Floor Statements

I thank the gentlewoman from Arizona for yielding to me and for organizing this Special Order hour and bringing attention to this very, very important topic.

Mr. Speaker, we are here today, both Republicans and Democrats, because addressing this epidemic of veteran suicide is the highest priority for Members of both parties.

Congressman Suozzi talked about the fact that Dr. Shulkin, the VA Secretary, has made this his top clinical priority; and by shining a clear light on this topic, I hope we can finally reduce the stigma around mental health issues and be clear about the significant work that still needs to be done to address this devastating epidemic.

We need to do more because 20 veterans commit suicide each day, veterans like Sara Leatherman and Linda Raney and Katie Lynn Cesena. As Congressman Murphy already pointed out, it is also estimated that only 6 of those 20 veterans were receiving VA services.

The VA provides some of the most comprehensive mental healthcare and resources in the Nation, and we need to encourage more veterans to seek care that is available, and we must be ready for them.

We do need more providers, and I support Congressman Murphy and Congressman Scott and others who are advocating for more providers within the VA.

But, unfortunately, whether it is a lack of providers, long wait times, or not enough resources devoted to outreach, we face a serious issue with getting veterans set up with the care that they need. The VA took an important step forward earlier this year by expanding access to its mental healthcare for veterans with other than honorable discharges. That was the right thing to do and the right step, but much more must be done.

One important component of reducing veteran suicide is to better understand which programs have been most successful. The Clay Hunt Act and my bill, the Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act, required an independent analysis of the VA's suicide prevention and mental health programs to find out what works.

It is critical to break this data up based on gender because, tragically, recent VA data indicates that women veterans are 2\1/2\ times more likely to take their own lives than civilian women. Actually, that is a better statistic than last year, because last year it was 6 times more than civilian women. But the reason why that has been reduced, tragically, is because the number of suicides amongst civilian women has increased.

As the population of female veterans continues to grow, the VA needs to recognize their unique experiences and provide the quality healthcare that will address this suicide epidemic. It is clear that women on the battlefield experience the same kind of trauma that men experience on the battlefield, and that may be a very similar experience, but we know that women's experience in the military serving our country can be very, very different, and we need to understand how best to treat both women and men.

In closing, please let me remind veterans and those who love them that the VA operates a confidential call line that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please call. If veterans are listening tonight, please call and have the courage to, if you need that support, make that call your first step. And any veteran and any family member can call.

That phone number is 1-800-273-8255, and then you press number 1. You can also send a text message at 838255. Please, please, if you are in need, please reach out and make this call.

Please know that we are here for you. We are fighting for you. Give us a chance to help you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Cheryl Moore, an outstanding community leader and public servant. For over a decade, Cheryl has demonstrated remarkable service to our community as the Executive Director of the Workforce Development Board of Ventura County, a strategic partner in the local skilled labor force that supports the region's business needs and economic vitality.

Prior to her role with the Workforce Development Board, Cheryl has held positions as an educator, as an administrator of educational programs, and spent more than 20 years in the private sector working for multibillion-dollar companies. This diverse background and extensive experience have played an instrumental role to the notable work ethic that she always exhibited and brought to the table.

Under Cheryl's guidance and leadership, the Workforce Development Board has been able to foster an invaluable environment of collaboration amongst an array of entities including governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and private and public industries. As a direct result of her actions and tireless efforts, new connections and creative partnerships have grown among business and community leaders committed to strengthening and promoting the regional workforce and economy.

She has been an exceptional advocate of the development of a strong and adept workforce. Her steadfast commitment to the community has positively impacted and changed

the lives of so many individuals including local job seekers, workers, youth, and employers. I applaud the dedication Cheryl has shown to ensuring Ventura County's workers have the resources and opportunities to obtain gainful employment and achieve professional and personal success.

For these reasons, it is with sincere appreciation that I recognize Cheryl Moore for her years of distinguished service to the Workforce Development Board of Ventura County. Her countless contributions are immeasurable, but have had a profound impact upon our community as a whole.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect DREAMers like Martha, who graduated from Cal State University Channel Islands and now is on staff there supporting students.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota, our ranking member; and the gentleman from Tennessee, the chair, for their commitment to bipartisan solutions which helped get us the agreement that the House is considering today.

