Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I was unavailable to vote in the House. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 51; YEA on Roll Call No. 52; YEA on Roll Call No. 53; and YEA on Roll Call No. 54.

Mr. Speaker, I claim time in opposition.

Mr. Speaker, this amendment would direct the VA to conduct an awareness campaign regarding types of fertility treatments, procedures, and services that are available to veterans.

While I do agree that all veterans should be made aware of the care and services covered under the earned VA medical benefits package, I must oppose this inclusion of the amendment in the NDAA.

I cannot support an outreach campaign that champions a process like in vitro fertilization, a process that creates life in a petri dish and then either destroys, discards, or forever freezes it on a shelf. This is not life-affirming. This is not right for veterans or their spouses or their children.

Being a father is one of the highlights of my life. I wish every veteran could know the joy of parenthood, and I want to help veterans struggling with infertility to connect with life-affirming resources and support.

I hope to work with my colleagues and fellow veterans to find a better way forward for veterans who are unable to conceive. Dropping an amendment into the NDAA is not the way forward, and for that reason, I am opposed to the amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I mentioned earlier in my statement, I cannot support this amendment that promotes the provision of in vitro fertilization as part of the VA medical benefits package, and I urge Members to oppose the amendment.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I claim time in opposition.

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

Mr. Speaker, this amendment would provide access to VA medical care and services for veterans who served in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea during the Vietnam conflict.

There are approximately 3,000 Korean veterans living in the U.S. as citizens and who served alongside American forces during the Vietnam conflict. This amendment would grant them eligibility to enroll in the VA healthcare system. This would create an inequity between these individuals and veterans of U.S. Armed Forces who are not currently eligible to enroll in the VA care.

It would also create a disparity with the veterans of other allies of other conflicts who later became U.S. citizens. Ultimately, the amendment unfairly singles out one group of service above others. That is why I cannot support the amendment's inclusion in the NDAA.

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the chairman's willingness to work on doing that as well, but this amendment itself being included in the NDAA will not take care of those others. I would like to work with him to make sure that everybody that needs to be included is included.

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

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier in my statement, I cannot support the amendment that would provide benefits to one group of allied veterans before considering that same eligibility for all veterans. I appreciate the opportunity for the chairman to work with us to make sure that all the U.S. Armed Forces that have supported us over the years, that we can come to some sort of agreement.

Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to oppose this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3373, as amended, the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act.

When we were debating the House version of the PACT Act 4 months ago, I couldn't have said that. I am glad that I can today.

The bill is not perfect, but expanding healthcare and benefits for veterans who were exposed to burn pits or other dangerous toxins while serving our country is the right thing to do.

I come from a long line of veterans. My grandfather, Marines; my father, Army; my uncle, Marines; I was in the Marines; my son, Marines; my grandson, Marines; and my granddaughter enlisted this year in the United States Navy.

I know exactly how high the stakes are when this country sends young men and young women to serve. I know exactly how high the stakes are when they come home. I know exactly how often we have failed to meet them and give them what they need. That is why I helped lead the charge to provide disability benefits to blue water Navy Vietnam veterans a few years ago.

We were decades late in giving those veterans the help they need. My vow then and now was to make sure that other generations of veterans don't have to wait for benefits they earned while they were serving or the healthcare they require.

DOD estimates that 3.5 million veterans have been exposed to dangerous toxins in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 20 years. Some of them are already sick and suffering from the health effects of that exposure. They need help, and this bill will give it to them.

This bill will also make sure that the VA can actually give that help to them, unlike the earlier PACT Act that could not.

I am grateful for the hard work of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Jon Tester and Ranking Member Jerry Moran. They took a flawed House bill and made it better.

There are several aspects of their work that make today's vote on the PACT Act very different than the prior one. This is a better bill than the one the House passed in March.

It reflects bipartisan negotiations and input from VA, which is ultimately responsible for putting this into practice.

It incorporates the good work the VA is already doing to address toxic exposure--namely, the scientific framework that the VA has been using since last year to expand benefits to toxic-exposed veterans.

