthcare throughout their pregnancies and immediately afterward.

The majority of veterans' maternity care is delivered by a contracted network of non-VA community providers. However, many veterans have coexisting medical or mental health conditions for which they receive ongoing care from VA providers. This means it is absolutely critical to ensure pregnant veterans' care is coordinated among all healthcare professionals involved in it. Such information sharing is crucial for patient safety and positive health outcomes--for parents and newborns.

In addition to codifying VA's maternity care coordination program, S. 796 will require the Department to provide training for community providers on the unique needs of pregnant and postpartum veterans and on behavioral health conditions related to service in the Armed Forces.

Today, women veterans are the fastest growing cohort in the veteran population, and more than 40 percent of women veterans using VA healthcare are of reproductive age. Black women serve in higher numbers and represent nearly one-third of women using VA for their healthcare.

In the population at large, Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native moms die from pregnancy-related complications at approximately three times the rate of White, Latina, Asian American, and Pacific Islander women, regardless of income or education levels.

However, little is known about whether pregnant and postpartum veterans have better, worse, or equal rates of maternal mortality compared to nonveterans. That is why S. 796 also mandates a U.S. Government Accountability Office study on maternal mortality and morbidity among pregnant and postpartum veterans, with a particular focus on racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes for veterans.

Last year, approximately 6,000 veterans using VA became new moms. Moms who have served our Nation exemplify strength and resilience. Supporting moms means ensuring gender equity, and that begins with healthcare equity. I therefore ask my colleagues to join me in supporting final passage of S. 796, the Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing this important piece of legislation, S. 796, the Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 958, the Protecting Moms Who Served Act, my bipartisan bill to address maternal mortality among veterans that I proudly introduced with Representative Gus Bilirakis and Julia Brownley and Brian Fitzpatrick.

Madam Speaker, the United States is currently confronting a maternal health crisis. We have the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world and significant racial and ethnic disparities in maternity health outcomes.

Some of the drivers of maternal mortality and morbidity can even be more common in women who serve. For example, one in three women veterans report that they experience military sexual trauma, which is linked with risk factors for pregnancy-related complications. With unacceptable maternal mortality rates for all U.S. mothers and unique risks for veterans, we must ensure that the VA is providing the highest quality maternal healthcare and support to moms who serve.

My bipartisan Protecting Moms Who Served Act would codify VA's maternity healthcare and coordination programs, which offers screenings and treatments to pregnant veterans with mental health conditions and include measures to strengthen community partnerships with organizations that support new parents.

The VA's maternity care coordination programs have been successful in ensuring that veterans can receive high-quality, culturally appropriate care and robust support throughout pregnancy, during labor and delivery, and for the full yearlong postpartum period and beyond. By codifying and strengthening these programs, veterans will continue to receive the world-class care and support that they have earned.

The Protecting Moms Who Served Act would also invest in trainings for community maternity care providers so that nurses, midwives, and physicians caring for pregnant and postpartum veterans understand the unique needs of veteran patients, particularly related to mental and behavioral health conditions that might have been caused or exacerbated by military service or the transition back to civilian life. These trainings will ensure that veterans receive care that is responsive to the lingering physical and psychological impacts of their service.

Finally, my bill will commission the first-ever comprehensive study of maternal mortality, morbidity, and racial and ethnic disparities for veterans. By having a complete understanding of the ways in which our Nation's maternity health crisis extends to our veteran population, we can develop evidence-based solutions to improve outcomes and save veterans' lives.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the Protecting Moms Who Served Act. I thank the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Chairman Takano, for his leadership to advance this critically important bipartisan legislation--the first bill in our Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act to be considered here in the House.

As a cofounder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, I am committed to advancing each bill in the Momnibus to save moms' lives and support families.

Madam Speaker, finally, I would also really like to thank--truly, it has been a pleasure to work with--Representative Bilirakis, Representative Brownley, Representative Fitzpatrick, and Ranking Member Bost. Thank you for co-leading this bill with me.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 958, the Protecting Moms Who Served Act, which I was proud to co-lead with Congresswoman Underwood, Congressman Bilirakis, and Congressman Fitzpatrick.

Madam Speaker, this bill will ensure that veterans get the high- quality maternal care they have earned by codifying the Maternity Care Coordination Program. Additionally, this bill will require the GAO to report on maternal mortality and morbidity among veterans.

I thank the chairman for his support on this issue, and I am proud that this bill passed the committee with broad bipartisan support.

Madam Speaker, as you may know, among developed countries, the United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with an average rate of 17.2 deaths per 100,000 live births.

For women of color, the rates are even higher. For Black women, the maternal mortality rate is 41.7 deaths per 100,000. And for American Indian and Alaska Native women, it is 28.3 deaths per 100,000 live births. More than 50 percent of pregnancy-related deaths happen after delivery.

Today, there are 2 million women veterans living in the United States, and women comprise the fastest growing subpopulation of both the military and veteran populations, yet many of their health needs go unaddressed in a VA system that has not evolved to equitably serve a rapidly changing population.

As the chairwoman of the Women Veterans Task Force and chair of House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health, I am proud to join Congresswoman Underwood, who has truly,

truly been a champion--she is the founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus--in fighting to end disparities in maternal care for women veterans. Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country. It is past time that we address this inequity.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support our women veterans and vote ``yes'' on H.R. 958.