Floor Statements

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

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

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 2250, the VA Information Technology Reform Act of 2022.

When I began serving on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I was horrified to discover that Congress is shoveling roughly $9 billion a year into VA

information technology, with disappointing results and very little useful information about how it is even being spent.

The VA's annual IT operations budget is nearly $5.8 billion. The disastrous Electronic Health Record Modernization Program received $2.6 billion last year alone, and several hundred million more dollars go to other IT programs annually.

To be sure, every year VA produces hundreds of pages of budget documents about IT. But when I examined them, I found very little relevance to what is actually happening and zero accountability. That is why I introduced H.R. 2250, the VA IT Reform Act. It would require VA to report on major IT projects, costs estimates, schedules, and performance goals before they begin and before any money is spent on them. If the project is approved, that information would then become baseline that progress is measured against annually.

If we had already been getting all this information, several of the VA big-ticket IT projects would have been canceled, and some would never have been started at all. Instead, we are working to contain the damage from the EHR, while still piecing together how it even began.

At the same time, VA is now on its second attempt to modernize its supply chain and its third attempt to replace its financial systems.

My legislation would also reform how VA budgets for IT. It would require the Department to rank each requested project in terms of costs, risks, and benefits, and present each office's IT needs in plain language, not the indecipherable categories that now exist.

Finally, my bill would make the VA Chief Information Officer responsible for the Financial Services Centers IT's activities and make troves of information from the Office of Management and Budget about the VA IT programs available to Congress.

Once Congress has all of this information, it is our responsibility to oversee the spending decisions VA is making. Every IT project has to improve the services and benefits our veterans receive or it should not receive a single dollar more of taxpayer money.

I thank Mr. Mrvan and Mr. Banks for working with me on this bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a dedicated public servant and Montana legend, Bill Jimmerson, who passed away last week at the age of 74. Bill will best be remembered for his outsized impact in Montana. As a well-known Montana State FFA advisor and an agricultural educator, Bill taught and influenced thousands of agriculture advocates, government officials, and aspiring students over his 32 years of service.

Bill drew his inspiration for agriculture from his father, who was the FFA advisor for Lewistown, Montana. His father corralled him one day and asked a young Bill if he wanted to stay in Winifred to play sports or go to Lewistown to receive an education. Bill, interested in agriculture at the time, decided to go to Lewistown with his father and embark on a journey that would change his life forever.

His time in Lewistown would eventually lead to a career in teaching in Conrad, Montana. In 1980, he began teaching at Conrad High School, providing students with the knowledge and skills needed to start their own careers in state agricultural sales and management. In 2003, he concluded his teaching career and became an Agricultural Loan Officer for Stockman Bank. Bill then served as Montana State FFA Advisor from 2005 to 2013. During his tenure, he was widely known for the breadth and depth of his knowledge: he was familiar with every parcel of land and had a grasp on agricultural issues facing the entire state. Many drew inspiration from Bill and often sought his advice.

Bill was known as an architect of Montana agriculture. In 2012 he developed a national program for Native American FFA members, earning recognition from the White House and laying the groundwork for more improvements across the state. His national program encouraged many Native Americans to become more immersed in agriculture, allowing more Montanans to invest in their state and its policies.

Bill Jimmerson will be missed, not just by family and friends, but by all Montanans who were touched by his service. His impact will continue to be felt as the next generation prepares to tackle Montana's most pressing agricultural issues. Bill has left an indelible mark on his community and Montana agriculture--he will be remembered fondly.

Madam Speaker, I want to recognize the outstanding work of Mr. Josh Smith, owner of Montana Knife Company in Frenchtown, Montana.

Growing up in Lincoln, Montana, Mr. Smith began his journey as a bladesmith at the early age of eleven when he would work at knife- making before and after school. At the age of twelve, Mr. Smith joined the American Bladesmith Society, and the next few years saw Mr. Smith honing his craft of blade smithing. His talents in the art are such that at the age of fifteen years old, Mr. Smith passed the Journeyman bladesmith test--becoming the youngest to ever do so. An impressive feat, Mr. Smith went on to earn his Master Smith rating from the American Bladesmith Society at the age of nineteen. In this too, Mr. Smith was the youngest to ever pass the rigorous Master Smith test.

Mr. Smith turned his dream of starting a custom knife-making business into a reality when he officially launched Montana Knife Company in 2020 as its co-founder and Master Bladesmith. During the pandemic when most businesses were closing, Montana Knife Company started flourishing. Hoping for one hundred thousand sales in 2020 and two million in 2021, they met and then surpassed their goals--with over four million in sales in just over three quarters for 2022.

Starting out in a garage with only two employees, the company has grown into a twelve-person team with a ten thousand square foot building project underway to expand their business.

Montana Knife Company has been gaining recognition nationwide for its high-quality, American-made knives. Its growth and success are certainly a testament to Mr. Smith's exceptional craftmanship and entrepreneurial leadership.

I thank Josh for serving the people of Montana and his commitment to Montana values and traditions.

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

Mr. Speaker, as a direct result of the Dobbs decision, which was recently handed down by the Supreme Court, the VA issued an ``interim final rule.'' The VA states that they are ``taking this action because it has determined that providing access to abortion- related medical services is needed to protect the lives and health of veterans.''

The VA expects to provide about 1,000 abortions per year at taxpayers' expense. The Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 prohibits the VA from providing abortion, and no law from Congress has ever changed that.

So now we have two problems. The VA is providing abortions with taxpayer dollars, and medical professionals being forced to perform these procedures against their will.

The VA states ``employees may request an accommodation to a work requirement based on religious belief.'' However, almost no religious exemptions were honored for vaccinations, and 60,000 Army reservists were separated for refusing the vaccine.

How many VA doctors will be released for refusing to perform abortions?

Why are taxpayers being forced to pay for the VA to perform abortions in clear violation of the 1992 law?