[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 95 (Friday, June 8, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H4985-H4996]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT,
2019
General Leave
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material in the further consideration of
H.R. 5895, and that I may include tabular material on the same.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Newhouse). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 923 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the state of the Union for the further consideration of the bill,
H.R. 5895.
Will the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Marshall) kindly take the chair.
{time} 0919
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of
the bill (H.R. 5895) making appropriations for energy and water
development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September
30, 2019, and for other purposes, with Mr. Marshall (Acting Chair) in
the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The Acting CHAIR. When the Committee of the Whole rose on Thursday,
June 7, 2018, amendment No. 27 printed in part B of House Report 115-
712 offered by the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr) had been disposed
of.
Amendment No. 28 Offered by Mr. Carbajal
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 28
printed in part B of House Report 115-712.
Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 131, line 7, after the dollar amount, insert
``(increased by $8,000,000)''.
Page 132, line 10, after the dollar amount, insert
``(reduced by $8,000,000)''.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 923, the gentleman
from California (Mr. Carbajal) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
[[Page H4986]]
Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Chairman, my amendment seeks to provide additional
funding for the Veterans Transportation Program, which would provide
additional resources for the Highly Rural Transportation Grants,
Beneficiary Travel, and Veterans Transportation Service.
A major challenge facing veterans across the Nation, including the
central coast of California, is the lack of access to transportation
when trying to get their medical appointments. This is especially
prevalent in districts like mine, where veterans don't live in close
proximity to a major VA medical center.
Available local transportation to health appointments at the local
community-based outpatient clinic is a constant challenge, as there are
an insufficient number of buses and drivers. Currently, there is only
one bus serving my district, and this one bus must make six stops
before reaching the VA hospital in Los Angeles. Once there, veterans
only have a short window of time to attend to all their appointments
before needing to rush back to the bus to catch their transportation
home.
In many cases, with these time constraints, veterans are unable to
fit all of their necessary appointments into one day, and must again
struggle with transportation to get back to the hospital.
Passage of this amendment would provide more transportation solutions
for our veterans, allowing them to get to their medical appointments on
time and receive proper medical care without the fear of being left
behind, unable to get back home.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to
the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from Texas is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, we understand the gentleman's
concerns, and we certainly will keep them in mind during conference.
Mr. Chair, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman
from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Chairman, in 2017, the VTP program transported a total of 557,331
veterans, of which 103,704 were disabled veterans.
The VTP office is the authoritative source for all veteran-related
travel initiatives. Its core mission is to assist in the improvements
of access to care and assist veterans in overcoming transportation
barriers to accessing VHA services.
VTS has established a network of transportation options for veterans
through joint efforts with VA's Office of Rural Health and veterans
service organizations.
This is a valuable program that has clearly been recognized and
highlighted by the gentleman from California, that helps veterans who
are visually impaired, elderly, or immobilized due to disease or
disability, and particularly those living in remote and rural areas, to
get to their medical appointments.
At a time with the VA where we are struggling to make sure both in
terms of time that veterans have to wait to get an appointment and the
difficulty in getting through a long distance to get that service, this
is an important amendment.
Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentleman from California's contribution
and I strongly support it.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Chair, I would just appeal to my colleagues that
``thank you for your service'' is just not enough anymore for our
veterans. We need to step up. We need to make sure that they know we
are here and we have their back when they need the services at the end
of their tenure in the armed services.
Mr. Chair, this is an important amendment. I urge my colleagues to
support it.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Carbajal).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 29 Offered by Mr. Keating
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 29
printed in part B of House Report 115-712.
Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 132, line 25, after the dollar amount, insert
``(reduced by $5,000,000) (increased by $5,000,000)''.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 923, the gentleman
from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating) and a Member opposed each will control
5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.
Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that
would direct the VA to establish an opioid abuse kit for community
healthcare providers.
We are fortunate to live in a time when, because of medical
advancements, members of the military are surviving combat injuries at
unprecedented rates. However, our duty of care for military veterans
does not stop there.
As our Nation welcomes home thousands of veterans from missions all
over the world, we must be better prepared to provide those who suffer
from chronic pain with the help that they need. It is the
responsibility of this Congress to do our part to ensure they are
receiving the level of healthcare they deserve.