It removes certain provisions from the House bill that VA told us could not and would not get done. It adds other provisions that would make VA work more transparently to veterans and taxpayers, more flexible, and more scientifically sound.

All of those things were missing from the prior House version. Most importantly, the earlier version of the bill ignored the massive operational impacts this effort will have on VA's

healthcare and benefit systems. In contrast, this bill addresses this head-on.

To ensure that the VA has the staff capacity it needs to better serve toxic-exposed veterans, this bill would: authorize 31 VA medical facility leases; make it easier for Congress to authorize additional VA medical facility leases going forward, something the committee has been trying to do for decades; make it easier for VA to recruit and retain the staff it needs to implement the bill; and give VA resources to process claims faster using modern technology.

These changes and additions are critical to the bill's success, and they give me confidence to vote for this bill without fearing that it would be impossible to implement or risk breaking the VA for veterans everywhere, those who are already receiving benefits.

Many of us are concerned about the CBO score for this bill and the funding mechanism it contains. The total score went from $325 billion over 10 years in the prior version to $681 billion in this version. I don't criticize my colleagues for being concerned about that. That is an increase of $356 billion.

That number gives me a lot of pause when I consider the strain that rising inflation is already putting on American families. Anyone who is trying to serve these veterans, it should give them pause, too, because not only is it the veterans that will be paying, but it is their children and grandchildren, as well.

However, only about $285 billion of the score is truly new spending. The costs of expanding care and benefits for toxic exposure actually decreased by about $40 billion from the prior version of this bill to this one. The rest of the score is a result of the cost of war toxic exposure fund.

The fund pays for expanding healthcare for veterans who experience toxic exposure. That is reasonable. However, the fund is also a budgetary ploy by the Democrats to take existing healthcare costs that have nothing to do with toxic exposure and transfer them from discretionary to mandatory spending. That is causing CBO's score to be artificially high because almost $400 billion in costs that are already funded by current law are being scored against the bill.

Even worse, this ploy would put even more government spending on autopilot and limit our ability to control and oversee it, which is our right under the Constitution. That is wrong.

Now, some of my colleagues will vote against the bill because of that, and like I said before, I don't blame them. I am not. I am voting for it because, as the Republican leader of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and as a veteran, I know that, on balance, this is a good bill that will help millions of veterans, servicemembers, survivors, and military families. That is why I will be supporting this bill today.

I have already thanked our Senate colleagues for their work on this bill, but I also thank many Members on both sides of the aisle who have introduced the various standalone bills that make up the PACT Act, including Chairman Takano for his hard work and commitment to this issue. I thank our staff because they also have worked to make sure that this bill would come about, not only that it would come about, but it would be able to be implemented.

I recognize the many veterans service organizations who have held our feet to the fire every step of the way to get it done. I know they will stay by our side every day ahead to make sure VA does it right. I look forward to doing the work with them.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman), the highest ranking officer that serves in Congress today. He has served with many of the men and women who will benefit from this bill today.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy), who has served from the time of being in Congress on the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks), who has actually served in health situations in our military, a veteran herself, and is very aware of the things that we are dealing with here.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Rosendale), the ranking member of the Technology Modernization Subcommittee of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ellzey), a Navy veteran and F-18 pilot.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from the State of Michigan (Mr. Meijer).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), a gentleman who has served on this committee and has understood these issues for all of his time in Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), a gentleman who is very much in support of our veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Davidson).

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

While I wholeheartedly support the intent of the PACT Act and intend to vote for it, I am opposed to the precedent that the funding mechanism in this bill sets.

Later, I will be offering a motion to commit that would prohibit creation of the cost of war toxic exposure fund. Democrats are using the fund to move almost $400 billion of existing VA healthcare spending from the discretionary to the mandatory side of the ledger for purposes completely unrelated to veterans.