I am extremely proud to work on the Veterans' Affairs Committee because we have shown that we can tackle the big issues in a bipartisan way. That is why I rise today in support of S. 114, which will address the immediate shortfall in funding for the Choice Program, while making needed investments in direct VA-provided care.

I am so pleased that this bipartisan agreement includes my legislation authorizing 28 new VA healthcare facilities across the country. This bill will bring more care closer to home for veterans from coast to coast.

The demand for VA healthcare is increasing, and many veterans face long wait times because outdated facilities are too small to accommodate the growing number of men and women seeking care.

The leases authorized by this bill are located in 17 States, with nearly 12 million veterans living in them, who have been waiting years for improved access to care. This includes a new, larger clinic in the city of Oxnard, in my district, which will bring much-needed specialty care closer to home for our veterans in Ventura County.

Veterans in my community and communities across the country have waited long enough for these expanded services, and I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and our veterans service organizations for working with me to deliver this win for them.

We can fund the VA Choice Program and fund other programs critical to the VA's mission, my mission, and the mission of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle: provide the care our veterans, who have risked their lives for our country, have earned and deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation and help ensure veterans get the care they need and to make the investments we need to build a modern, veteran-centric 21st century VA.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota, our ranking member, and the gentleman from Tennessee, our chairman, for their support of this bill and for their tireless advocacy on behalf of our Nation's veterans.

I rise today in support of H.R. 95, the Veterans' Access to Child Care Act, which will break down a barrier to care many veterans with children face. This is especially problematic for women veterans, who are often the primary caretakers of young children and a rapidly growing segment of the veteran population.

According to a 2015 VA study, 42 percent of women who use the VA said it is difficult to find childcare that would allow them to attend medical appointments, and for those who can, that care is often unaffordable.

The average cost of childcare in my home State of California, for instance, is more than $13,000 a year. As the post-9/11 generation continue to start their families, more and more veterans will face the unacceptable choice between caring for their children and getting the healthcare they need.

Without affordable childcare options, veterans can miss their appointments, including critical mental health appointments, that impact their long-term well-being. It is just common sense: better access to childcare will lead to better access to care, which will ultimately result in better outcomes for our Nation's veterans.

The VA currently runs a successful childcare pilot program at several locations around the country that benefits female and male veterans of all eras. My legislation will make that program permanent and expand it nationwide, ensuring that no veteran will have to miss a VA health appointment because of a lack of access of childcare.

I want to thank my colleague, Congressman Brian Higgins, for his steadfast support of this bill and all of my colleagues on the VA Committee who have backed this proposal every step of the way.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation and help ensure that veterans do not have to choose between caring for their children and getting the healthcare they need and deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill to hold bad actors accountable and make the VA a stronger system for our Nation's veterans.

Since the unacceptable wait time scandal came to light in 2014, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee has worked diligently to fix the long-term problems at the VA and to ensure we are serving our veterans as well as they have served us.

From top to bottom, the number one priority for almost every VA employee is serving our veterans. But when an employee does not live up to this mission, engages in misconduct, or puts veterans at risk, we must ensure that the VA is able to hold them accountable.

It is critically important that we acknowledge that the vast majority of the 350,000 VA employees, a third of whom are veterans themselves, are hardworking individuals who have dedicated themselves to serving our country and our Nation's veterans. By being able to hold accountable the few bad actors in the VA, we not only serve our veterans, but we make the job of the rest of the workforce easier to perform.

Because we need a world-class, 21st century VA, this bill also provides the Secretary with direct hiring authority for senior management so that we can bring on the talent we need to properly serve our veterans.

This is an important example of what we can get done when we work in a bipartisan manner. I want to thank Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz, both the chairman and ranking member of the Senate for working with our VSOs and the VA to find a compromise on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I support this compromise. I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' This is a very good bill.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate the Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo on the occasion of their 50th anniversary as a remarkable afterschool institution servicing the youth and families of the City of Camarillo.

