Gerald’s Law Act

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8371, as amended, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act.

This omnibus package of veterans' legislation isn't perfect; such packages rarely are. However, it achieves progress on many of the goals we set out to accomplish at the beginning of the 118th Congress.

The backbone of this bill is legislation that was originally introduced by my colleague, Julia Brownley, the ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health.

Representative Brownley has worked tirelessly for nearly 3 years to pass the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act, H.R. 542. This bill will enable veterans to remain at home, safely age in place, and avoid or delay admission to nursing homes and other costly institutional settings of care by expanding veterans' access to home- and community-based services such as home health aides.

This legislation will also help connect veterans' caregivers to respite care and other support services that help them care for veterans at home. Further, it will help improve VA's coordination with other Federal long-term care programs that promote aging at home.

I am very thankful to my colleague Julia Brownley for her important work, but I know she worked very closely with Senator Elizabeth Dole, and Senator Dole has risen to an amazing stature in our country. I am so proud that she is also here in this Chamber with us today as the chairman mentioned. I hope someone will get her a blanket because it is so dang cold in this Chamber that I don't want her to freeze up there.

This legislation is an investment in care for millions of veterans and current servicemembers who need this help now and in the future.

Despite the great need for this bill, it has been an uphill battle to get it passed. This Chamber had an opportunity almost a year ago to pass the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act as a stand-alone bill. Unfortunately, House Republicans decided to bring a version to the floor they knew the Senate wouldn't pass.

Why would they do that you may ask? Well, because they decided to hold the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act and other bipartisan policy priorities hostage, attempting to use them as leverage to achieve their goal of outsourcing more VA care to for-profit healthcare providers. The Democratic Caucus stood firmly against these efforts.

It can be difficult and isolating to stand on policy principles, but I will always do so when the future of veterans' healthcare is on the line, and it is. The system is already straining, and if we don't take real and serious action, it will break.

House Republicans attempted nearly for a year to use H.R. 8371 to advance harmful provisions that would have undermined healthcare directly provided by VA, driving veterans to for-profit, lower-quality care from contracted providers. We want VA to remain a strong provider of care instead of diminishing it to nothing more than an insurance company where profits are prioritized over outcomes for veterans.

Madam Speaker, if we have learned anything during the 118th Congress, it is that anything meaningful that we have accomplished has been done on a bipartisan basis with Democratic votes.

It should never have taken this long to get here, but last week, we successfully negotiated a compromise on the most objectionable provision of H.R. 8371, which will preserve VA healthcare for current and future generations of veterans.

Unfortunately, in the year it took to get to this point, House Republicans also held hostage critical legislation to help homeless veterans. In December 2023, my colleagues in the majority knowingly and intentionally took a flawed version of the HOME Act, which includes two Democratic-led bills to the House floor to use these provisions as leverage in negotiations for this package. They used homeless veterans as political pawns in the same way that they did with elderly and disabled veterans and their caregivers.

Meanwhile, VA and its community partners continued doing the hard work to help veterans experiencing homelessness. On Veterans Day, the VA announced that veteran homelessness dropped to its lowest level on record, and that VA had helped place nearly 48,000 veterans into permanent housing in 2024.

While I celebrate VA's success in addressing this issue, there are still nearly 300,000 veterans who interact with VA's homelessness programs each year. We must continue investing resources into these programs and into our communities to ensure that every veteran has a stable place to call home. We hope the next administration will continue this work and adhere to the models that have proven effective like Housing First.

Therefore, the second pillar of this legislation supports our shared goal of ending veteran homelessness. H.R. 8371 includes provisions from Congresswoman Williams' H.R. 491, the Return Home to Housing Act and Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick's H.R. 645, the Healthy Foundations for Homeless Veterans Act. These provisions will provide direct investments in communities across the country as they move veterans from the streets into stable housing.

During the pandemic, VA used authorities contained in Representative Williams' bill to enhance the services that traditional housing providers could offer to veterans through an increased per diem reimbursement rate. It used the flexible authorities in Representative Cherfilus-McCormick's bill to save lives by bringing veterans out of unsafe living conditions into stable, permanent housing and meeting their basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing.

