Fiscal Year 2023 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for S. 30, Fiscal Year 2023 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act.

It is always my honor to address issues related to the wellbeing of the women and men who served and continue to serve our country.

As noted by the Congressional Budget Office, this bill authorizes the appropriation of $3.7 billion for fiscal year 2023 for the construction and renovation of seven major VA medical facilities for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

With approximately 360,000 employees, roughly 1,600 health care facilities, 144 medical centers, and 1,232 outpatient sites, the Department of Veterans Affairs remains one of the largest and most complex agencies in the U.S. Government.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provides health care to approximately 9 million veterans annually.

Over the past ten years, more than 60,000 veterans have died by suicide, and 20 veterans die by suicide each day.

Between 2005 and 2017, nearly 79,000 veterans killed themselves, more than the total number of troops who have died in the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan combined (roughly 65,000).

There has never been a more urgent time than this that requires the urgent need for rebuilding the department's flailing infrastructure and resolving staffing shortage in VA medical facilities.

It is equally important to keep the focus on efforts to reduce wait times and availability by specialty, adequately address the veteran suicide rate, and find lasting solutions to the overall healthcare needs of our veterans.

It is therefore appropriate for this House to vote for this bill to ensure that the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) major medical facilities receive the needed attention that they deserve to meet the health needs of our veterans.

This bill does not only help with furnishing inpatient and outpatient care and treatment of veterans and their dependents, but also supports the care and treatment in non-VA facilities; community-based outpatient clinics, medical supplies, and equipment.

This bill will benefit the operations of VA medical centers (VAMCs) and other medical facilities, such as community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), Vet Centers, and other veteran-related community care programs.

It will also benefit many VA medical facility services like the Community Care Program (VCCP), the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program (CLFMP), CHAMPVA, the Foreign Medical Program (FMP), the Children of Women Vietnam Veterans Health Care Benefits Program (CWVV), and the Indian Health Service (IHS)/Tribal Health Programs (THP) Reimbursement Agreements Program.

I applaud President Biden's administration for keeping its promise to adopt a comprehensive public health and crisis sector approach to address suicide among veterans, service members, and their families within his first 200 days in office.

Since taking office, the Biden administration has made commendable progress in filling the department's 50,000 empty positions especially in ways that reflect the diversity that exists within the active-duty and veteran community.

This bill helps to build on that progress by addressing the department's aging infrastructure, which has been in place for roughly 58 years.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for S. 30, the Fiscal Year 2023 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act.

I thank the chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Tester, and Ranking Member Moran for introducing this important legislation.

Every year, the Department of Veterans Affairs submits an annual budget request to Congress. Our job is to authorize and appropriate the funding VA needs to care for America's veterans and their families.

More than 9 million veterans are enrolled in VA's healthcare system, utilizing roughly 1,300 healthcare facilities across the system. Within VA's budget request are funds to replace and modernize these medical facilities.

This year's major construction request totals just over $3.7 billion and will build a new healthcare center in El Paso, Texas; construct an outpatient clinic and a national cemetery in Alameda, California; erect a new medical facility in Louisville, Kentucky; and allow for seismic upgrades and specialty care improvements in Fort Harrison, Montana, among other things.

Mr. Speaker, funding VA infrastructure remains an important and critical issue. In recent years, the committee has highlighted VA's aging infrastructure and the critical need to address that issue. Delivering 21st century healthcare using outdated facilities is far from ideal and certainly not what our veterans deserve. If the VA is to be inclusive and treat all veterans who have served, we should not delay retrofitting facilities as we strive to meet the growing and ever-changing needs of our diverse veteran community.

Last year, we passed my Honoring our PACT Act, which will significantly expand eligibility and, consequently, utilization of VA healthcare in the coming years.

Just last week, NPR published a story highlighting, once again, a Medicare survey showing VA hospitals are outperforming private hospitals in all categories of patient satisfaction. Despite outdated, antiquated facilities, VA still provides exceptional care. Imagine the levels of care VA could achieve if it had all the needed resources.

In order to serve our veterans and provide them with the care they deserve and need, we must start making serious investments in our outdated infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing S. 30, the Fiscal Year 2023 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 30) to authorize major medical facility projects for the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2023, 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 on

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 30. This bill would authorize VA major medical facility construction projects in California, New York, Texas, Montana, Kentucky, and Oregon.

As chairman, I have committed time and time again to provide the necessary funding that ensures our Nation's veterans receive the quality care they deserve.

It is well known that the VA healthcare system has serious infrastructure issues and needs critical renovations. Authorizing these projects will help the thousands of veterans who live in these six States have better access to care in modern settings.

I appreciate Senator Tester and Senator Moran for their work introducing this important bill. I also thank Representative Chavez- DeRemer for introducing a similar bill in the House. It has my full support today.

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

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

Mr. President, in 1 minute, I will ask unanimous consent on Calendar No. 24, S. 30. I am just proud to say that there are a good number of major facilities for Veterans Affairs to go forward, including the final installation on the Canandaigua veterans facility, up near Rochester, to complete its modernization. We have been working a long time on this, and this finally completes that action.

Mr. President, now, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 24, S. 30.

I further ask that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.