Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017
Floor Speech
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I would like to begin by thanking Mrs. Lowey and Mr. Rogers, who serve as the distinguished ranking member and chairman of the full committee, and, of course, Chairman Dent, my colleague, on the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. I couldn't have a better, more collaborative partner in support of our military and our veterans, and I really appreciate the collegiality.
And certainly I want to thank our staff. From the minority staff, I would like to thank Matt Washington, as well as Mike Reed and Mike Calcagni from my personal office. From the majority committee staff, I would like to thank Maureen Holohan, Sue Quantius, Sarah Young, Tracey Russell, and Sean Snyder from Chairman Dent's office.
As you all know, this bill has a strong history.
Before I begin, I really also want to share the comments and the accolades and salutations for our colleague from California, Sam Farr, who is retiring from the committee; and this, of course, will be his last MILCON/VA bill. He has been a longstanding member of this committee, very insightful, compassionate, and pragmatic. We are certainly going to miss Sam with his valuable, valuable contributions.
I would like to point out that this bill has a strong history of finding common ground and bipartisan support across the aisle to provide resources for our men and women in uniform who have chosen to serve and to protect our great Nation's way of life and our individual freedoms.
With this bill, we fund military construction projects in the Department of Veterans Affairs to the benefit of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, both past and present.
For those who have given so much of themselves, we owe a great deal. So let me start our consideration of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill by recognizing those in our military who cannot be with us here tonight as they serve across the globe. Thank you for your service.
The account taking care of the construction of military facilities is provided $7.7 billion, an increase of $250 million above the fiscal year 2017 budget request. Overall, the Department of Veterans Affairs is funded at $73.5 billion, which is $2.5 billion above the FY16- enacted level, and $1.4 billion below the FY17 request.
I am pleased with several aspects of the bill. As we saw throughout the markup process, the bill provides robust funding for our military construction and provides adequate funding for both active and reserve military forces.
I was pleased that the bill provides $25 million above the FY17 budget request to help speed up the cleanup of former Department of Defense sites.
For too long, we have been waiting for an end to the tunnel for the electronic health records integration between the Department of Defense and the VA. To strengthen oversight on the issue, I am pleased to see the bill maintains tough, but fair, reporting requirements for the electronic health records endeavor. To better serve those veterans shortchanged for too long, the bill continues to prioritize the elimination of the VA's claims backlog and includes healthy funding for the Board of Veterans' Appeals, though I am concerned with the proposed reforms to the BVA.
Nonetheless, I believe these are positive steps that are necessary to ensure that the VA continues to improve its service for our veterans.
Mr. Chair, while the MILCON-VA bill has many positive attributes, one item I am not particularly pleased about is the inclusion of bill language that limits performance awards. As I have stated for the past 3 years, this language will not provide a short-term solution and, in fact, may have long-term consequences, compounding the very problem that it attempts to address. All this language will do is make the VA a less attractive option than other agencies when it comes to recruiting and retaining quality executive leaders, resulting in the Department's not having the very talent that it needs to solve the problems it faces today. This is an issue that must be addressed as we move through this process.
Turning away from the bill for a second, our committee was off to a very fast start. However, because of the budget resolution impasse, we have had to wait a month for the MILCON-VA bill to be able to come to the floor. As a result, we will not be able to get back to regular order this year, and with roughly 45 days left in the legislative calendar, it will be nearly impossible to fulfill our obligation to the American people and pass all 12 bills through the House. We are in this situation because an upset, small minority of the House wants to revisit issues that were already decided and acted upon by a bipartisan majority of both Houses and signed into law by the President.
That being said, I applaud Chairman Rogers for honoring the allocation the bipartisan budget agreement set for fiscal year 2017. The BBA will have to suffice until we can get past these unrealistic beliefs that we can cut our way to prosperity.
As we are all aware of our level of discretionary resources this year, it will be tough, especially tough for this subcommittee, because our bill advances funds to the medical services account. While we start out in the hole every year, the VA's annual second bite of the apple makes balancing the needs of nonmedical VA services with other Federal agencies that much more difficult. As I have said numerous times, we must be more strategic about how we handle our Federal budget.
Mr. Chair, would I have done some things differently? Of course, but here we are.
Nevertheless, with reservations, I urge my colleagues to defeat any poison pill amendments and move to support this bill to fund the construction of military facilities and strive to improve the quality of life and the care afforded to current servicemembers, to our veterans, and to our military families.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations.