Since 1967, the Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo has had a profound impact on the community with an exemplary goal of educating our youth to become socially responsible citizens. The Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo has become an extraordinary asset to our community as a whole.

Holding true to its mission, the Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo cares for each and every student that comes through their doors regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. They develop each student's full potential to become productive, responsible, and caring individuals. For over five decades, the Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo has accomplished this goal through dedicated staff and volunteers to whom we owe an insurmountable debt of gratitude.

Since its founding, the Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo has aimed to keep our young kids off the streets through supervised, quality afterschool programs and services. Today, the Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo serves approximately 400 kids every day and over 4,000 kids each year. These kids have the opportunity to participate in sports programs in its gymnasium, arts programs in its performance theatre, and academic programs in and outside its technology lab, giving kids a truly holistic development experience that will empower them and instill confidence.

Furthermore, the Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo has a youth employment program that connects its teens with job opportunities in the community. In doing so, they act as a collaborative relationship builder, mentoring teens and facilitating a connection with potential employers where they can utilize the skills and knowledge they have obtained through the organization.

Every child deserves a great future, and the Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo has succeeded in creating a positive, fun, and safe environment for our community's youth to reach their fullest potential. For these reasons, it is my sincere pleasure to honor the Boys and Girls Club for its exceptional 50 years of service to our community's youth and developing our future leaders.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to offer my sympathy and condolences to Leah Lacayo and the entire Lacayo family on the passing of my friend and ally, Henry L. ``Hank'' Lacayo.

Hank dedicated his life to bettering our community and country. Born in 1931 in Los Angeles, Hank grew up in the depths of the Great Depression, fighting through a time of great economic uncertainty and racial injustice. When World War II broke out, Hank was absolutely determined to serve his country. He tried to join the military at the age of 16, but was turned away. He finally was able to join the U.S. Army Air Corps after his high school graduation.

Following his military service, Hank began his career in 1953 at North American Aviation and became involved with United Auto Workers of America (UAW) Local 887. Nine years later, he was elected President of the UAW Local, a position in which he represented the interests of over 30,000 workers and their families. Through his steadfast leadership, Hank was appointed National Director of the Political and Legislative Department of the UAW. While working in this capacity, Hank served as an advisor under Democratic Presidential Administrations from John F. Kennedy to Bill Clinton. In 1986, Hank retired from the UAW and subsequently formed H. L. & Associates, a consulting firm that enabled him to continue to be involved in labor relations issues, as well as other government, seniors, and international issues.

After his retirement, Hank continued to give back to his community by serving as President of the Congress of California Seniors, where he dedicated his time to advocating for a better quality of life for others. Hank also worked hard in the community to help prepare the next generation of leaders, public servants, and community activists.

Founded in 2010 at California State University Channel Islands, the Henry L. ``Hank'' Lacayo Institute for Workforce & Community Studies facilitates student internships, scholarly research, and the dissemination of policy information and recommendations. In the program, students learn the essential skill sets to change lives and positively impact communities.

Hank spent his lifetime working for Ventura County and for our nation. His hard work and dedication--which has ranged from serving in the Army Air Corp, to actively fighting for working families and California's seniors, and passing down his knowledge and experience to students who will continue his influential work--has helped to create a better America.

Last year, the United Way of Ventura County recognized Hank for his lifetime achievements. However, it is tremendously difficult to encapsulate everything that Hank did for his community and his country in only a few words. Hank was so much greater and bigger than the words that have often been used to describe him.

He will be remembered for his wise counsel, sincere kindness, and unwavering commitment to service to others. Hank will truly be missed, but his legacy will continue to live on in the hearts of the many individuals that he touched, including my own, throughout his extraordinary and remarkable life.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota, our ranking member, for yielding me time and for his tireless advocacy on behalf of our Nation's veterans.

As the ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health, it has been my privilege to work with the ranking member and my fellow committee members to establish and conduct rigorous oversight of the Choice Program.