According to VA data, despite the number of opioid prescriptions at
the VA declining--and that is the good news--since 2012, the number of
veterans with opioid use disorders has spiked 55 percent between 2011
and 2016.
Additionally, the American Public Health Association found that
veterans are twice as likely to overdose on prescription opioids as the
general population.
The Veterans Health Administration has taken initial steps to combat
the growing opioid crisis by rolling out its Opioid Safety Initiative
for VA health settings, and the VA has also begun to publish toolkits
for its community health providers so they better understand why
veterans are looking to them for help.
My amendment provides the resources for the VA to take their efforts
a step further. It would direct the VA to utilize the opioid safety
resources already available at the VA and create a similar opioid
toolkit for healthcare providers at civilian facilities who help
veterans with opioid use disorders. This is even more important, Mr.
Chairman, because of the establishment of the Veterans Choice Program.
The toolkit will provide safe prescribing practices provide
additional resources for effective pain management, and it will
ultimately save lives.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to join with me in support of this.
Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms.
Wasserman Schultz).
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
I support the efforts by the gentleman from Massachusetts to combat
opioid abuse, which really has been a scourge in every region of this
country and has left almost no region in this Nation untouched.
The rates of prescription opioid misuse and overdose continue to
increase sharply, and prescription opioids are now a leading cause of
death in the United States. In fact, Mr. Chairman, we are about to
reach the third year in a row that life expectancy in the United States
will have gone down. That is the first time that has happened since all
the way back to World War I, and it can be directly attributed to
opioid abuse and the resulting deaths that has caused.
So I agree with my friend from Massachusetts that the VA should have
a toolkit similar to the mental health toolkit and that it could save
lives. I support the amendment.
Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for her comments, and
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to
[[Page H4987]]
the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for
5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, this bill includes $387 million for
opioid treatment and prevention efforts. We understand the gentleman's
concern, and we will keep them in mind during conference.
May I say, having been a criminal trial judge for many years, dealing
with prescription drug abuse and treating prescription drug abuse is
one of the hardest things we have to deal with in criminal law. There
is something about the mental attitude towards a prescription that
causes people to think it is safe.
{time} 0930
This abuse that is going on in this country, we have to do something
about it, so I commend the gentleman.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chairman, I know the gentleman from Texas and I will
work together on this going forward and, hopefully, this amendment will
move us in that direction further.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 30 Offered by Mr. Keating
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 30
printed in part B of House Report 115-712.
Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 132, line 25, after the dollar amount, insert
``(reduced by $1,500,000) (increased by $1,500,000)''.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 923, the gentleman
from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating) and a Member opposed each will control
5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.
Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment that would
direct healthcare providers with VA affiliation to continue their
efforts at continuing education courses in specific areas to manage
pain, opioids, and substance abuse disorders.
Nationally, about 30 percent of Americans have some form of chronic
pain. However, the percentage of veterans who report chronic pain is
significantly higher. Over 50 percent of elderly veterans report
chronic pain, as do 60 percent of veterans returning from current
conflicts. In fact, chronic pain is the most common medical problem
experienced by returning combat veterans over the last decade.
Of course, pain is not a standalone problem. We are increasingly
aware of the mental health, the hidden wounds consequences stemming
from time in combat. Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder or
brain trauma are more likely to report physical pain and, in turn, are
more likely to receive a prescription for opioids. Likewise,
approximately one out of every three veterans seeking treatment for a
substance use disorder also have PTSD.
My amendment addresses this challenge by helping those who provide
healthcare services to veterans to learn the latest pain management
techniques, understand safe prescribing practices, and spot the signs
of potential behavioral health conflicts and challenges, including
substance abuse disorders.
Further, my amendment recognizes that VA healthcare providers already
need continuing education credits to maintain their State-issued
professional licenses. The amendment does not add to the total number
of credits that prescribers already have to take. It simply makes sure
that appropriate time is spent learning about this important issue.
My constituents are fortunate in Massachusetts because we have State
laws that deal with this and require that kind of continuing education
on this matter. However, in the other part of my district, in the
southwestern portion, most of the veterans in that area go to the Rhode
Island veterans center and, in Rhode Island, this is not covered by the
State.
