Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on August 9, 2014, Northwest Florida and our Nation lost a warrior--Colonel Robert ``Bob'' W. Gates, USAF Retired. Colonel Gates, a devoted family man and decorated veteran, honorably served as a member of the Armed Forces for over thirty years. He was a member of the Greatest Generation and served in three wars. I am humbled to rise and pay tribute to his life, his unwavering commitment to service, and his dedication to our Nation's heroes and their loved ones.

Born in Bradley, South Dakota on January 23, 1919, Colonel Gates joined the Army Air Corps, prior to World War II, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force in April 1942. His various tours of duty included commander of the 88th Troop Carrier Squadron, a C-47 squadron that dropped paratroopers over Normandy on D- Day; commander of the 4087th Air Transport Group, tasked with providing air supply for the Distant Early Warning Line across the Arctic; and commander of the Huron Task Force, which established the Huron radar sites on the Greenland Ice Cap. Following his command of the 6200th Material Wing at Clark AFB in the Philippines, Colonel Gates became the first commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, located in the Florida Panhandle and home to the Air Force Special Operations Command, before serving as the Inspector General for the 13th Air Force.

During his distinguished career spanning three decades, Colonel Gates served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War and logged over 16,000 flight hours in several aircraft, including his assignment to fly entertainer Bob Hope and crew on a USO tour around the world. Colonel Gates received a Presidential Citation from President Franklin Roosevelt and was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation medal, the French Croix-de-Guerre, and the USO Spirit of Hope Award for his lifetime contributions to the USO. Under his leadership, the 1st Special Operations Wing was bestowed the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, and Hurlburt Field was named the Most Improved Base in the Tactical Air Command.

Upon his retirement from the Air Force in 1972, Colonel Gates began a career in real estate and was integral in the construction of the Bob Hope Village, which provides home and care for Air Force widows. From 1978 to 1983, Colonel Gates served as mayor of Fort Walton Beach. He was a founder and charter member of The American Air Museum in Britain and the Air Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and was a member of various community and veterans organizations, including the Elks, Daedalians, Krewe of Bowlegs, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Air Commando Association, which inducted Colonel Gates into its Hall of Fame.

To many, Colonel Gates will be remembered for his devotion to his country and community, and to his family and friends, a loving family man with a great sense of humor. Without question, Colonel Gates lived a life full of service and has earned our Nation's highest respect and gratitude.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress, it is a privilege for me to honor Colonel Robert W. Gates' lifetime of service. My wife Vicki and I extend our prayers and sincere condolences to his children--Robert, Bill, Michael, Kimberly, and Kathleen; ten grandchildren-Paula, Robert W. Gates III, Steve, Matthew, Sarah, Mary Kathryn, Peyton, Austin, Trevor, and Kendall; ten great-grandchildren; his loyal companion, Lucky, his rescued dog; and the entire Gates family.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to congratulate the First Congressional District of Florida's Fort Walton Beach High School Vikings for winning the Extra Large Varsity 1A Division State title at the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Cheerleading State Championship on January 31, 2014. This victory marks Fort Walton Beach High School's 10th state title at the FHSAA Cheerleading State Championship.

Truly an outstanding team effort put forth by all twenty-nine members, under the leadership of their talented coaches, Ms. Rachel Pritchard and Ms. Natalie Schmidt, there is no question that several performances contributed to the overall title. Even weather delays could not dampen the young men and women's motivation and concentration. When they finally took the stage in Kissimmee, the Vikings excelled at the competition. They scored 92.65 out of 100 in the preliminaries before claiming their victory in the Extra Large Varsity division and before hurrying back to Fort Walton Beach High School to cheer on the Girl's Basketball team in the District Finals.

I commend the young men and women of the cheer team--Alexa Allen, Kate Blanchard, Kacie Daugherty, Ammilia Dubbs, Alexus Flores, Sidney Freeman, Alexa Gaddis, Mary Gashaw, Niki Grater, Jesi Harrell, Ashley Holz, Kristin Hyder, Justice Jones, Lindie Landinham, Tyla Lane, Natalie Lawson, Kaycee Lewis, Jamie Miglionico, Cathryn Palenske, Ashley Pullen, Jordyn Purifoy, Bailey Rathmann, Cassidy Raven, Alexus Richardson, Lauren Rigdon, Hannah Robertson, Darien Shoults, Hannah Steece, and Courtney Triplett--for both challenging themselves and setting an example for their fellow students and youth in our community.

