Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, I wish to speak to the issue that was just brought up dealing with veterans funding and specifically the Choice Program.

Three years ago, Congress put into place a response to what was happening in VA centers all over the country. We were all appalled with what was happening at VA centers all over the country. But for any of us who are in congressional offices, we were aware, were pushing on this issue, and had pushed on this issue for a while.

But the media exposed what we all saw, and that was long-secret waiting lists for veterans so that the VA centers could keep their positive numbers up and look better--months of waiting for things that would take days across the street.

As I dealt with the VA center in my own city, at times it would take 6 months to get a knee replacement surgery at the VA center, when at the great hospital directly across the street, they could get that same surgery within 2 days.

As to hearing aids, it would take months and months to actually go through the process and to get them at our VA centers.

As to cancer care, if you were diagnosed with cancer and had needs and treatment that was going to be required, they would literally send you across the country, sometimes more than 2,000 miles away, to actually get cancer treatment--away from your family.

Congress responded to that by putting into place the Choice Act. It was an emergency. There were major problems that were happening around the country in multiple VA centers, and there had to be a response right then. Congress set aside emergency funding and an emergency response to make sure something came into existence that only loosely existed before. What was called community care was now clarified to say that this is Choice, and it was simple. If a veteran had to wait more than 30 days to get into an appointment or get treatment or if they lived more than 40 miles from a VA center, they would be given the option to go wherever they wanted to go. VA was required to start working relationships in every community across the country so that veterans would have the option to go wherever they wanted to go.

I would acknowledge that program is in its infancy. It is 2 years old at this point. It has a ways to go to be perfected. There are still problems with it, and there is a constant push from Congress to provide accountability to make sure that program is done and done well. That should be the first step in giving veterans real choice. The first step of that is 30 days or 40 miles. The second step of that is any VA- eligible veteran would get a card and they could go to anyplace that accepts Medicare. If they accept Medicare anywhere in the country--any lab, any hospital, any doctor--they should also be able to receive veterans as well. So veterans can go wherever they choose to go regardless of the distance.

I have veterans who drive past six great hospitals, drive 200 miles to get to a VA center, and their families have the burden of all of that travel. It should not be that way. Veterans should be able to go wherever they choose to go for care.

So the Choice Program is not only a good program, it is the right direction to go and it is a positive first step. But here is the problem: The way this particular amendment has come up, it is not only not germane to this bill because it deals with something that started 3 years ago and we are dealing with a new bill right now, but it is also an issue of, we are doing the right thing the wrong way.

My staff has heard me say this over and over again: There is a right thing to do and there is a right way to do it. Three years ago, we knew this was an issue. Three years ago, the planning should have been put in place to put this into the normal appropriations process. This process puts it into place, so we are adding $7.5 billion onto our children for a program that should be in the normal appropriations process that was started 3 years ago and that is not an emergency anymore. This is not an emergency. This is now normal funding of a program we want to keep going and expand. So there is a big issue here we do have to resolve.

I want to see us do the Choice Program and do it right, but there is a right thing to do and a right way to do it. This program is already fully funded through the next year. It is not an emergency. It is in place, funded, and ready to go. It doesn't go away in the next year, all the way through the fiscal year. Let's put it in the normal process, let's do it the right way, and let's not add $7 billion to our children for an emergency that is actually a year away. No one is going to convince me that in a $4 trillion budget, there are not areas we could cut. Earlier this week I identified $86 billion in funds that are available to cover the $1 billion for Zika that this Congress decided to do in emergency funding anyway. We have the funds available.

We can honor our veterans. We can do this and also honor our children. At the same time we are honoring our veterans, let's honor the next generation and make sure we are not adding debt to the next generation.

With that, Mr. President, I raise a point of order that the McCain amendment No. 4039 is not germane to the Collins amendment No. 3896, as amended, or H.R. 2577.
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