Healthcare professionals in Providence, Rhode Island, already have
pain management education available, but there is no guarantee that
they are taken. There is a recommendation, but no guarantee. My
amendment simply makes sure that our veterans get that guarantee. I
urge my colleagues to join in support of this amendment.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. KEATING. I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman
Schultz).
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, pain management education for
the prescription of opioids in the VA could help with opioid abuse;
that is clear. The VA already has guidelines regarding the management
of opioid therapy for chronic pain and provides clear and
comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations incorporating current
information and practices for practitioners throughout the DOD and the
VA healthcare systems.
Mr. Chairman, these guidelines are provided to minimize harm and
increase patient safety in patients who require opioid therapy, but
these guidelines only work if the prescriber is adequately trained. And
that is why the gentleman from Massachusetts' amendment would be so
helpful, because we all know that the key to making sure that we can
reach people and maximize the effectiveness of the program is to ensure
that the appropriate and significant training is done so that we can
achieve those goals. So I support this amendment.
Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
MR. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition,
although I will not oppose this amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for
5 minutes.
There was no objection.
MR. CARTER of Texas. I understand the gentleman's concerns, and I
will keep them in mind during conference.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chairman, it is another area where we can keep
working together to help veterans, and this amendment will bring us
forward in that task.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 31 Offered by Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 31
printed in part B of House Report 115-712.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment
at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 135, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert
``(reduced by $1,000,000) (increased by $1,000,000)''.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 923, the gentlewoman
from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) and a Member opposed each will
control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the
ranking member for her help on this issue.
I appreciate the opportunity to speak about an issue that is very
important to my constituents and, of course, to me. I began my career
as a nurse, where I provided hands-on patient care for 15 years at the
Dallas Veterans Administration Hospital. I actually opened the
psychiatric service.
I rise today regarding an issue that is prevalent in my district and,
more likely, is coming around the country: the Department of Veterans
Affairs delaying, sometimes for years, payments for services that have
been authorized by the VA and performed subject to their requirements.
Small business vendors depend on timely payments in order to pay for
their services, pay their employees, and conduct business that they
have agreed to perform for the price the VA has agreed to pay.
Veterans and their care are very important to me, and one thing I
have noticed in my career, both at the VA and
[[Page H4988]]
here in Congress, is that it is important that getting the payment,
whatever and wherever it is owed, and whether that is the veteran, a
physician, or a contractor, is important.
I could talk about a number of things about the VA, but one of the
things that is really hurting veterans is the delay of payment of
vendors that render service.
The other week, one of the small vendors came into my office and said
he was still waiting for payment from 2015. These vendors, for the most
part, offer services to the veterans away from the hospital. It should
not take that long for them to be paid.
It is ruining the home healthcare program because they cannot
continue, year after year, to deliver this care without getting paid;
and many of the small vendors have stopped servicing the veterans
because they never see payment in sight. So that is a major issue which
I came to speak about today.
Fee-basis care is preapproved by the VA, and the veteran, VA
facility, and provider are all aware of the costs of the care being
performed. There should not be a delay in delivering payment for
essential services provided to the veteran.
Many of these small businesses have to file lawsuits and get
attorneys to retrieve their money. Many of them have been put out of
business and made up their mind they cannot service veterans because
they cannot get paid in a timely manner. Two or 3 years late for
payment is a long time for small businesses.
My concern is this slow-walking of claim payments is endemic
throughout the VA, and veterans are being held responsible for the
delay. Not all contractors are as savvy as my constituent and might not
know what the next step should be to resolve these issues.
My amendment is designed to encourage the VA to report on the number
of vendors who are being held hostage to slow payment around the
country and how much money is being tied up in these delays. These
small vendors cannot survive these long delays in getting paid.
We need to know how big the problem is and how we can figure out how
to fix it.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition,
even though I am not opposed to the amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentlewoman from Florida is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, the gentlewoman from Texas has
identified a very important issue, one that was brought to my attention
in sharp relief by my own hospital association just yesterday.
In Florida, we are now the third-largest State in the Union, and the
hospitals in my home State are owed at least $134 million in payments
that have not been paid by the VA.
I mean, I don't care how big your operation is, that is a tremendous
amount of money, and prompt payment is a critical issue because we need
to make sure that the resources that are appropriated to our healthcare
system and the revenue that we need generated to contribute to our
economy and the care that we need provided is done so promptly.
