Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act

Floor Speech

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I am here to celebrate the most recent of many bills produced by this House, the Republican-led House. This one is H.R. 3230, the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, with overwhelming bipartisan support. This legislation will begin the process of reforming the Veterans Health Administration and instituting great accountability across our veterans' health system.

Being the father of an Army soldier and having worked for 30 years as a health care practitioner, my heart broke when I first heard of the disturbing revelations of gross misconduct and dysfunction at the VA.

Fortunately, with the passage of H.R. 3230, we have moved one step closer to restoring the trust of our veterans. This legislation will afford greater and timelier access to cost-effective care services, while bringing necessary changes to the Department of Veterans Affairs. However, Mr. Speaker, this is just the first step, and more needs to be done to fulfill the commitments we have made to these brave men and women.

I want to thank the chairmen of the House and the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees for their commitment to overcoming political differences and finding common ground.

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