Fort Walton Beach High's victory at the Florida High School Athletic Association Cheerleading State Championship is a testament to the commitment and dedication of all the members of the team, and it is a great reflection on the entire Fort Walton Beach and greater Northwest Florida community. On behalf of the United States Congress, my wife Vicki and I congratulate the Vikings for this extraordinary accomplishment and wish them continued success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the First Congressional District of Florida's Paxton School girls basketball team for winning the Class 1A Basketball State Championship and honor the life of Coach Randy Infinger.

The Paxton Lady Cats ended a spectacular season with a record of 26- 3 to clinch this year's state championship. The final game was played against Chipley High School on February 20, 2014, in Lakeland, Florida, with the Lady Cats claiming victory with a score of 39-34. Many of the exceptional plays leading up to the victory occurred in the final quarter of this tightly contested championship game. Senior Emily Murray scored a game-high 20 points on the strength of four 3-pointers, including a game-winning three pointer with just 38 seconds left on the clock. With their victory, the Lady Cats secured Paxton's fifth girls basketball state championship, moving them into fifth place on the all- time Florida girls basketball championship list. Their latest state championship marks another proud moment in the sports history of Northwest Florida high school basketball.

Sadly, on February 23, 2014, four days after their extraordinary victory, the Paxton Lady Cats and the entire Paxton community were struck by tragedy when long-time Paxton Assistant Coach Randy Infinger passed away. Throughout his dedicated 25-year career at Paxton School, Mr. Infinger coached several teams and touched the hearts of countless students and teachers. His contributions to Northwest Florida and Paxton School were truly exceptional, and his legacy will not be forgotten.

On behalf of the United States Congress and the citizens of Northwest Florida, I would like to honor and remember Coach Randy Infinger and congratulate players Katie Sebastian (#3), Quinn Williams (#4), Cortni McKee (#5), Faith Elmore (#11), Emily Murray (#12), Sidney Beck (#14), Genesis Long (#15), Lenora Dixon (#21), Allison Carnley (#22), Annie Myles (#23), Bethany Neale (#24), Cassidy Brazile (#25), Payton Malloy (#30), and Kristen Corbett (#45); Head Coach, Steve Williams; Assistant Coach, Kim Corbett; Bookkeeper, Laurie Gilbert; Statistician, Connor Williams; Principal Beth Tucker; Assistant Principal Mitch Jackson; and Athletic Director Steve Williams for their extraordinary victory. My wife Vicki joins me in offering our best wishes to Paxton School and its talented athletes and coaches for their continued academic and athletic success, as well as our prayers and most sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Infinger and the entire Paxton community for their tremendous loss.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Cooperative Extension Services. IFAS is a highly successful federal-state-county partnership that has helped support Florida's farmers and agricultural industry for more than 100 years.

IFAS Extension was born from two important laws, the Morrill Act of 1862, which created Land-Grant universities throughout the country including the University of Florida, and the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, which established the Cooperative Extension Service as a partnership between the Department of Agriculture and Land-Grant universities, jointly administered with state extension agents, and local county officials. In its early history, IFAS Extension was focused on increasing agricultural production and improving the lives of rural residents by tapping the latest information from the world class research being done at the University of Florida and Florida A&M University and converting it into practical knowledge that Floridians could use to improve agricultural techniques and home economics. These core extension services have helped serve millions of Floridians, and today IFAS operates 1,249 buildings, 3,622,462 gross square feet and 27,279 acres with locations in all 67 counties. Thanks to these efforts, the value-added contribution of IFAS Extension add more than $100 billion to the state economy.