What we don't want to have happen is healthcare providers deciding
not to provide services outside the VA to VA patients. And my
discussion with them yesterday was that there are healthcare providers
in our State that are starting to decide not to take VA patients
anymore, and that would be a travesty.
The gentlewoman is absolutely correct. Waiting 2 or 3 years for
payment--that is the kind of length of time we are talking about here--
can have a devastating impact, particularly on small business.
It is not a new issue at the VA. For example, former Secretary David
Shulkin started rapid response teams whose goal was to settle the most
substantial outstanding bills as quickly as possible.
Mr. Chairman, the issue of prompt payments must be addressed as more
veterans seek services outside of the VA. It is a tremendous problem,
and I am really pleased that the gentlewoman has brought it to our
attention, raised the issue, because we need to know the full scope of
VA delinquent payments. So I support this amendment, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I really appreciate
the comments of the ranking member, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, and Chairman
Dent agreeing to look into this issue.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 32 Offered by Mr. Connolly
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 32
printed in part B of House Report 115-712.
Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 138, line 13, after the dollar amount, insert
``(reduced by $1,000,000) (increased by $1,000,000)''.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 923, the gentleman
from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.
Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Chairman, this simple amendment to H.R. 5895 would ensure
sufficient funds for the Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector
General to provide rigorous oversight of the Washington, D.C., Veterans
Affairs Medical Center, a center that has been plagued with management
problems, many of which have been described in previous amendments here
this morning.
The inspector general recently concluded a year-long investigation
into the critical deficiencies at that center. In its final report,
issued on March 7 of this year, the IG highlighted that leadership
failures and pervasive understaffing underpinned widespread issues in
inventory management, sterile processing, and patient safety itself.
These are our veterans we are talking about.
The IG found continual mismanagement of protected information and
significant government resources, putting them at risk for fraud,
waste, and abuse. The report makes clear these failures have persisted
for the better part of a decade. Entrenched problems like these will
not be resolved overnight.
{time} 0945
Following the final report's release, officials from the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs briefed House Veterans Affairs'
Committee staff that delays in patient care and supply shortages were
no longer occurring as of January 2018.
Yet recent reports show, contrary to that, that seven procedures were
canceled due to supply shortages in February and March of this year,
contrary to the Department's own claims. The VA inspector general has
played a vital role in covering that crisis at the D.C. VA Medical
Center, and we must ensure that the VA IG has adequate resources to
carry out its essential mandate.
The bill before us today meets the President's 2019 budget request of
$172 million. However, the VA inspector general, Michael Missal,
recently wrote that $172 million will not be sufficient for the IG to
fully meet its mission of effective oversight of the programs and
operations of the Veterans Administration.
Furthermore, the IG said that an FY19 appropriation of $172 million
would actually likely require a decrease of about 28 OIG staff. This
could not be a worse time to have that happen, and I know the chairman
and the ranking member share in that view.
Across the inspector general community, the IG staffing at the VA is
among the smallest ratio of oversight staff to agency staff, and the
OIG budget represents less than 0.1 percent of the total Veterans
Administration budget.
This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to fund the IG
at a level of $192 million for FY 2019, and I hope my colleagues will
support that higher funding level when this bill gets to conference.
[[Page H4989]]
We have a sacred obligation to ensure that the men and women, who
sacrificed so much to defend our freedom, receive the highest quality
care they can possibly receive. The IG's yearlong investigation
revealed that the D.C. VA Medical Center has, at times, fallen far
below that standard. We owe it to our veterans not only to address
these problems, but also to understand how they were allowed to arise
in the first place.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment to this
bill and to ensure the highest quality for our veterans who fought for
their country, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition,
even though I am not in opposition to the amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentlewoman from Florida is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, you just can't make this stuff
up. The committee members have been to the D.C. VA Medical Center, and
they put on a nice show when I first became ranking member. They leave
a good impression. But the documented issues at the D.C. VA Medical
Center are well known, and I want to just walk our colleagues through a
few of them because this is how egregious it is. The gentleman's
suggestion through this amendment to make sure that the IG takes a very
close look at what is going on at this medical center is critical.