With reservations, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I think it is a bipartisan bill. It is a good bill. I think it is a good product for what we had to work with.
I would like to urge my colleagues to support it, to fund the construction of newer facilities, to strive to improve the quality of life and the care that we give to our military, to our veterans, and to our military families.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Will the gentleman yield?
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Chairman, I come from a very rural district as well, and I understand the importance of access to quality care.
I agree that we need to train and recruit more health professionals. In the meantime, I agree that telemedicine is a great tool to help deal with the shortage of health professionals.
So I support this amendment, and I urge all of the Members to do so. It will do a great deal toward helping to bring access to care to our veterans in rural communities.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I agree with the gentleman from Massachusetts that we need to take a serious look at the Choice Program. VA's most recent data show, compared to the last year, there are now 70,000 more appointments that kept a veteran waiting at least a month to get care. Furthermore, a March General Accounting Office report showed that the Choice Program had little impact on getting veterans to see a primary care physician in 30 days.
Thousands of veterans referred to the program are returning to the VA for care, sometimes because the program could not find a doctor for them and because the private doctor they were told to see was too far away according to VA data. In fact, VA's own inspector general found that in Colorado, veterans were waiting longer than 30 days for care because staff at the local VA hospital was not adding them to the list of patients eligible for the Choice Program, let alone slow reimbursements.
Two years ago, Congress was hearing about the VA concealing wait times at VA hospitals and clinics and about the veterans who were suffering as a result. We were forced to act quickly in this crisis. I believe that Congress will have to revamp the Choice Program to make sure that it is doing what Congress intended for it to do. We are going to need an honest assessment from the VA.
Mr. Chairman, I urge all Members to support this amendment.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chair, parliamentary inquiry.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Do we have the text of the amendment?
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I want to associate myself with the gentleman from Pennsylvania in opposition to the amendment.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I support the amendment that is offered by Mr. Blumenauer. Last year in Georgia, the general assembly passed and Governor Deal signed legislation that immediately legalized the use of medical marijuana to treat serious medical conditions. Georgia became the 36th State plus Washington, D.C., to legalize marijuana extracts to treat illnesses.
I believe that we should not limit the Veterans Health Administration from providing optimal pain care for our veterans. If medical marijuana is legal in a State, then the VA should be able to discuss that treatment option and allow the veteran to make his or her own choice.
I believe that the VA's published policy guidance related to the use of medical marijuana by our veteran patients, VHA Directive 2010-035, Medical Marijuana, has become outdated. I believe that supporting a veteran's right to use alternative methods to deal with pain is the right thing to do.
Mr. Chairman, I support the amendment, and I urge its adoption.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Chair, we have an opportunity and an obligation to help migrant children who have come across the border to escape the problems with their homeland. The challenges of poverty and violence continue to grow, and it is a moral obligation and one that I support.
To not allow the use of military installations for temporary housing for migrants only exacerbates the problem. This is temporary. Why would we prohibit the use of bases only until the adjudication of a migrant's case, for example? Is my colleague suggesting that we immediately send migrant children back to the countries they fled without due process? Should we send them back to violence?
That is not what the United States stands for. It is not what the United States should stand for. It is not consistent with our country's Christian values.
I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I agree with the chairman.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
I join my chairman in opposing this amendment. Why has my colleague again started the war on women's rights? Why is the gentleman getting involved in the contraception choices of women veterans?
Under VA Directive 1331, it is the policy of the VA to provide elective sterilization, for example, salpingectomy, tubal occlusion procedures, vasectomy, and surgery to reverse elective sterilization to eligible veterans as part of contraceptive and infertility services.
I don't see my colleague from Pennsylvania calling for a ban of funding vasectomies or even a tubal ligation, getting tubes tied. Both of these are procedures currently allowed. If a woman has decided that she is seeking permanent birth control, why is Congress going to mandate that she undergo a surgical procedure?
It is important to recognize that family planning is the most effective way to prevent abortion and unwanted pregnancies. Study after study show that when women have access to contraceptives, the incidence of abortion decreases. Family planning programs are an extremely effective way to support women in improving their own health and that of their families. Why would anyone insist on government interference in providing health care to women?
This amendment also demonstrates the deeply troubling and partisan approach on issues affecting women and families.
Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I must insist on my point of order.
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes legislation in an appropriation bill and, therefore, violates clause 2 of rule XXI.
The rule states in pertinent part: ``An amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if changing existing law.''
The amendment requires a new determination.
I ask for a ruling from the Chair.
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