In addition to the core agricultural support programs, IFAS also contributes greatly to the development of Florida's youth through the 4-H program. The 4-H youth development programs began in 1909 with ``corn clubs'' for young men, which showed Florida's youth how to prepare and plant their fields with hybrid corn seed. Cash prizes were awarded to those who produced the most corn, with additional prizes for youth whose crops out-produced their parents. Two years later, in 1911, tomato clubs were established for young women to plant, harvest and can tomatoes. When the IFAS Extension Service was established in 1915, it took over administration of the clubs, and in 1924, the various clubs were officially recognized as 4-H Clubs. As a former 4-H participant, I can attest to the incredible leadership and educational opportunities that 4-H provides to Florida's youth.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress, I am privileged to recognize the 100th Anniversary of the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Cooperative Extension Services. Agriculture is a vital component of Florida's history and economic success, and I join Floridians in appreciation of the first-class work and effort that IFAS provides to support our state.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the First Congressional District of Florida's Paxton School girls basketball team for winning the Class 1A Basketball State Championship and to honor the life of Coach Randy Infinger.

The Paxton Lady Cats ended a spectacular season with a record of 26-3 to clinch this year's state championship. The final game was played against Chipley High School on February 20, 2014, in Lakeland, Florida, with the Lady Cats claiming victory with a score of 39-34. Many of the exceptional plays leading up to the victory occurred in the final quarter of this tightly contested championship game. Senior Emily Murray scored a game-high 20 points on the strength of four 3-pointers, including a game-winning 3 pointer with just 38 seconds left on the clock. With their victory, the Lady Cats secured Paxton's fifth girls basketball state championship, moving them into fifth place on the all- time Florida girls basketball championship list. Their latest state championship marks another proud moment in the sports history of Northwest Florida high school basketball.

Sadly, on February 23, 2014, four days after their extraordinary victory, the Paxton Lady Cats and the entire Paxton community were struck by tragedy when long-time Paxton Assistant Coach Randy Infinger passed away. Throughout his dedicated 25-year career at Paxton School, Mr. Infinger coached several teams and touched the hearts of countless students and teachers. His contributions to Northwest Florida and Paxton School were truly exceptional, and his legacy will not be forgotten.

On behalf of the United States Congress and the citizens of Northwest Florida, I would like to honor and remember Coach Randy Infinger and congratulate players Katie Sebastian (#3), Quinn Williams (#4), Cortni McKee (#5), Faith Elmore (#11), Emily Murray (#12), Sidney Beck (#14), Genesis Long (#15), Lenora Dixon (#21), Allison Carnley (#22), Annie Myles (#23), Bethany Neale (#24), Cassidy Brazile (#25), and Kristen Corbett (#45); Head Coach, Steve Williams; Assistant Coach, Kim Corbett; Bookkeeper, Laurie Gilbert; Statistician, Connor Williams; Principal, Beth Tucker; Assistant Principal, Mitch Jackson; and Athletic Director, Steve Williams for their extraordinary victory. My wife Vicki joins me in offering our best wishes to Paxton School and its talented athletes and coaches for their continued academic and athletic success, as well as our prayers and most sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Infinger and the entire Paxton community for their tremendous loss.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to congratulate the First Congressional District of Florida's Choctawhatchee Senior High School Indians for winning the 1A Small Co-ed Division State title at the Florida High School Athletic Association Cheerleading State Championship on January 31, 2014 for the third year in a row.

Located in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Choctawhatchee High School boasts an exceptional cheer squad, led by coaches Shaunice Clay and Hailey Looney. During the preliminaries, the squad ranked 1st out of a total of fourteen squads before claiming victory over Harmony High School and Gulf Breeze High School.

I commend the following young men and women of the squad for both challenging themselves and inspiring their fellow students and youth throughout our community: Jenna Angelos, Jean Bernier, Megan Bradley, Loren Burkett, Olivia Carr, Kacey Childers, Dani Connelly, Alexia Faustinella, Shayla Fish, Tiffany Fought, Zach Given, Anna Greene, Rielly Griggs, Holly King, Kerri Kriech, Amy LeMenager, Rachel Loughney, CJ McDonald, Emily McGaughy, Johnny Mundy, Temple Nichols, Ashley Oliver, Sydney Pattison, Allison Plantz, Storme Rynearson, Emory Shelton, Olivia Sims, Tristin Stevens, Mark Thomas Walker, Shane Wright, and Rachelle Wyatt. Choctawhatchee Senior High School's victory at the Florida High School Athletic Association Cheerleading State Championship is a true testament to the commitment and dedication of all the members of the squad, and it is a great reflection on Fort Walton Beach and the greater Northwest Florida community.

