Protecting Our Nation's Veterans

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, I am honored to fight for the veterans in my district and throughout the Nation. In return for their service and sacrifice, we owe them the best medical care that can be provided.

I am proud that the House of Representatives has passed the VA MISSION Act to address these critical concerns. I commend Chairman Roe, Ranking Member Walz, and the members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee for their work on this issue over the last year.

This legislation will provide better community-based care without detracting from the outstanding medical services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities, such as the Central Texas Veterans Health Care Center in Temple, Texas, in my district.

While I believe veterans are best served by the VA, there are also those who live too far from a VA facility, cannot afford a long wait period, or have very specific medical services that are best provided outside the VA system.

The VA MISSION Act provides this community-based care option, and it pays for it with discretionary spending, which means Congress has more control, more oversight, and more responsibility.

The VA MISSION Act includes a provision for a bill I authored, the Veterans Transplant Coverage Act, to ensure that no other American hero is denied organ transplant coverage again through the VA.

This was inspired by the Nelson family of Leander, Texas. Mr. Nelson, a veteran, required a transplant. His son was a matching live donor. However, the VA would not cover medical costs for the donor, Mr. Nelson's son, even though this was a lifesaving transplant for Mr. Nelson. I am sorry to say that Mr. Nelson had to liquidate almost everything he owned to pay for the medical expenses. We could not help Mr. Nelson's family, but his story inspired me to work towards changing the law.

When the VA MISSION Act is enacted, it will ensure future generations of veterans will have their transplant medical expenses, along with the donor's expenses, covered by the VA. We must do the right thing for our veterans who need these lifesaving procedures, and I am honored that the VA MISSION Act includes language I wrote to do just that.

I want to publicly thank several of my colleagues on the committee: Dr. Neal Dunn, Dr. Brad Wenstrup, and Gus Bilirakis, my neighbor, all of whom championed transplant care for veterans and worked extremely hard to ensure this language was included in the bill.

The VA MISSION Act is a step forward towards the goal of caring for our veterans. The Senate must pass this legislation, and I urge President Trump to quickly sign it into law. I can think of no better way to celebrate Memorial Day than enact the VA MISSION Act, which will ensure our heroes receive the best medical care available.

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