The D.C. VA Medical Center was found to have paid exorbitant amounts
for supplies and equipment, including $300 per speculum, which could
have been purchased for $122 each, and $900 each for a special needle
that was available for $250. In one case, the medical center rented in-
home hospital beds for three patients for 3 years at a total cost of
$877,000. The medical center could have bought the three beds for
$21,000.
A review of 124 veteran patient records found problems with supplies
or instruments in 74 of the cases between 2014 and 2017.
One surgery was canceled after the patient was already under
anesthesia because a retractor was unavailable because it had not been
sterilized since its previous use a week earlier.
A surgeon had to improvise when a tool used to prepare a skin graft
was broken and the graft failed. A surgical staff member had to run to
a private sector hospital across the street to borrow mesh to repair a
hernia midprocedure.
Investigators received more than 1,300 boxes of unsecured records
from two warehouses, the hospital basement, and a large trash dumpster
in April 2017. Of those records, 81 percent contained confidential
patient information, including medical scans and records dating back to
the 1970s. This facility is failing the veterans in the Metro D.C. area
who deserve better.
This is an important amendment, and making sure that the VA takes
care of its patients and is not negligent or derelict in its duties at
every single place that those veterans are serviced is critical.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chairman, I would conclude simply by thanking my
friend from Florida for detailing that horror story. Unfortunately,
these aren't isolated incidents. This is a pattern of shoddy care for
our veterans at this center, and we need the IG to be doing his work
over time to make sure that these deficiencies are corrected, and
corrected as soon as possible. That is the intent of this amendment.
Again, I thank my friend from Texas, but I especially thank my good
friend Debbie Wasserman Schultz from Florida for their support on this
amendment.
I include in the Record two letters from the Department of Veterans
Affairs inspector general.
Department of Veterans Affairs,
Inspector General,
Washington DC, March 23, 2018.
Hon. Phil Roe, M.D.,
Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: Enclosed is a response from the Office
of Inspector General (OIG) to a question for the record
received from Congressman Mike Bost following the February
15th hearing before the Committee on the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2019. We
request that it be added to the hearing record.
Thank you for your interest in the OIG.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Missal.
Enclosure.
Office of Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs Response to
Questions for the Record From House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Hearing on U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Budget Request for
Fiscal Year 2019
65. The budget includes a request for $172 million for the
Office of Inspector General to strengthen accountability.
Will this level of funding be sufficient to properly enforce
accountability throughout the VA?
VA Office of Inspector General Response: The budget request
for the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for fiscal year
(FY) 2019 of $172 million will not be sufficient for the OIG
to fully meet its mission of effective oversight of the
programs and operations of VA. While that amount would
represent an increase over the OIG's funding of $164 million
for FY 2018, it falls short of even the OIG's actual FY 2018
operating budget of $175.5 million (which includes $15.9
million of carryover due to a late hiring cycle that was out
of synch with the budget cycle).
There will not be a carryover of that size for FY 2019 as
those funds will have been expended led primarily on new
hires to conduct our oversight work. In addition, we are now
funding our Office of Contract Review approximately $5
million that was previously paid by VA through a reimbursable
agreement, and there are other increased costs in FY 2019.
Consequently, an FY 2019 appropriation of $172 million would
require a decrease of about 28 OIG staff. This would result
in a likely curtailment of some of our oversight priorities
if OIG staffing and resources decrease at a time when VA is
experiencing growth, including large and complex projects
such as VA's new electronic health records initiative,
improving VA's financial systems, enhancing and consolidating
VA's IT systems, and expansion of community care programs.
The OIG will need additional funds to not only conduct
oversight of these costly programs, but also to expand our
investigations of other high-risk VA programs, such as
construction, procurement, education benefits, and the
delivery of timely and quality healthcare. The VA OIG's
staffing is among the smallest ratio of oversight staff to
agency staff across the Inspector General community.
Moreover, the OIG budget represents less than .1 percent of
VA's overall budget, which again is less than a significant
number of OIGs at other cabinet level agencies. An FY2019
appropriation of $172 million will undermine progress
achieved to ``right size'' the OIG oversight capacity to the
growth and demands of VA' new initiatives.
____
Department of Veterans Affairs,
Inspector General,
Washington, DC, April 3 2018.