On behalf of the United States Congress, my wife Vicki and I congratulate the Indians for their extraordinary victory and wish them all the best for their continued success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Escambia High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) for placing first in this year's Navy League NJROTC drill team competition. This outstanding achievement is evidence of the hard work and dedication of the Escambia High NJROTC program.

After a year of three to four hour long practices after school, a combined 15,000 hours of community service required to satisfy NJROTC standards, and months of local and regional competitions, the ``Gator Elite,'' as they're known, beat out more than 600 other NJROTC programs to achieve the highest honor and bring this prestigious recognition back to Northwest Florida.

In addition to the normal academic coursework, the members of Escambia High's NJROTC program were required to comply with rigorous procedures to maintain discipline through uniform inspections and strict grooming standards, while also mastering the core components of drill team exercises, through marching practice and adroit handling of rifles in showmanship fashion. The ``Gator Elite'' achieved these tasks with the highest degree of excellence, as evidenced by their first place performance at the NJROTC national championships.

On behalf of the United States Congress, it is my privilege to congratulate the Escambia High NJROTC ``Gator Elite''--Corey Abercrombie, Joshua Aguilar, Alexander Apin, Nigel Archer-Shee, Alexis Cannon, Michael Cox, Faith Doby, Audrey Ferrand, Emerrald Francis, Julia Freeman, Ruben Gardner Jr., Christopher Gibson, Cassandra Harrison, Katelin Hayes, Daniel Helms, Thalezondra Hill-Dowdy, Matthew Holmes, Brenda Jernigan, JoseRafael Kaibigan, Angelique Le, Jared Lyon, Jason Mitchell, Andrew Nicolle, Austin Odell, Jeremiah Renfro, Destiny Seladones, Jimmie Simmons, Alfonso Sosa, Antonio Stone, Brian Thompson, Kenny Tu, Alphonso Williams, Erik Williams, Nicholas Willig, Alex Wilson and Brieonna Wilson and their instructors, LCDR Eddie Thompson (USN, Ret.), SCPO Ruben Gardner (USN, Ret.), and SGTMAJ Andre Francis (USMC, Ret.). My wife Vicki joins me in wishing them all the best for continued success.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the conference report on the bill (H.R. 3230) making continuing appropriations during a government shutdown to provide pay and allowances to members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces who perform inactive-duty training during such period.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

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

I rise today in support of the conference report to accompany H.R. 3230, the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014.

General Omar Bradley, the former administrator of what is now the Department of Veterans Affairs, once said of our work, ``We are dealing with veterans, not procedures--with their problems, not ours.''

We have come face-to-face with the problems our veterans routinely encounter, and they are considerable to say the least. As every American now knows, congressional oversight and whistleblower revelations have exposed widespread corruption and systemic delays in access and failures of accountability across our Nation's second largest bureaucracy.

Thousands of veterans across this country have been left to wait-- some for years; some in pain; and, most disturbingly, some in caskets that are draped with American flags; some while chronic or fatal conditions worsened until little hope was left--for the health care they earned through their honorable service to our Nation. Meanwhile, poor-performing VA leaders and employees continued to receive large bonuses, subject to little accountability for their many inadequacies.

There is no doubt, Mr. Speaker, that the Department of Veterans Affairs, as we know it today, is in crisis, and as a result, our veterans are suffering. The conference report we are considering this afternoon is the first step to alleviating their pain and for paving the

way for the failing VA health care system to experience much-needed structural and cultural reform.

To immediately improve access to care for veteran patients, the conference report would require the VA to authorize non-VA care to any eligible veteran who is unable to secure a timely appointment at a VA facility or who resides more than 40 miles from the nearest VA medical facility, with certain exceptions.

Eligible veterans would include those who are enrolled in the VA health care system as of August 1 of 2014 or who are newly-discharged combat veterans.

It would further require the VA to issue a veterans choice card to eligible veterans to facilitate care provided by non-VA providers and provide $10 billion for the newly-established veterans choice fund to cover the costs of access to non-VA care under this bill.

