Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. Chairman, I would like to start by thanking subcommittee Chairman Dent and Chairman Rogers for their work in developing this legislation to address the current and future needs of our Nation's veterans.

I rise today to offer an amendment that highlights the need for veterans job training as part of this appropriations bill. Simply, my amendment would designate $5 million within the general operating expenses of the Veterans Benefits Administration account to support programs that help our veterans transition to the workforce.

Michigan is home to more than 660,000 veterans who contribute every day to the vitality of our communities.

These men and women have developed marketable skills, from technical training in mechanics, IT, and health care, to leadership qualities, ethics, and problem-solving abilities, yet too many of them struggle to find employment after they have completed their service.

Those veterans recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan face unique challenges to finding employment, as those who served in Active Duty since September 20, 2001, face a jobless rate that is 1.7 percentage points higher--7.2 percent veterans versus 5.5 percent national--than the general population.

The House has taken a number of good steps toward helping veterans transition to the civilian sector, from passing the Hire More Heroes Act to remove costly ObamaCare mandates that discourage the hiring of veterans, to working with employers to help them understand the benefits of hiring veterans. We can certainly do more to ensure these brave men and women have the opportunity for gainful employment when they return to our communities.

The VA should use these designated funds to focus on difficulties veterans face translating their valuable skills to suitable employment in the civilian sector. For example, as the committee rightly highlights in their report, the VA should refine and upgrade its Military Skills Translator tool to more accurately reflect the transferable skills of transitioning military veterans. The VA should also increase public awareness and access to this tool for our Nation's employers.

If we are to develop the 21st century workforce, our Nation cannot afford to leave our veterans behind; and if we are to meet our obligation to those who have put their lives on the line in service to our country, we must work to improve the transition from military service to the career field.

I hope my colleagues will support this commonsense amendment to help our veterans get back to work.

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