We should not use this bill to create more entitlement spending. That is dangerous, and it is a very dangerous budget ploy. It will put more spending on autopilot. It will limit our ability to do our job, constitutionally, of oversight of the second-largest bureaucracy in the world that serves millions of veterans and survivors. It will hurt taxpayers who are already suffering everywhere, from the gas pump to the grocery store.

My motion to commit is simple, and I hope my colleagues will support it.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include the text of the amendment in the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to commit.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Nineteen months ago, when I took over as the lead Republican on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I told my colleagues that helping toxic- exposed veterans was my top priority. Today, I am proud to say that we are delivering on that promise.

It was not an easy road to get here, but the PACT Act will make a difference for veterans, their families, and their survivors.

Today, I am thinking of veterans like Lauren Price, Heath Robinson, Kate Hendricks Thomas, veterans who raised their right hands like I did. They did their duty, and they did it well. But unlike me, their lives were cut short.

They were young, seemingly healthy adults who had endured a different battle on the stateside. Their lives were changed in an instant when they developed rare cancers in the blink of an eye, possibly due to their repeated exposure to burning chemicals while they served overseas.

Lauren left behind her husband, Jim, and five children. Heath left behind his wife and a young daughter. Kate left behind her husband and a young son.

The bill we will vote on today is in honor of them and the hundreds of thousands of veterans just like them. Lauren, Heath, and Kate left us too soon and would want us to do everything in our power to try to prevent what happened to them from happening to their fellow brothers and sisters in arms.

The PACT Act will grant their wish for generations. It will help over 3 million veterans get the care and benefits they are due before it is too late.

We have made this mistake in the past. We don't need to make it again. We need to move forward with this bill, and we will work in a bipartisan way to make sure that is exactly what happens once it is signed into law and implemented by the VA.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to commit at the desk.

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

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 300th anniversary of Prairie du Rocher, Illinois.

Three centuries ago, French settlers established roots along the Mississippi River, where an open prairie stretched from near the river's edge to tall limestone bluffs.

They called the settlement Prairie du Rocher--``Prairie of the Rock.'' It once represented the western boundary of the United States; and it still stands as one of the finest historical and architectural examples of French Colonial Heritage in the United States.

Here they tilled the soil and built their homes, caring for their families, their community, and their land. Traditions, celebrations, and their social fabric have held fast to this day. In its tricentennial year, Prairie du Rocher seeks to preserve the historical significance of this city. In such a fast-moving, ever-changing world, it's more important than ever that we treasure such a unique past, as it moves forward in today's world.

Madam Speaker, please join me in celebrating 300 years of Prairie du Rocher. May there be many, many more.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 165th anniversary of ``The Old Cathedral,'' SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, in Alton, Illinois. The church, completed in 1857, remains a beautiful example of Gothic architecture in the Metro East region. On January 9, 1857, the Diocese Episcopal See was transferred to Alton from Quincy, and the Most Reverend Henry Damien Junker became Alton's first bishop. The Most Reverend Peter Baltes succeeded him in 1870, followed by the third and final Bishop of Alton, the Most Reverend James Ryan, in 1886. Below the church are the tombs of the first two bishops of the Diocese of Alton. During its life as the Diocese Cathedral, our country was torn apart at the seams by Civil War, was reunited, and then grew into a global power. We celebrated the St. Louis World's Fair, saw our dirt roads paved over, and had our lives changed by revolutionary inventions. In 2015, the SS. Peter & Paul Parish had a beautiful carillon installed in the bell tower to beckon all to come and worship. Madam Speaker, please join me in recognizing the 165th anniversary of ``The Old Cathedral,'' SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, and celebrating its many contributions to Alton and the surrounding communities.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6411, as amended, the Support The Resiliency of Our Nation's Great, STRONG, Veterans Act.

This bill would improve VA's mental health and suicide prevention strategies by doing a number of things. It would expand the Vet Center workforce, and it would also allow student veterans the opportunity to seek counseling at Vet Centers during what can be yet another stressful time in that period of transitioning into civilian life.

Additionally, the bill would allow family members of veterans who died by suicide to seek bereavement counseling at Vet Centers. This support, from counselors who know veterans and the challenges that their families often face, would be a valuable resource for those in mourning.