To lead the way for true reform in the long term, the conference report would require a comprehensive assessment of VA care by an expert independent entity or entities and would establish a congressional commission on care, which would be charged with setting the future course for access to and quality care throughout the entire VA health care system.

To improve the VA's internal capacity to provide timely and high- quality care to our veterans, this report would also provide the Department with $5 billion to hire physicians and other clinical staff and would provide for certain critical physical infrastructure improvements.

The conference report would also extend the VA's rural health care- focused project, ARCH--a pilot program--for an additional 2 years. It would extend the pilot program for an additional 3 years to provide rehabilitation, quality of life, and community integration services to veterans with traumatic brain injury.

It would authorize 27 medical facility leases across 18 States and Puerto Rico and make certain improvements to care provided to veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma and others.

To advance genuine accountability for incompetent or corrupt senior managers, the conference report would reduce funding for bonuses available to VA employees by $40 million each year through fiscal year 2024, and it would authorize the Secretary to fire or demote Senior Executive Service employees and title 38 SES equivalent employees for poor performance or misconduct. Poor-performing employees who are disciplined under this authority would be provided an expedited and limited appeal process, but would be prohibited from receiving their pay, bonuses, or benefits during the appeal process.

This provision will give the Secretary the tools he needs to expeditiously hold senior managers accountable for the types of willful misconduct and possibly criminal negligence we have seen during our investigations.

The conference report would also require public colleges to provide instate tuition to veterans and eligible dependents for the school to remain eligible to receive GI Bill education payments.

This provision closely mirrors the bill that I offered, H.R. 357, the GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act, which passed the House earlier this year. The men and women who served this Nation did not just defend the citizens of their home States; they defended the entire United States of America.

The conference report would also include approximately $5 billion in offsets with additional incidental offsets expected to accrue over time as a result of increased third-party collections for nonservice- connected conditions and reductions in Medicare payments as a result of the increased utilization of the newly-created choice program.

Mr. Speaker, the bill before us is one that I am proud of, but more importantly, it is one that I believe our Nation's veterans can be proud of. It is not a blank check for a broken system, but it is an important first step down a long road toward true transformation.

However, our work is far from over. We all know that congressional oversight was crucial to bringing the failures at the VA to light, and it will increase in the days and weeks and months ahead after the passage of this bill.

The passage of this conference report will increase access to care and improve accountability within a desperately broken bureaucracy. However, the reform that is necessary to reforming the agency will require dedication for years to come, and I would ask all of my colleagues to join me in beginning that effort today.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn), a member of the conference committee.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe), a veteran, a physician, and also a member of the conference committee.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr.

Benishek), a former physician within the VA system.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 1 minute and 35 seconds to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Coffman), a United States veteran and another member of the conference committee.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski), another member of our conference committee and an outstanding member of the full committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), the vice chairman of the full committee and a member of the conference committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Huelskamp).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry), someone who always has veterans first in his mind.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to say thank you to the ranking member of the full House committee, Mr. Michaud, for his tenacity in what he has done to move this conference report along.

I also want to say thank you to the ranking member, Mr. Burr, in the Senate and to Senator Sanders because, as we continue to negotiate through, there never was a willingness to quit by either side.

I am grateful to the 24 other conference committee members who worked with us, with their input, their ideas, and their willingness to embrace this compromise. It was brought forth by diligent, focused effort and a willingness on all sides to put aside differences of opinion and ideology and focus not on our disagreements, but how best we can all help our veterans.

While not perfect, this is an example of all the good work we can accomplish when we work together, and remember, it is the veteran who is sacred, not the VA.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a concurrent resolution and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on the concurrent resolution just adopted.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Franks, for yielding.

H.J. Res. 105 would bestow honorary American citizenship on General Bernardo de Galvez. Though not born in the United States, General Galvez was a true friend to our country who played an integral role in securing the independence of this Nation.

As governor of Spanish Louisiana, General Galvez provided American forces with funds, arms, and ammunition, and he provided military intelligence to the American commanders.

After Spain's entry into the war, General Galvez recruited an army of American, Spanish, and French troops and set about a multiyear campaign that decimated British forces all along the gulf coast.

General Galvez led successful campaigns in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama before embarking on his seminal victory at the Siege of Pensacola, where he captured the capital of British West Florida after a bloody 2-month long battle, during which he in fact was wounded by gunfire.

