Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2012
Floor Speech
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Mr. SESSIONS. On May 26, 2011, during the NDAA debate, the House unanimously adopted an amendment to create a pilot program administered by the Department of Defense that would begin treating our troops coming back home from theater with TBI and PTSD. Today, Congress has the opportunity to appropriate funds that would be used to treat our active duty and veterans suffering from TBI and PTSD.
My amendment specifically moves $10 million from the more than $19 billion in the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Defense Program to increase the defense health program by $10 million. Once again, this money will assist directly these soldiers and others in the military who have TBI-related injuries to be able to go to private sector facilities with the utilization of taxpayer dollars for them to get leading-edge treatments on these issues.
In April 2007, the Department of Veterans Affairs screened veterans who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 for symptoms associated with TBI. More than 19 percent of these veterans screened positive for TBI symptoms. This is a big issue.
According to the U.S. Army, the number of soldiers leaving active duty service has increased by 64 percent from 2005 to 2009 due to brain health, whether it was TBI, PTSD, or a mental illness. A 2009 Rand study estimates that costs related to depression, PTSD, and TBI in our soldiers ranges from $4 billion to $6.2 billion over a 2-year period of time.
Today, health care providers all over this country are treating brain injury patients with new and innovative treatments with remarkable results. Unfortunately, many of these treatments are not available within military or veteran medical facilities for our heroes that I have previously discussed who are suffering from TBI.
Our troops put themselves on the line every day, and I think they deserve every opportunity to receive this treatment that is available for their recovery. This pilot program created in NDAA will provide for that treatment and recovery.
As has been talked about here on the floor of the House of Representatives, $10 million out of $19 billion should be allocated to this. I appreciate all of my colleagues not only learning more about this issue, also wanting to be a part of how we can help these men and women making groundbreaking treatments for our Nation's veterans and active duty soldiers.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Chairman, this month the House has voted twice to strike problematic and anti-competitive A-76 language from H.R. 2112, the Agriculture appropriations bill, and H.R. 2017, the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill. The same change and reversal of bad language should be adopted in legislation today by striking this anti-competitive language.
My amendment would strike section 8101 of this legislation, which as drafted prohibits the use of funds in the underlying bill to convert any functions performed by Federal employees to private competition pursuant to a study conducted under OMB Circular A-76.
A-76 cost competitions between the public and private sector bring the best value to the taxpayer. Lifting the current moratorium will reform the way the Department of Defense does business, allowing the flexibility to manage the most effective and efficient cost ways in supporting the mission of the Department of Defense. The role of government should be to govern, not to operate business inside the government.
Currently, the Federal Government employs some 2 million executive branch, nonpostal, full-time, and permanent employees; 850,000 of these employees hold jobs that are commercial in nature. The underlying principle of A-76 is that the government should consider private sector performance of commercial services where appropriate. This notion has been consistently embraced by administrations of both political parties for more than 60 years.
Over the past 2 years, the Obama administration has pushed for an in-sourcing campaign within DOD. Secretary Gates put a halt on that practice recently due to what Forbes magazine on March 7, 2011, called, and I quote, "a victim of bad planning and disappointing results.'' Two years of shutting out private competition resulted in zero taxpayer savings.
According to a Small Business Administration study, 71 percent of A-76 goes to small business. This work is important, and must be done well, but should be done also where the taxpayer sees results and the cost benefit. Any time Congress places a restriction on agencies' ability to implement A-76, such action denies opportunity for small business.
Our Nation's unemployment rate stands at 9.1 percent. We must allow the private sector the ability to create jobs without an unfair disadvantage. The A-76 process allows the private sector just this opportunity. If competition is deemed fair, it doesn't matter who wins. As long as both sides are allowed equal opportunity for the job, the taxpayer ultimately wins.
I urge all my colleagues to support this commonsense, taxpayer-first amendment, and to ensure that cost-saving competition is available throughout the Department of Defense.
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Mr. SESSIONS. I think the gentleman brings up not only very pertinent questions that the gentleman has dealt with throughout his career about how do we effectively utilize taxpayer dollars, but I would like to suggest to you we are talking about commercial activities, mowing grass, painting buildings, lots of other things too, but doing things which are very essential to the upkeep and operation, but that within the Department of Defense the base commander has a good grasp on this.
Those people that are in the architecture group, those people that are in the operations group, they know who they're getting. And they're getting regular people who can come in and do the jobs that are specified, then leave; not have full-time employees that change oil, mow grass, do the painting, do all these things. And not in every location is it advantageous, but in some it is. And we're talking about where they can use it to their advantage. That's where this would be utilized.
So Norm, I'd like to spend a little time with you, but where it's an advantage for the Department, we're giving them the opportunity. That's what this amendment's about.
I thank the gentleman, and I yield back.
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