It also ensured homeless veterans had the transportation needed to get to and from medical appointments and job interviews.

These long overdue reauthorizations will ensure VA and its community partners can continue to address the veteran homelessness crisis in this country with the urgency and focus it deserves.

There is still more work to do to get every veteran into housing, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to provide VA, HUD, and communities across the country the support they need to end veteran homelessness.

Madam Speaker, I will also acknowledge several Democratic Members who have contributed to the drafting of this package. Representatives Mike Levin, Don Davis, Elissa Slotkin, Frank Mrvan, Dean Phillips, Morgan McGarvey, Chris Pappas, and Lauren Underwood all have provisions in their own bills included in this package. Many of them are or have been members of our committee, and their commitment to serving veterans continues with our work here today.

Among other things, these provisions will increase outreach to veterans about their eligibility for benefits, mandate training for VA employees on reporting wrongdoing to the inspector general, and remove statutory restrictions on the qualifications of senior leaders within the Veterans Health Administration.

Madam Speaker, that does not mean this bill is perfect, and I will stress my objection, once again, to the backward practice of the majority to offset discretionary spending along with mandatory spending in every bill. This means taxpayers will be paying for these programs twice and many remaining legislative priorities from the VSOs who are with us here today are at risk of being left undone next Congress when we must unnecessarily waste our limited offsets in order to advance this legislation.

Also missing from this package is a strong piece of bipartisan, bicameral, good-government legislation that would have installed much- needed guardrails on VA's electronic health record modernization project.

It is no secret that the Oracle-driven modernization effort has struggled at VA. The program is woefully behind schedule and is only operational at 6 of 172 medical centers. I am not convinced the system is fully functional. The EHR Program RESET Act would have required minimum operational criteria to be met before Oracle could be deployed to any further facilities, which would have prevented many of the current problems.

Further, this key legislation would have improved coordination with the Department of Defense and instituted major contracting and acquisition reforms over VA's IT modernization efforts that are long overdue.

Unfortunately, RESET was stripped from the package, which is not surprising given the army of lobbyists that Oracle unleashed to kill it.

That said, I thank the Veterans Service Organization community and other stakeholders whose tireless efforts and refusal to compromise their values proved critical in finally getting our Republican majority back to the negotiating table to reach a compromise on H.R. 8371 last week.

As we saw with the passage of the PACT Act, we know good things can be accomplished when VSOs are unified and committed to doing the right thing. I am glad that House Democrats also held firm to our values in negotiations and fought to preserve VA healthcare for current and future generations of veterans.

This package has taken more than a year to get to the finish line, but I am pleased that we as a caucus will be able to support passage on this compromise today.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley), my good friend and the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Davis), a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Agriculture and a veteran himself.

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

I have said as much as I can about this important piece of legislation. What I will finally say is I am very glad that we got here, and I thank the chairman. We spent all this time, and we have reached a compromise. That is what we have to do in Congress, put our veterans and the people first. I think the American people want to see more of this sort of thing happening.

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased that we could get this done before the Thanksgiving weekend.

I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 8371, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the VET-TEC Authorization Act of 2023, as amended. In 2020, when our country experienced record unemployment, VET-TEC was a bright spot of veteran employment.

To date, nearly 5,000 veterans have found employment from the program at a salary of over $65,000 a year.

Today, veterans are employed at record-high levels. The Biden economy has brought veteran unemployment to the lowest level ever on record. Let me say that again. The Biden economy has brought veteran unemployment to the lowest level ever on record.

The legislation before us adds 5 more years to the VET-TEC program, providing VA an additional $337 million to get more veterans hired in the high-technology field.

This program was created by Speaker McCarthy in the Forever GI Bill, and I respect the fact that it is a big priority for the Speaker and my friend Chairman Bost. While I support the legislation, I wish to share my concern about moving a bill with such a large cost

when we have so many provisions awaiting action by this Congress. The $413 million price tag of this bill dwarfs the costs of many of the bills we must pass to address veteran homelessness.