General Galvez's victory left the British with no naval forces or bases along the gulf coast and prevented British troops and supplies from reaching the battles along the eastern seaboard.

His efforts to assist the formation of our country were recognized by President George Washington, President John Adams, and by the United States Continental Congress. In fact, President Washington cited General Galvez's efforts as a deciding factor in the outcome of the war.

Honorary citizenship is a rare and extraordinary recognition granted to foreigners who have rendered great service to the United States of America. Only seven individuals have been granted honorary citizenship, including two Revolutionary War heroes, the Marquis de Lafayette, and General Casimir Pulaski.

When our Founding Fathers declared our independence, they knew that they were going up against probably the world's most preeminent power. They chose to take up that battle because of their unwavering commitment to liberty and freedom, but they also knew that in order to be successful, they needed the support of allies and great men like the Marquis de Lafayette, Casimir Pulaski, and General Bernardo de Galvez.

I want to thank Chairman Goodlatte, Chairman Gowdy, Chairman Franks, and the staff of the Judiciary Committee for their assistance in moving this bill through committee. I also want to thank our majority leader for bringing this bill to the floor.

I would encourage all my colleagues to support this measure to recognize General Galvez's immense contribution to the history of our country by granting him honorary American citizenship.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 11 o'clock and 28 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, July 29, 2014, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.

Mr. Speaker, it is with profound sadness and deep sympathy that I pay tribute to the life and dedicated service of Senior Airman Timothy J. ``Tim'' Wright, of Pensacola, Florida. Tim passed away on July 17, 2014 as a result of injuries sustained during a military readiness exercise at Pope Army Airfield, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Senior Airman Wright, who graduated from the Pensacola Christian Academy in 2003, joined the Air Force in 2009. As a medic, he was first stationed at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, where he was awarded two medals for Meritorious Service and Outstanding Achievement. He deployed twice to Afghanistan and earned the Air Force Achievement Medal for his service with the 651st Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron in Kandahar and the Air Force Achievement Medal for Outstanding Achievement for his service with the 455th Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron at Bagram Airfield. During his deployments, he showed interest in becoming an aeromedical evacuation technician, and after successfully completing his training, Senior Airman Wright was transferred to Pope Airfield where he joined the 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron in May 2014.

Throughout his career, Senior Airman Wright displayed an unyielding commitment to

protect and defend this great country and to care for his fellow warriors. To his parents, David and Sylvia; brothers, Aaron and Mathew; and to all of his family and friends, we owe our eternal gratitude. Tim touched the lives of many and displayed dedication to duty and courage of heart. He will always be remembered for his selfless service to this great Nation, and his life will continue to inspire those who knew him best and those who follow in his footsteps.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of a grateful United States Congress, I am privileged to honor the life of Senior Airman Timothy J. Wright. My wife, Vicki, joins me in offering our most sincere condolences and prayers to his family and friends. May God continue to bless them and the brave men and women of our United States Armed Forces.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in opposition to the motion to instruct.

Mr. Speaker, as I said during the debate last week on other motions to instruct that were brought to the floor, improving timely access to quality health care and imposing true accountability for senior managers are the keys to beginning the long process of restoring trust at the Department of Veterans Affairs. This was the central charge to the conferees that are currently meeting at the beginning of our conference, and it remains the same charge tonight.

As I said last week, now is not the time to tie the hands of the conferees with an unnecessary motion on the floor.

I know my colleague, Mr. Peters, has the best of intentions. They are rooted in his desire to serve veterans of this country, but unfortunately, somebody somewhere has different ideas.

Veterans expect us to do what is best to improve the quality of care that they receive and the delivery of the benefits that they have earned. I certainly expect that none of these votes that have been taken--in fact, I believe we have done four, and another was noticed today--will be used by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in 30-second political ads.

By adopting the motion to instruct, we would be telling our conferees to recede to the Senate's position on all provisions of the Senate bill.

While I am still hopeful that a deal is possible, Senator Sanders and I and our staffs and other conferees continue to work each day and into the night. It is becoming more difficult, though, because the Senate has once again changed the goalposts, and I don't know what the Senate's real position is today. In fact, I said last week I don't know if the Senate could vote for their own bill now.