This bill would expand training, scholarship, and loan repayment programs for the VA mental health providers. It would direct a series of actions to improve the Veterans Crisis Line, including enhanced training and oversight. It would codify an existing VA program that reaches out to veterans in their first year out of the military to provide them with information about relevant resources.

This bill would require VA to conduct numerous studies with the goals of improving care for veterans with sleep disorders, refining inpatient care for veterans struggling with addiction, identifying treatments for veterans suffering from both mental health and substance use disorders, and assessing the possible secondary impacts PTSD and depression may have on veterans' families.

This bill is the product of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations between the Veterans Affairs' Committee leaders. I thank Chairman Takano for working with me to introduce this bill and move it forward today.

I thank Senate colleagues Chairman Tester and Ranking Member Moran for their work on this bill.

This bill contains many provisions that were in standalone bills introduced by many of our other Members, and I recognize them today. I send a particular thank-you to Dr. Murphy, Congressman Rouzer, and to two of my fellow committee members, veterans themselves, Dr. Miller- Meeks and Congressman Ellzey. Each of them spearheaded vital pieces of this legislation that will help veterans and their families thrive for years to come.

I encourage any veteran listening to this who is struggling and in need of support to contact the veterans hotline by calling 1-800-273- 8825 and pressing 1. Once again, that is 1-800-273-8825 and pressing 1. Or you can also get there by texting 838255. That is 838255. Or you can actually visit the Veterans Crisis Line at veteranscrisisline.net, all one word.

There is absolutely no shame in asking for help if you need it.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Murphy), my good friend.

Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Murphy).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer).

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

First off, I say thank you to all the people who have worked on this important piece of legislation for the support that it is has received.

The important thing is that we get the care, treatment, and support for all the veterans who are considering suicide and the families who suffer from the fact that they have done it.

Madam Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate a dedicated professional with the Department of Veterans Affairs on the occasion of her retirement. Mrs. Stacy Coggin is an exemplary public servant who has demonstrated the highest standards of professionalism on a daily basis. She has served with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office for Congressional and Legislative Affairs the last five years of her more than 22 years in federal service. Her career in faithful public service is a testament to the importance of selfless service.

For the last 5 years, Mrs. Coggin served as Congressional Relations Officer in the office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs. She has been involved in a remarkable breadth of important VA programs across the Department including compensation and benefits claims, appeals, and field operations. In this capacity, she spearheaded support for more than nine hundred Congressional oversight actions, from requests for information to Committee on Veterans' Affairs hearings, helping this body ensure our Nation's veterans and their families receive the care and benefits they deserve.

As Mrs. Coggin embarks on a new chapter in life, it is my hope that she may recall, with a deep sense of pride and accomplishment, the outstanding contributions she has made to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, and the veterans of the United States. May her life be filled with health and happiness.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5738, the Lactation Spaces for Veteran Moms Act. One of my priorities is strengthening services for women veterans. This bill would do that by ensuring that VA medical facilities have safe, clean, private spaces for them to use for breastfeeding.

VA is already required to create these spaces for VA employees. It is only right that we give veteran mothers who use VA facilities the ability to take care of their families this way as well.

I am grateful to Congresswoman Luria and Congresswoman Herrera Beutler for their work on this legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in support of it today.

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

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7335, the MST Claims Coordination Act. This bill requires VBA to provide claimants with outreach materials on VHA services for military sexual trauma survivors during the benefits claim process.

Additionally, this legislation will allow the veterans to opt into a requirement that the VBA notify VHA when the veteran receives a disability exam or board hearing for a claim related to MST. This will allow the VHA to be better informed about the events in the claims process that may cause distress to the MST survivor in order to improve their care.

Veteran claimants have reported that they are unaware of the services VHA provides to assist veterans who experienced MST, regardless of their service-connected disability status.

It is critical that VA improves coordination between VHA and VBA to better support survivors of MST.