This is an expensive bill in a fiscally uncertain time. While we all appreciate veteran employment programs, veteran unemployment is the lowest ever on record. A VET-TEC extension is nice to have, but with veterans experiencing homelessness and food insecurity, there is action on those programs that we must have.

As ranking member of this committee, I have the responsibility of weighing priorities and choosing between worthy policies that help veterans. I know the chairman and his colleagues on our committee share my goal of ending veteran homelessness.

When we considered this legislation in our committee, I offered an amendment to this legislation to make permanent some basic authorities which lowered veteran homelessness by 11 percent during a public health emergency. This amendment cost only $6 million in mandatory spending.

Last year, the chairman himself made it clear: ``No veteran should be without a place to call home. I am glad that the most recent estimate showed fewer veterans living in homeless shelters last year. That is why we must continue our work to ensure that the rubber is meeting the road and every veteran has access to safe, stable housing and the help they need to thrive.''

Chairman Bost is correct. The work must continue. We must continue the ongoing work, which has already helped so many veterans and can help so many more.

The reason given for not moving this bill was that it implicates the Toxic Exposure Fund, or TEF. I understand the chairman is concerned about how the Congressional Budget Office scores bills with TEF implications. I am concerned too, and I have spoken extensively on this.

However, there has yet to be a solution proposed for the TEF that does not undermine its purpose, which is to protect funding for toxic- exposed veterans and acknowledge this as a cost of war.

In light of this, I am asking that we come together and work on mutual priorities so that we can responsibly and equitably pass legislation using the limited offsets available to us.

I think the chairman believes, as do I, that providing basic needs for homeless veterans deserves to be on that priority list.

Therefore, I ask my colleague, the chairman, if he will commit to bringing Representative Cherfilus-McCormick's bill, H.R. 645, to the floor without delay,

Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of a colloquy, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost), and ask if he will commit to this.

Mr. Speaker, I am reclaiming my time.

Mr. Speaker, I was waiting for the answer.

Mr. Speaker, I reclaim my time.

Mr. BOST: Mr. Speaker, I am committed to addressing the veterans homelessness.

Mr. Speaker, I am reclaiming my time.

I simply ask the gentleman whether he will work with us to bring Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick's bill to the floor. That is the question that I will yield for an answer.

Will the gentleman work with us?

I yield to the gentleman from Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time.

I am grateful that I hear some kernel that they will work with us in a bipartisan way. What does worry me is the gentleman mentioned over the next few months. I can maybe tolerate the next few months in terms of can we come to an agreement by the fall when the temperatures start to fall, but even the hot summers, in some parts of the country, would require us to work much more expeditiously.

These pandemic authorities that expanded our ability to help veterans who are homeless expired on May 11. For the last 11 days, VA and its community partners have operated with fewer authorities and less funding to help homeless veterans.

VA's ability to quickly bring a veteran in off the streets and get them the services they need to put them on their way to stable, permanent housing has been greatly diminished.

Prior to the pandemic, we were maintaining the status quo. The number of veterans experiencing homelessness had remained basically stagnant year after year for quite some time. For every veteran housed, another veteran would fall into homelessness.

During the pandemic we approached the homelessness crisis head on and with the urgency it has long deserved. It is incredible to me that we were able to reduce homelessness during COVID-19 by 11 percent. During the darkest days of that pandemic, VA actually reduced homelessness by 11 percent. It permanently housed over 40,000 veterans last year alone. We know these authorities accelerated VA's progress in ending veteran homelessness, and we can't lose that momentum.

I am pleased to hear the chairman wants to work together to extend these authorities and get homeless veterans into housing.

Mr. Speaker, I just say let's prioritize H.R. 645 in the coming days, not the coming months, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna), my friend and colleague from my home State who serves on the Armed Services Committee and the Oversight Committee.

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

I commend General Bergman for the section of the VET-TEC bill which includes addressing this issue related to burials and the cost that the veteran's family has to bear, but I find it peculiar that the majority would take pains to include this legislation, which I have no quarrel with and support, but could not deal with and chose not to deal with the expiring authorities to deal with our homeless veterans.

Americans care deeply about the homeless veterans in our country and are offended that we would have anybody who wore the uniform of the United States be homeless.