Senator Sanders has recently indicated his desire to expand the scope of our conference committee's work by adding VA's request--and I say ``request,'' but I really don't know. Is it an emergency request? Is it a supplemental request? Nobody seems to be sure exactly what it is. Most importantly, the VA doesn't know what it is. Senator Sanders is asking for the inclusion of an additional $17.6 billion into our conversation.

As I said last week, both the VA Office of Inspector General and the General Accountability Office have said on numerous occasions that they do not have any confidence in the numbers that VA provides right now. Moreover, at every budget hearing before our committee in recent years, the Secretary has sat at the witness table and clearly said--when asked by members: Do you have the funds necessary?--the Secretary says: We have the funds necessary to meet the needs of our veterans.

So why all of a sudden would we believe that VA sees this need for an additional $10 billion to hire 10,000 more health care staff and $6 billion in new construction without thoroughly vetting the numbers-- also, add an additional $1.5 billion for IT--when we already know that VA has squandered hundreds of millions of dollars in IT money over the years?

But what I want to do for the Members here tonight is to show you a typical budget submission, a request from the administration on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is over 1,300 pages in four volumes to justify the money that is spent at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, here is the explanation that was given to us for the $17.6 billion ask by the Department. I have in recent days called it a three-page document--$17.6 billion justified by a three-page document-- but actually, if you take the cover letter off and if you take the closing page off, you have one page to justify $17.6 billion.

Now, in talking with Senator Sanders and Acting Secretary Sloan Gibson on the phone a couple of days ago, I expressed that this was not the way to justify this type of expenditure to this Congress. I believe people on both sides of the aisle will clearly admit that this is not what we would call ``regular order,'' but the Acting Secretary said, by noon yesterday, I would receive much more detailed information on this ask. So noon came and it rolled by, and it was at 9 o'clock last night when, finally, we got this deep dive--additional information--and they doubled the pages to two pages of information for a $17.6 billion ask-- two pages. The Acting Secretary will be before our committee tomorrow morning. I hope he brings three pages with him to justify this request.

This is not enough information for such a huge ask by the VA. It is not some unsubstantiated guess put together in the back room of a massive bureaucracy. In fact, interestingly enough, it is titled, ``A Working Estimate,'' as of July 22. This isn't even the number that they are sure that they want to ask for.

What is really disappointing is that I actually believe that we could have already come to an agreement if Senator Sanders had not insisted on moving the goalpost and adding this $17.6 billion ask into a clearly defined conference committee.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, the House has almost a dozen bills that sit, languishing in the Senate right now, including the authorization of 27 VA clinics that passed in December--important changes to

the processing of disability claims that has been so backlogged over the last few years, education benefits, including the instate tuition bill that passed unanimously out of this House, that has sat, languishing with the other 11 bills in the Senate that are waiting to be brought up for a vote. The Senate could pass these bills and send them straight to the President, and they would become law right away.

Again, to my colleague from California, I would remind you that H.R. 357, the GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act, did pass this House unanimously, and you were a cosponsor of the bill that passed by 390-0 in February. It gives States the incentive to provide all veterans instate tuition rates. It is very similar to the provision in the Senate bill that Mr. Peters wants our conferees to recede to in conference. Once again, this bipartisan bill could be sent to the President if the Senate would just bring it up for a vote.

We are trying to work out a deal with the Senate, but I submit to this body today that these motions to instruct are clearly becoming unproductive, are slowing down our process, and unfortunately, I think they are being used as nothing more than a political ploy. I find it very interesting that not one member of the minority side on our VA Committee has offered over the last four times a motion to instruct conferees.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the motion to instruct, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, surely, the gentleman did not insinuate that I, as the chairman of the most bipartisan committee in this Congress, was being partisan in any anything that I have said or done.

Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, I think it is important that I do know one bill that is much more bipartisan than the Senate's 93-3 vote, and that was the House's bill that passed 430-0.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to instruct and yield myself such time as I may consume.

As we have already heard, the motion to instruct would require the House to recede to the Senate amendment to H.R. 3230.