We enacted the Choice Act in a time of crisis. Those of us who served on the committee during that time remember all too well the horrific stories that came to light that moved Congress to enact this law.

Congress passed the Choice Act to ensure that all veterans receive timely access to quality care. It is clear, however, that, in the rush to set up the Choice Program, many veterans were still forced to wait too long and bureaucratic headaches continue to delay needed care.

We need to get Choice 2.0 right and balance the obvious need for care in the community while protecting the top quality care that the VA provides. We must also make sure that Choice 2.0 protects the civil rights of veterans as well as VA employees, contractors, and community providers caring for our veterans.

Today's bill will allow the VA to continue spending the remaining funds in the Veterans Choice Program fund. It will also allow the VA to reimburse community providers faster and improve the sharing of medical records. It gives us time to continue our bipartisan work to fix the Choice Program.

Each Member of this body, on both sides of the aisle, agrees that our veterans have earned the very best care available. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation so that veterans can receive care now while Congress uses this opportunity to get this right.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Washington.

Mr. Speaker, after 7 years of demanding repeal and replace, the very best that the GOP could do was to put forward a bill to eliminate health care for 24 million Americans. Under TrumpCare, over 44,000 residents in my district will lose health care completely.

I want to talk about a different population that we don't address as often. Many of these residents are veterans and their families.

Paralyzed Veterans of America today reminded me that today many vets rely on Medicaid for their health care. TrumpCare undermines the safety net for our veterans and their dependents and their caregivers.

According to PVA, the total number of veterans without insurance dropped very sharply in recent years, yet TrumpCare cuts more than $800 billion from the Medicaid program, which many veterans and our military families turn to for care. Worse, in their rush to rip health insurance away from tens of millions of Americans, the manager's amendment to TrumpCare could deny tax credits to millions of military veterans.

Mr. Speaker, veterans are among those that TrumpCare would hurt. There are thousands of veterans in my district and thousands of veterans in every district across our great country.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle should think long and hard before they take this critical, lifesaving care away from those who need it most: our veterans who have served our country so bravely and so patriotically and whom we have made a solemn promise to.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment to H.R. 1367.

I thank my friend and colleague, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, for introducing this bill to make important reforms to the VA's hiring and retention systems.

My amendment makes a small, but important, change to clarify a provision in the bill.

As long as I have served on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, we have seen and heard that retaining high-quality candidates has been a real challenge. I can speak from experience on this.

In the greater Los Angeles region, which serves my constituents, there has been significant turnover of senior leadership at all of our local facilities, including our community clinic in Oxnard. These changes and uncertainty have, in my view, been harmful to the quality of care that our veterans receive.

That is why I am so pleased the bill directs the Comptroller General to review succession planning at VA medical facilities.

Effective succession planning, understanding what positions are mission critical, ensuring better training, and closing the skills gap will help the VA become a healthier organization, and help ensure that the VA accomplishes its mission--serving our Nation's veterans.

My amendment clarifies that a medical facility includes all VHA facilities, including medical centers, outpatient clinics, community- based outpatient clinics, and vet centers.

We must ensure each local facility has a strong workforce and a succession plan for the future. Because without strong leadership, we cannot provide the high-quality care that veterans have earned and deserve.

I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the Chair for accepting my amendment, and I look forward to our continued bipartisan work together to provide high-quality care for our veterans.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, a U.S. Army interpreter, who risked his life serving our country for over a decade in Mosul and Baghdad, was stopped at the airport and detained for 18 hours. His name was Hameed Khalid Darweesh.

Why was he detained?

Because he came from a country that was singled out by President Trump because of the religion of its people. He did so not to increase safety, but to instill fear.

When people are afraid, they tend to let their President and their elected leaders do anything they think will protect them, and they ignore just about everything else.

When the American people are afraid, they might ignore a President's promise that he would ``drain the swamp.'' When they are afraid, they might forget that a President has treated Vladimir Putin better than he has treated the heads of state of our allies and trading partners. They might ignore his attacks on women, on minorities, on our environment, on our health care, on our civil rights, on our public education system; and they might even ignore investigations into his vast conflicts of interest.