There are elements of this bill that came up in markup. They brought the bill to the floor, the VET-TEC bill, which includes many elements, but they specifically chose to leave out addressing the expiring authorities that we have used to bring down homelessness by 11 percent. I am afraid we are going to lose momentum.

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

Mr. Speaker, I realize the chairman and all of us in the veteran space have had our differences with the way the Congressional Budget Office scores the TEF. However, I would assert that we cannot use that as an excuse for why we don't address veteran homelessness.

Mr. Speaker, the expansion of VET-TEC as a program is to the tune of nearly one-half billion dollars--$413 million--at a time when my colleagues on the other side are looking to make draconian cuts to the nondefense side of the ledger, which veterans do fall within. They are expanding a program that addresses veteran employment at a time when veteran unemployment is at its lowest.

What I want to compare is the $6 million to the nearly one-half billion dollars that the Republicans want to expand this program by. I, too, stand behind veteran employment programs and effective ones at that. However, should we be expanding it and authorizing for 5 years this program, VET-TEC, when we are allowing a $6 million program to care for homeless veterans, to get them off the streets, to expire?

It is a rather rich situation that my colleagues want to expand spending and spend more on a program whose urgency is really in question because the Biden economy, as I explained, has brought veteran unemployment to its lowest levels ever. They want to expand spending in that program by an enormous amount, yet they want to eliminate $6 million in authorizations to take care of our homeless veterans. This makes no sense at all to me.

I support the chairman's bill, but I hope he will work with us to solve this problem in a matter of days and not months.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1669) to amend title 38, United States Code, to make permanent the high technology pilot program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 1669, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Representative Ciscomani's bill, H.R. 1669, as amended. The bill would enhance the fund, the VET- TEC pilot program at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VET-TEC pilot program was coauthored by Speaker McCarthy and Congressman Ro Khanna in the Forever GI Bill in 2017.

Now, this program provides post-9/11 GI Bill-style benefits to veterans so they can attend short-term training that leads to jobs in the information technology sector. The education and employment program has been a wildly successful program. It has helped thousands of veterans not only find a job, but a career and a promising future in the technology sector.

This program is an example of a government program that truly works for our veterans. VET-TEC has an 80 percent graduation rate, a 62 percent employment rate, and an average salary of $65,000 a year. Veterans using this program are going into careers with the best tech companies in the world.

The reason this program works as well as it has, I think, is that the schools only receive the full amount of the tuition and fees when the student gets a job in the tech industry.

Now, this level of accountability is honestly something I think we should be looking at for other Federal Government programs. Thousands of veterans achieving the career of their dreams has proven to me that it is time to expand VET-TEC.

Now, Representative Ciscomani's bill makes important changes to the pilot program to make it even stronger so that it can continue to help even more veterans find their American Dream. Improving VET-TEC program has the full support of the VA and many veteran service organizations.

Three weeks ago, VET-TEC providers told us that the program had run out of funds and they are no longer allowed to accept new students. Over 2,500 student veterans will miss out on the chance for a better career this year if Congress is unable to fix this problem. It goes without saying, the time is short and the need to help our veterans continue to access this training is great.

Even with record-high inflation and soaring interest rates, because of the Biden administration, veterans using this program have shown that they can still achieve high-paying jobs.

Representative Ciscomani's bill, as amended, also includes several other bipartisan bills, including General Jack Bergman's bill, H.R. 234, which would allow survivors of veterans to receive the burial allowance benefit if their loved one passes away at home while receiving VA Hospice care, rather than in a VA facility.

Representative Arrington's bill, H.R. 1169, would also allow veterans to receive their GI Bill electronic notifications virtually.

Representative Obernolte's bill, H.R. 746, would include nondegreed pilot programs into the Veterans Readiness and Employment program.

Representative Van Orden's bill, H.R. 1798, would protect the spouses of servicemembers from GI Bill debt.

Representative Kiggan's bill, H.R. 1635, would eliminate a nearly 70- year-old rule that limits the GI Bill payments that survivors and dependents receive in the Philippines.

