Establishing Veterans Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration

Floor Speech

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Mr. LEVIN of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2045, the Veterans' Education Transition and Opportunity Prioritization Plan, or VET OPP Act of 2019.

Madam Speaker, I was proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with my friend from Ohio, Mr. Wenstrup. We have a responsibility to provide America's servicemembers with the best possible resources and opportunities as they transition back to civilian life, and we must do more to meet that responsibility.

Education, employment, housing, and transition assistance programs are critical to veterans' economic success. But many veterans aren't receiving these opportunities because of bureaucratic red tape at the VA. These programs are currently lumped with compensation programs under the Veterans Benefits Administration.

As chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, one of my top priorities is ensuring that veterans are receiving their benefits as efficiently as possible, and it is clear that the current structure at the VA isn't meeting this need.

This bipartisan bill will allow us to deliver economic resources more effectively by creating a new Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration at the VA and bringing more oversight and accountability to economic programs for veterans.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.

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