Hon. Patty Murray,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Dear Senator Murray: Your question regarding the VA Office
of Inspector General's (OIG) budget for fiscal year (FY) 2019
was referred to the OIG for a response. We appreciate your
interest and are grateful for your support.
The budget request for the OIG FY 2019 of $172 million will
not be sufficient for the OIG to fully meet its mission of
effective oversight of the programs and operations of VA.
While that amount would represent an increase over the OIG's
funding of $164 million for FY 2018, it falls short of even
the OIG's actual FY 2018 operating budget of $179.9 million
(which includes $15.9 million of carryover due to a late
hiring cycle that was out of synch with the budget cycle).
There will not be a carryover of that size for FY 2019 as
those funds will have been expended primarily on new hires to
conduct our oversight work. In addition, we are now funding
our Office of Contract Review approximately $5 million that
was previously paid by VA through a reimbursable agreement,
and there are other increased costs in FY 2019. Consequently,
a FY 2019 appropriation of $172 million would likely require
a decrease of about 28 OIG staff. This would inevitably
result in a curtailment of some of our oversight activities
at a time when VA is experiencing growth, including large and
complex projects such as VA's new electronic health records
initiative, improving VA's financial systems, enhancing and
consolidating VA's IT systems, and expansion of community
care programs. The OIG will need additional funds to not only
conduct oversight of these costly programs, but also to
expand our investigations of other high-risk VA programs,
such as construction, procurement, education benefits, and
the delivery of timely and quality healthcare. The VA OIG's
staffing is among the smallest ratio of oversight staff to
agency staff across the Inspector General community.
Moreover, the OIG budget represents less than .1 percent of
VA's overall budget, which again is less than a significant
number of OIGs at other cabinet level agencies. A FY 2019
appropriation of $172 million will undermine progress
achieved to ``right size'' the OIG oversight capacity to
match the growth and demands of VA's new initiatives.
We will provide a copy of this letter to Chairman Isakson
and request that it be made part of the hearing record.
[[Page H4990]]
Again, thank you for interest and support of the OIG.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Missal.
Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, the gentleman deserves credit for
bringing this to the House's attention. The outrage at this medical
center speaks for itself, and I look forward to making sure that the IG
has the resources that are needed to be able to get to the bottom to
help fix this problem.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 33 Offered by Ms. Jackson Lee
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 33
printed in part B of House Report 115-712.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
At the end of division C (before the short title), insert
the following:
Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in contravention
of subchapter III of chapter 20 of title 38, United States
Code.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 923, the gentlewoman
from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, my first order of business is to thank
both Judge Carter and Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz for their
leadership and, as well, for their shepherding this bill that is based
and focused on help for our veterans.
This past month and coming into the Fourth of July and Veterans Day
in November may be just one or two or three of the times that we
acknowledge those who have fallen as well as our veterans, but it
really is a responsibility of this country and this Congress to
acknowledge and work on behalf of our veterans every single day.
I hold up a picture of and will include in the Record an article
about Army Veteran Vivian Unce, Navy veteran Victoria Lewis, and Navy
veteran Veronica Vernon. They met each other in a homeless shelter.
They have come to know each other, and I would say to Mr. Chairman
there are homeless veterans every night across this country.
[Wed., July 20, 2011]
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center--Houston, Texas Grant Provides
More Than $666K for Permanent Housing for Homeless Veterans
Houston.--The Department of Veterans Affairs has announced
the award of $666,765 to the Harris County Housing Authority
to increase permanent housing and case management for area
Veterans.
``This initiative will strengthen our ongoing efforts to
eliminate Veteran homelessness and improve quality of life
for Veterans,'' said Adam C. Walmus, M.H.A., M.A.,
F.A.C.H.E., director of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical
Center. ``Working with our partners at HUD, we continue to
make good progress to reduce Veteran homelessness, though
much work remains. VA is committed to providing Veterans and
their families with access to affordable housing and medical
services that will help them get back on their feet.''
The funding, from Housing and Urban Development's Veterans
Affairs Supportive Housing program (HUD-VASH), is a
coordinated effort by HUD, VA, and local housing agencies to
provide permanent housing for homeless Veterans.
Homeless Veterans are referred to the Harris County Housing
Authority for ``Housing Choice'' Section 8 vouchers to assist
with rent payment. With this latest grant, the Harris County
Housing Authority will receive 125 additional housing
vouchers.