With the inclusion of these bills in H.R. 1669, we would make great improvements in how our veterans can use the GI Bill benefits.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Student Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign War, The American Legion, the VET-TEC Working Group, and Disabled American Veterans for supporting the proposed legislation today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1669, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, while I understand the concerns expressed by the minority, I point out that the program has been a huge success in helping veterans gain meaningful employment.

We have been very successful in recent years in reducing veterans' unemployment, and now is not the time for us to take our foot off the gas. I believe a successful education program, such as this one, is one of the best ways to reduce veteran homelessness.

Mr. Speaker, I would also point out that the minority has had ample time and opportunity to express their concerns of legislation hearing on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I am getting to my answer.

Mr. Speaker, they were also given a chance to submit markup at a full committee markup, and yet, the first time I have heard these concerns was late last week.

The bill, through regular order, as amended, was offered for the minority Representative, Mr. McGarvey, to reduce the length of time in the program. That amendment was accepted and included in the bill.

The length of the program was subject to bipartisan agreement. I recognize that the minority has valid concerns about spending and limited resources that we have worked with. The problem was made worse with the passage of the Toxic Exposure Fund, the PACT Act, that requires mandatory spending for many of the VA programs.

Mr. Speaker, I repeat my plea that my friends on the other side of the aisle join me in developing a resolution to the issue.

Mr. Speaker, I will address veterans homelessness, as I have always said I would. It is very concerning to me. We are currently working on a package to address the issue, but I am not going to pit one group of veterans against another. I would like my friends in the minority to work with me to develop legislation to address veteran homelessness in a bipartisan, fiscally responsible way over the next few months.

The answer is yes, we will work with you, but we have got to actually sit down and work together to figure out the problem of the expense and knowing how it is and where it is that we make the investment that still balances. That is the answer that I will give to the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I will, and we will, work on this priority. What we can do is chew gum and walk at the same time, and that means we can go ahead and not only work on homelessness but also this bill, as important as it is. I appreciate the gentleman's concern, but believe me, our side of the aisle has just as much concern about our homeless veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Ciscomani), the sponsor of the main part of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman).

Mr. Speaker, one thing that needs to be very, very clear, the Bergman bill does not have a TEF issue, a toxic exposure fund issue. That is where the concerns are.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I am going to say a couple of things that I have said on this House floor before. I am going to say them again.

The gentleman referred to our cutting veterans. Actually, we are increasing over the President's budget. We will get more into that later this week in committee.

Let me also say this, Mr. Speaker. I will repeat my plea right now that our friends on the other side of the aisle join me in developing a solution to an issue that he has decided is not anything more than a political ploy, trying to say that we are going to cut benefits by straightening this problem out.

We are not. We will not. Let me say this again on this floor: Veterans are not being cut, period.

This is a good piece of legislation. It is bipartisan.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all the people on our side of the aisle and on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8371) to make certain improvements in the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 8371, as amended.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 8371, as amended, offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Ciscomani), my friend and colleague.

For nearly the entire 118th Congress, the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs have worked together to develop a bipartisan package of commonsense proposals. The Dole act is the result of that work and would enhance, reform, and modernize nearly every part of the

Madam Speaker, while I think we could and should have been able to pass this bill months ago, I am pleased to be here today. I know that some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle took issue with some provisions in the Dole act due to a disagreement on the provision's intent.

The provision that was opposed only affected about 6 percent of the VA's current community referrals. This provision would rightfully make sure that VA bureaucracy cannot veto a doctor's medical decisions.

Veterans groups understand this, and that is why they support this bill from the start and without reservation. Thanks to the hard work of these groups of pushing Members to do the right thing, we have come to a compromise on the language before us today. I think it is obvious to everyone that our veterans and their families simply can't wait.

Before I reserve my time, I will thank Representative Ciscomani and dozens of Members that have provisions in this bill. I am so happy to have Members like Representative Ciscomani on our team.

I also thank my friend, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, for bringing the Dole act to the floor. He has reaffirmed his and the rest of the House Republicans' commitment to veterans, servicemembers, and their families.

Last but certainly not least, I will personally thank my friend and recent Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, this bill's namesake, Senator Elizabeth Dole, for working for months to get this bill to where it is today. Our Nation's veterans have no better friend than Senator Dole, and I am honored that she is with us here today.