I appreciate Congresswoman Luria, the Chairwoman of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, for introducing this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6961, the Dignity for MST Survivors Act, which was introduced by Congressman Mrvan, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization.

All veterans should receive an accurate decision the first time they file a claim, especially if the claim is related to MST. If the VA must deny that claim, this should be communicated in a compassionate manner.

Moreover, the VA disability examiners should be sensitive to the needs of our veterans who are undergoing an exam for a condition related to MST.

This bill would make several improvements to the MST claims process, including enhancing training on MST for adjudicators at the Board of Veterans' Appeals; improving decision notices for claims related to MST; and, requiring the VA to establish standards to ensure that disability examiners perform exams related to MST using trauma-informed practices.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6064, and I thank Congressman Nehls, Congresswoman Luria, and the leaders of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, for introducing this bill.

This bill would require the VA to partner with the National Academies to conduct an independent review of the VA's delivery of benefits for claims related to MST.

The National Academies would also provide recommendations that the VA could implement to improve the disability claims process for MST survivors.

For decades, the National Academies has led research into the VA disability benefits process, including reports on the health effects of toxic exposures and VA's handling of traumatic brain injury claims.

This study is needed to help Congress and VA better understand what changes need to be made in this process to ensure that veterans receive quality, timely, and compassionate consideration of their disability claims.

For too long, we have heard that the MST claims process can be insensitive. This is unacceptable, and VA must do better.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2724, the VA Peer Support Enhancement for MST Survivors Act, which is sponsored by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Delgado).

Veterans who file disability claims based on MST report that the process can be difficult and emotional. Peer support specialists can help these veterans through this stressful time. Peer support specialists provide critical help to veterans.

Unfortunately, many veterans who file a claim for conditions based on MST may not be aware of, or eligible for, VHA peer support services. This bill would better ensure that these claimants are eligible for peer support services or are connected with an MST coordinator at VHA.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 4089, the Veterans Rapid Retraining Assistance Program Restoration and Recovery Act.

One of the few positive provisions that was enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan was the creation of the Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program, or VRRAP. This program authorizes 1 year of GI Bill-style education benefits for training for an in-demand occupation for unemployed veterans.

VRRAP was originally authored during the peak of COVID veteran unemployment by our former colleague Dr. Phil Roe and Congressman Levin. I was pleased to introduce the bill this year and was glad that it was made part of the American Rescue Plan.

Under this program, eligible veterans only have one chance to participate in VRRAP. This became a problem for hundreds of students at Future Tech Career Institute in Chicago when the training provider lost their ability to administer GI Bill benefits earlier this year.

If those students had been using a traditional GI Bill program, they would be eligible to have their benefits restored to continue their studies at another school. However, with VRRAP, that was not possible.

This bill will fix that issue, authorizing VRRAP users to have another chance to use the program if their school closes or loses GI Bill approval in the middle of the semester.

While I am very supportive of the policy in this bill, I do have concerns about the cost. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the cost of this bill to be at $6 million in mandatory costs over 10 years.

For whatever reason, the Senate chose not to offset these costs before passing this bill. This decision is, unfortunately, not surprising, as we have seen repeatedly that the Democrat majority in both the House and the Senate loves to ignore costs and increase spending.

Their overstimulation of the economy has led to soaring inflation and staggering price increases that Americans see every day. We must stop mortgaging our children's and grandchildren's futures. Our current level of spending is simply not sustainable.

That being said, I am not going to stand in the way of providing restored benefits to unemployed veterans who need our help in this struggling economy. That is why I am going to reluctantly support the passage of this bill today. However, I caution my friends that this practice of un-offset spending must end.

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

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6052, which requires VA employees to receive training on the work that the VA inspector general does. This training will help VA employees understand how to recognize and report instances of waste, fraud, and abuse, as well as their responsibility to comply with the investigations.

VA's budget request for fiscal year 2023 is over $300 billion. Oversight of this Department's massive budget is a major priority of mine. This commonsense bill would lead to better oversight by informing all VA employees of their responsibility to identify and report fraud, waste, and abuse.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.