OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Veterans' Access to Child Care Act

Floor Speech

Date: Feb. 7, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Veterans

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Mr. BERGMAN. Madam Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 840, the Veterans' Access to Child Care Act.

My amendment is simple. It prohibits VA from constructing new childcare facilities using funds made available by this bill. It does not prohibit the VA from using existing facilities.

While I support the underlying bill and believe something as simple as childcare services can greatly improve veterans' access to care, I also understand how bloated VA's infrastructure portfolio has become.

Just last year, Congress passed the VA MISSION Act, which included language to establish the Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission. This commission is designed to assess areas in which the VA can modernize and realign its existing infrastructure portfolio to save valuable money and refocus on its core mission of caring for our veterans.

Madam Chair, offering childcare services has the potential to make VA benefits more accessible and convenient for all families. H.R. 840 allows VA to provide childcare services via private centers and through collaboration with other Federal agencies, thus utilizing already existing facilities.

Until the asset and infrastructure review is complete, it would be irresponsible to allow VA to invest more limited resources in new construction when positive, viable alternatives are available.

I appreciate the work our committee has done to help improve access to care, and I look forward to our continued efforts to realign VA's priorities and its unused or underutilized assets.

Mr. Chair, I urge support of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. David P. Roe).

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Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the gentleman.

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Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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