Madam Speaker, 2 weeks ago the American people voted and gave us a mandate to fix problems they talk about at their kitchen tables that affect their families and communities every single day. The Dole act is the foundation for that work to begin for the veteran community, and I urge my colleagues to do right by the veterans and support the bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Natural Resources,

Washington, DC, November 4, 2024.

Hon. Mike Bost,

Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I write regarding H.R. 8371, the

``Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and

Benefits Improvement Act,'' which contains legislative

provisions within the jurisdiction of the Committee on

Natural Resources.

In the interest of permitting your committee to proceed

expeditiously to floor consideration, the Committee on

Natural Resources will forgo formal consideration of the

legislation. I do so with the understanding that the

Committee on Natural Resources does not waive any future

jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in

the bill that fall within its jurisdiction. I also request

that you urge the Speaker to name members of this committee

to any conference committee which is named to consider such

provisions.

Please place this letter into the Congressional Record

during consideration of this legislation on the House floor.

Sincerely,

Bruce Westerman,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Van Orden).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Luttrell).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Ciscomani), the chief sponsor of this bill.

Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the Representative from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Baird).

Madam Speaker, may I inquire of the Chair as to how much time is remaining.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. I offer a very special thank-you to the ranking member, the staff who have been involved in the negotiations back and forth, the Senate, all of our VSOs that came out--as I said in my opening, there were over 50--in support of this bill, and for the hard work and pushing forward that Senator Elizabeth Dole has done on this bill. We are so glad that we can call it up tonight.

Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support H.R. 8371, as amended, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act.

As you know, last week on Veterans Day, many of us attended events in our congressional districts to commemorate Veterans Day and to honor the men and women who have served our Nation in uniform. As Members of Congress, on Veterans Day, we recognize every man and woman who has answered the call to duty. In fact, it has been nearly a century since Veterans Day was first established as a Federal holiday in 1938.

While celebrating Veterans Day is an important tradition, we also owe our Nation's veterans more than words of thanks. Our words ring hollow if we don't do our part to fulfill our Nation's solemn promise to serve our veterans and their families as well as they have served our country.

As you may know, access to long-term care is one of the biggest challenges facing our aging veteran population and the families who care for them. I have been working for several years now to address this need, working with former Senator Elizabeth Dole, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, veterans service organizations, and with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and in both Houses of Congress.

I was proud when the bill passed the House in November of 2023 with overwhelming bipartisan support. It has been a year, and we simply cannot deny our veterans this crucial care any longer. We must get the Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act across the finish line and signed into law.

Passage of my legislation would be the most impactful change in VA long-term care in decades. It would also be one of the smartest. Currently, every veteran enrolled in the VA has the right to nursing home care if clinically eligible, but it is important to note that nursing homes are not where veterans want to live their golden years. They want to be at home with their families and in their communities.

It turns out care at home is also less expensive than institutionalized care. Probably most important of all, health outcomes are far, far better by having received care at home than it is in an institutionalized setting.

As you know all too well, our healthcare system is facing a silver tsunami as baby boomers enter their

later years. The VA is not exempt from this tsunami, and immediate preparation is critical. Almost half of the VA's patient population is over 65. Without fixing veteran home and community care in the next 15 years, the VA will double its spending on institutionalized long-term care services, nearing $15 billion to meet these needs.

Congress has a great deal of difficulty coming to agreement on most things, but we all agree that long-term care at home is better for our veterans. It is better for the VA, and it is better for our country.

I am proud to say my bill has been incorporated into the Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act. The package before us also includes legislation that Senator Sanders and I have worked on to create a new pilot program to expand VA comprehensive dental care to veterans diagnosed with diabetes and other heart disease, as well as numerous bipartisan, bicameral provisions to improve VA's benefits for veterans.

I thank Chairman Bost, and I thank Ranking Member Takano for their work to reach an agreement on this package that will help veterans all over the country by delivering the relief caregivers and veterans need and what they have been advocating for. I also thank Senator Elizabeth Dole for her help and support in making this the perfect bill.