They might be willing to overlook the very principles of our Constitution that, indeed, make us safe. One of these principles is freedom of religion, because our Founding Fathers knew that despots all over the world have used fear of another group's religion to do terrible, terrible things throughout the history of man. So when the President singles out who can come into this country and who cannot based on one's religion, he is insulting and turning his back on our Constitution--a Constitution that keeps us safe, a Constitution that, by its own example, helps to keep the world safe.

Let's be clear. When Mr. Trump bars a man like Hameed, an interpreter who helped protect our troops from coming into our country, because of his religion, he is not protecting us; he is endangering us and he is endangering the world. We cannot let it stand. We must resist.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask this House to bring up the Lofgren bill, H.R. 724, which would rescind President Trump's refugee ban on Yazidi women from Iraq like Nada, who was not allowed to board a flight and remains separated from her husband, a former interpreter for the U.S. Army.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to share the story of Judith and her daughter KC.

Like all mothers, Judith only wants the best for her children--to live a full and purposeful life, the ability to pursue their dreams and reach their utmost potential. However, at a very young age of 11, KC was formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This health condition causes KC to have uncontrollable mood swings, to perceive reality differently, to see and hear things that aren't there, and to sometimes even become disconnected with reality altogether.

It has taken an enormous emotional and physical toll on KC and her family.

As a mom of two kids, I cannot imagine the difficulties that Judith has faced. Some nights, Judith had to hold her daughter tightly all night long to help her through her psychosis and her panic, not to mention the emergency hospitalizations.

Living with this condition has been a lifelong struggle for KC and for her

family. It requires a combination of daily medications, weekly psychiatric treatments, hospital visits, and constant support and medical care. And that is only half the story.

Without this intensive treatment, KC would simply be unable to function. With it, she has the tools she needs to live a healthy and productive life.

When KC was younger, she was covered by a family healthcare policy, but even then, Judith needed to pinch pennies and barely scrape by due to the high cost of insurance co-pays and deductibles, costing her $13- to $15,000 per month. To try to keep up with her never ending medical bills, Judith used all of her retirement savings.

When KC reached adulthood, she was bumped off the family insurance plan. Fortunately, KC qualified for healthcare coverage through the ACA Medicaid expansion. Without it, she and her family would have had no viable alternative.

The ACA provided KC with access to reliable, consistent medical care that has been vital to her well-being and has allowed her to thrive.

I am very happy to share that KC finished her bachelor's degree in May and is now pursuing her master's in counseling psychology.

With her own struggles as her inspiration, she decided to make psychology her life's work, and Judith says that KC is now the person whom everybody goes to anytime one has a problem or needs comfort.

Without the healthcare coverage that KC obtained from the Affordable Care Act, she would never have been able to obtain private health insurance due to her preexisting conditions and rigorous health needs. With the Affordable Care Act, Judith was able to see her daughter realize her dreams.

I know all of you who are parents want the same for your children; so, when I hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk about eliminating KC's healthcare coverage, I get a pit at the bottom of my stomach. This is not about politics; this is about people's lives. This is about KC's life and Judith's life and the lives of 20 million Americans who have gained healthcare coverage because of the Affordable Care Act.

Today, I rise to speak up for KC and for Judith and for the millions of other Americans whose lives would be put in jeopardy if we repeal the ACA without our having an adequate replacement.

I urge my Republican colleagues to reconsider this reckless repeal that would throw our entire healthcare system into chaos and take lifesaving care away from those who need it the most.

Mr. Speaker, I am so honored to serve a second term as ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help Ventura County's veterans and veterans across America access VA health care and benefits and to break down bureaucratic barriers to care at the VA.

There is no commitment I take more seriously than to the men and women who have served our country. That is why I introduced the Veterans Health Care Improvement Act as my first bill in the 114th Congress. My bill would help guarantee adequate resources for veterans health care benefits by requiring the GAO to continue verifying the accuracy and adequacy of the VA's budget for medical care.

I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this legislation with me.