Dependable Employment and Living Improvements for Veterans Economic Recovery Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his great leadership. He makes us so proud as the chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

I proudly rise in support of H.R. 7105, a strong bipartisan package of legislation that strives to meet our responsibilities to honor the service and sacrifice of those who don the uniform.

The strength of this package and its support across the aisle is a testament to the outstanding leadership of Chairman Mark Takano. We are very proud of him as a Californian and as a Member of this House.

The bill has been an all-hands-on-deck effort, and I salute the many Members whose provisions and perspectives have strengthened it:

Congresswoman Julia Brownley, the chair of the Health Subcommittee and the Women's Veterans Task Force, who has worked tirelessly to achieve gender equity at VA, including, now, through the landmark Deborah Sampson Act included in this omnibus;

Congressman Mike Levin, the pride of our freshman class, who introduced this omnibus as chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, who has been a champion for the financial security of our veterans on everything from the GI Bill to antihomelessness initiatives.

And to you, Mr. Ranking Member Roe, thank you for your leadership and your friendship and prioritizing our veterans. I am so proud that this bill is named for you. Congratulations to you, and thank you.

I also recognize former Senator Johnny Isakson. What a great person he is. What a great Member of the Senate he has been. I enjoyed being with him when we were saluting our veterans at Normandy, when he made that visit there and made us all so proud.

Johnny was always bipartisan, reaching across the aisle for our veterans, and it was a joy to serve in this House as he served as a Senator. But I want him to know that he is very missed and, again, recognized for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, last year, many Members were blessed to be able to travel to Europe to mark 75 years of the Normandy landing and the Battle of the Bulge on another visit.

At the commemoration of the Battle of the Bulge, almost 1 year ago this day, I met a veteran in his nineties who urged us to pray for peace. He spoke for the veterans who were gathered there in a program with the King of Belgium and the President of Germany. It was very interesting. The Secretary of Defense spoke, but the veteran spoke for the veterans, and he talked about the camaraderie and the band of brothers and all that, but at the end, he said: Pray for peace.

In that same spirit of peace, hope, and respect, this Congress has honored our veterans and their families and caregivers with transformative action: from the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act to expand protections for those devastated by exposure to Agent Orange, to ending the cruelly unfair widows tax and kiddie tax--remember that?--to passing the COMPACT Act to combat veteran suicide, to investing nearly $20 billion in VA readiness in pandemic research.

Now the House is building on this bipartisan momentum with this omnibus, which includes provisions from nearly 60 House-passed bills.

This bill strengthens veterans' education, investing nearly $350 million in improving GI benefits for surviving family members, increasing work study options and fellowship opportunities for veterans, securing benefits for those who cannot complete courses due to the pandemic, and more.

It safeguards veterans' benefits, including by modernizing the benefit system with commonsense reforms, investing in benefits for surviving spouses, and improving eligibility for housing and home loan assistance for National Guard and Reserve members.

This bill protects veterans' health, improving care for those exposed to the coronavirus and burn pits, improving VA's scheduling process, and increasing reporting from State veterans' homes in light of COVID outbreaks.

This bill is focused on justice, equality, and opportunity, and we are particularly proud of the steps taken to help servicemembers transition to the civilian workforce and to improve services and VA access for Native American veterans, including eliminating their copays.

House Members can take pride in the inclusion of Congresswoman Brownley's Deborah Sampson Act, a crown jewel in this package and the most comprehensive women veterans bill in over a decade.

This bill improves the health, benefits, education, and VA support system for women veterans, including by requiring VA to create the antiharassment and antiassault policy, improving women-specific primary healthcare, expanding access to childcare, and strengthening mental health initiatives.

This bill could not be more timely. Last week, the VA inspector general's report revealed the appalling coverup and discrediting of a woman veteran who works on the task force that created this legislation at the hands of Secretary Wilkie and top VA officials.

It is a profound injustice for any patriot with the courage to serve to have to experience having his or her voice silenced and integrity questioned. Congress will not relent until every servicemember, every veteran, every woman can live free from the fear of assault or abuse.

This package was drafted--this is what I am so proud of, because, on a regular basis, we meet with the veteran service organizations, and it is their opportunity to tell us what their priorities are. There are so many issues that needed to be addressed. Some of them I have already mentioned here that have been addressed over time and right now. But their wisdom and their experience and their patriotism really helps shape our agenda.

Thank you, Mr. Takano, for listening and for acting upon the knowledge and values they give us.

This package was drafted in consultation with leading veterans groups, and we are proud to have the support of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Military Officers Association of America, Student Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans, the National Military Family Association, Iraq and Afghan Veterans of America, the Association of the U.S. Navy, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans Education Success, just to name a few. The list goes on.

As we send this package to the President's desk, House Democrats are ready to take further action to honor our veterans in the next Congress, working alongside the Biden-Harris administration.

Just as the military pledges to leave no one behind on the battlefield, we solemnly promise to leave no veteran behind. That is particularly personal to me, having four brothers who served in the armed services, an uncle who died in World War II, but also a daughter who is so committed to our veterans that practically every day she will say to me: What did you do for our veterans today? And not just on Veterans Day.

As we send this package, recognize that our work on behalf of veterans, their families, and their caregivers must be bipartisan and of the highest priority. I urge the passage of this bill.

And as I say to those VSOs when they come in: Understand this; for you and to honor you, we pledge to always work as much as possible in a bipartisan way.

That is the way they would want us to do so. That is why I am particularly proud, Congressman Roe, to recognize your leadership, and I am so happy that this bill is named for you and for Johnny Isakson, as well.

Mr. Speaker, I once again voice my appreciation for Mr. Takano for his great leadership. I thank him.

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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