Solving the problem of timely access to health care and imposing the rule of accountability is absent at VA, and I think that is our first and most important obligation because it is the source of many of the problems that exist within the Department, many of the problems that were uncovered because of the oversight from both Republicans and Democrats on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

We are making good progress with our negotiations with our Senate colleagues, and now is not the time to try to tie the hands of the negotiators with what I believe is a partisan ploy.

Moreover, yesterday, Senator Sanders indicated that he wanted to expand the scope of the conference committee's work far beyond what the Senate bill itself had encompassed, by adding VA's request for an additional $17.6 billion into the mix.

So today, I say to my colleagues I am not even sure that the Senate could recede to the Senate amendment because they keep moving the goalposts.

As I said yesterday, on the last motion to instruct, the inspector general and the GAO have both stated on multiple occasions during our hearings that they do not have confidence in VA's numbers.

Moreover, at every VA budget hearing, the Secretary has been asked: Do you have the dollars you need to take care of the veterans that you are tasked with taking care of? Invariably, we get the answer, every single time, yes.

So why should we believe that, suddenly, VA sees the need to add an additional $10 billion to hire 10,000 new clinical staff and $6 billion in new construction without having those numbers vetted?

When our staff was briefed yesterday on this request for $17.6 billion--actually, I don't even know if it is a request yet, but when the Secretary talked about it, they came to brief our staffs, and they brought three sheets of paper to justify a $17.6 billion number.

To the Members on both sides of the aisle, I caution that, despite the urgency of the current crisis, we have got to root out the cause that has been affecting timely access to care and accountability, not secondary issues, many of which we all support, including the Fry Scholarship fund expansion.

If we don't, those of us fortunate enough to be here years from now will be right back where we are, debating, once again, how things went wrong at the VA.

I would point out again, as I did yesterday, there are dozens of bills sitting, languishing in the Senate, including the authorization of 27 clinics. The motion to instruct yesterday talked about receding to the Senate bill that had 26 clinics.

The House bill was passed in December of last year--27 clinics. If the Senate would just bring it up, pass it, send to it the President, we could immediately make a difference.

I also talked about the expansion of the Fry Scholarship program. That is something that we certainly should look at, but it will do nothing, nothing to increase the care and break the backlog, the lines that our veterans are waiting in now to get the health care that they have earned.

So I would ask the Senate to pass the dozen bills that sit over there on their side, send them to the President today, and I would also point out that I am willing to discuss--and I think most Members on our side--the Fry Scholarship issues, but we don't think that they are in the scope of the emergency that exists today.

Part of the reason that I believe that, section 701 of the Senate bill does not address timely access to care or the cultural corruption that exists within the Department.

A surviving spouse--as my colleague, Mr. Barber has already said--who has a spouse that was killed on active duty is already entitled to receive financial benefits that include 45 months of GI Bill-type education benefits, $500,000 in death benefits, and $1,215 in monthly dependency and indemnity compensation benefits.

In short, I don't believe it is time for us to be talking about expanding the benefits without expressing them through regular order here on the House floor, especially in the face of what I now understand is the Senate's new effort to move the goal line in our conference committee work.

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

Mr. Speaker, I hope that the last speaker did not imply that anybody on the conference committee from the House was trying to delay the progress on this particular bill.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, might I inquire as to whether or not the gentleman from Arizona has any further requests for time?

Mr. Speaker, again, I would urge my colleagues to not support this motion to instruct. And I would also remind my colleagues that even though the number 93-3 has been used for the passage of the Senate bill, the House bill, itself, which was much more narrowly tailored to actually deal with the crisis that exists today, with access to care, passed unanimously, 426-0, in this House. Just prior to the final vote, there was a motion to recommit that did, in fact, want the House to recede to the Senate amendment.

The problem is, again, the goalposts are changing. The House has been working with the Senate. We have made an offer on our particular side. We are waiting for the Senate to return a counter. Things changed yesterday, unfortunately, because of the additional $17.6 billion that was brought forward by the Department themselves.

So we continue to stay focused. Our intent is to complete this bill and get it to the President's desk before we leave in August.

I appreciate my colleague's comments today.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 11 a.m. tomorrow; and when the House adjourns on that day, it adjourn to meet on Tuesday, July 22, 2014, when it shall convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.