VA Hospital Inventory Management System Authorization Act

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in cautious--I emphasize cautious--support for H.R. 3494, the VA Hospital Inventory Management System Authorization Act, as amended.

Throughout my time on this committee, I have seen the importance and necessity of an accessible and efficient supply chain system. Without these tools, hospitals remain ill-equipped to handle demand.

This became painfully evident during the COVID-19 pandemic when VA facilities were forced to use Excel spreadsheets to report PPE inventory up to the central office.

VA patients and providers deserve a modernized supply chain, and it has yet to be proven that VA has the capacity to provide this solution. I emphasize this has occurred, regardless of which party was in charge of the Department.

After a canceled procurement effort last year, VA has told us that it plans to restart its supply chain modernization effort for a fifth time. As far as I can tell, they have not done much of the work needed to avoid making the same expensive mistakes again.

Representative Kiggans' bill in its introduced form would have authorized tens of millions of dollars to VA for a pilot on a program VA does not even yet have a plan for. That is millions of dollars to the Department simply with the hope that VA was ready to get it right this time.

However, I am glad my Republican colleagues chose to incorporate critical accountability measures initially proposed by my colleague, Representative Nikki Budzinski, for consideration on the floor today after these measures were voted down on party lines in our most recent committee markup.

With the help of committee Democrats, this bill will now ensure that the Department has critical measures in place before it embarks on implementing the untested and unproven pilot program this bill authorizes.

Representative Budzinski's input requires that VA develop a comprehensive strategy for its supply chain program, a cost estimate and implementation schedule, reports on VA's internal staffing levels after support workforces were heavily depleted by the Deferred Resignation Program and other attrition, and an assessment of its recent failures in this modernization effort.

These updates represent just the most basic levels of oversight and planning that VA should have done once it decided to restart this modernization effort. I am glad my Republican colleagues are joining us in pushing for the Department to conduct these necessary assessments and plans before overhauling such an important program as supply chain management.

I also applaud Representative Budzinski for inserting these commonsense checks into this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on H.R. 3494, the VA Hospital Inventory Management System Act, as amended.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the VA Hospital Inventory Management System Authorization Act.

As a Navy veteran, a nurse practitioner, and the proud Representative of a district that is home to more than 78,000 veterans, I know how essential it is to ensure our veteran health system works efficiently and effectively.

Unfortunately, outdated systems and fragmented logistics have created real obstacles within the VA. These failures aren't just technical. They are personal. They affect real people and real families.

Over the past several years, millions of dollars in medical equipment have gone missing from VA facilities across the country. These are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a broader issue, one where a lack of modern infrastructure has led to waste, delay, and avoidable gaps in care.

That is why I introduced this bipartisan and commonsense approach to improving how the VA manages medical supplies. This bill authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop or acquire a cloud-based inventory management system to help ensure VA clinicians always have the right tools at the right time to provide high-quality care.

This system will offer better tracking, better forecasting, and better accountability. We are not reinventing the wheel. We are simply asking the VA to adopt the same kinds of tools

and best practices that are already being used in the private sector and to do so in a way that is transparent, results-driven, and veteran- focused.

The benefits are clear. A modern inventory management system will reduce waste, prevent delays in care, and ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently. Most importantly, it will help restore trust in a system that too often leaves veterans feeling frustrated and forgotten.

Madam Speaker, I respectfully urge my colleagues to support this bill and join me in making a practical, bipartisan improvement to the care our veterans receive.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3494) to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out an information technology system and prioritize certain requirements to manage supply chains for medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 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. 3494, as amended.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3494, as amended, offered by Representative Kiggans. This bill would ensure VA finally has a reliable system to track hospital supplies and equipment.

For too long, an unreliable system has wasted taxpayer dollars and left doctors and nurses searching for basic tools they need to care for our veterans. That kind of mismanagement is unacceptable. Veterans should never face delays in treatment because a hospital can't find the supplies and equipment it needs.

A modern supply chain means stronger care for our veterans, smarter spending for taxpayers, and greater accountability at the VA. It means no excuses, no wasted dollars, and no veterans left waiting because the system failed them. That is exactly what this bill delivers for our Nation's heroes.

I thank Representative Kiggans for her continued leadership on the committee and her tireless commitment to solving this problem at the VA. I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 3494, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Kiggans), the sponsor of this bill.

Madam Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation.

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