Eligible homeless Veterans receive VA-provided case
management, and services to support stability and recovery
from physical and mental health, substance use, and
functional concerns contributing to or resulting from
homelessness.
Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent
privately owned housing and generally contribute no more than
30 percent of their income toward rent. VA offers eligible
homeless Veterans clinical and supportive services through
the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.
About one-third of the adult homeless population has served
their country in the Armed Services.
Current population estimates suggest that about 107,000
Veterans (male and female) are homeless on any given night
and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some
point during the course of a year.
Many other Veterans are considered near homeless or at risk
because of their poverty, lack of support from family and
friends, and dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or in
overcrowded or substandard housing.
If you know a Veteran who needs assistance, please call 1-
877-4AID VET (877-424-3838) or the Health Care for Homeless
Veterans Program at 713-794-7848. More information about VA's
homeless programs is available online at http://www.va.gov/
homeless.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, my amendment is an amendment to ensure
that we will focus the VA on its obligation to provide our veterans the
assistance needed to avoid homelessness. It will help to ensure the
rate of homelessness among veterans in the United States does not
increase, because I believe in reducing and eliminating homelessness
among veterans. Those who risked their lives to protect our freedom
should also be one of the Nation's highest priorities.
I am grateful that this particular legislation, likewise, recognizes
the importance of dealing with homelessness and working with the VA and
its public housing assistance. That is where these individuals were
able to find housing, through the grant for the permanent housing for
homeless veterans.
It is important to recognize that perhaps twice as many, 200,000,
experience homelessness at some point during the course of the year.
Today, in our country, there are approximately 107,000 veterans, male
and female, who are homeless on any given night, even though
communities are working very hard.
I know in my hometown of Houston, we work hard to reduce the numbers
of homeless veterans. Many of us work with homeless veterans, attend
what we call stand down, where we provide them with the maximum support
on the street. We want them to get off the street, but we want to bring
the services to them. In 2012 alone, 35,905 veterans lived in public
housing provided by the VASH program.
So I want to continue this focus, and this amendment is to suggest
that no matters in this bill, no language in this bill will be in
contravention of our programs that deal with our homeless veterans.
Let me also make the point that Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
has been involved in changing lives in a mighty way by providing
veterans and their families with access to affordable housing and
medical services that would help to get them back on their feet.
I had the privilege of knowing Dr. Michael E. DeBakey and naming the
hospital after him. His whole value and his whole purpose as he
continued to do magical surgery was to remind us, as he created the
MASH unit in World War II, that our veterans yesterday, today, and
tomorrow should be our priority.
Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to support this amendment.
Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk, it is Jackson Lee
Amendment No. 33, which simply provides that:
``None of the funds made available by this Act for the Department of
Veteran Affairs--Benefits for Homeless Veterans and Training and
Outreach Programs may be used in contravention of the title 38, Part
II, Chapter 20, Subchapter II and III of the U.S. Code.
This amendment will help ensure that the rate of homelessness among
veterans in the United States does not increase.
I thank Subcommittee Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member Wasserman
Schultz for their hard work in shepherding this important legislation
to the floor.
I offer Jackson Lee Amendment No. 33 because I believe reducing and
eliminating homelessness among veterans, those who risked their lives
to protect our freedom, should also be one of the nation's highest
priorities.
Homelessness among the American veteran population is on the rise in
the United States and we must be proactive in giving back to those who
have given so much to us.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 33 will help focus the VA on its obligation
to provide our veterans the assistance needed to avoid homelessness,
which includes adequately funding for programs Veterans Administration
Supportive Housing (VASH) that provide case-management services,
adequate housing facilities, mental health support, and address other
areas that contribute to veteran homelessness.
VASH is a jointly-administered permanent supportive housing program
for disabled Veterans experiencing homelessness in which VA
[[Page H4991]]
medical Centers provide referrals and case management while Public
Housing Agencies (PHAs) administer the Section 8 housing vouchers.
Mr. Chair, our veterans deserve the best services available, and I
believe that we could be doing much more for them.
Today, in our country, there are approximately 107,000 veterans (male
and female) who are homeless on any given night.
And perhaps twice as many (200,000) experience homelessness at some
point during the course of a year.
Many other veterans are considered near homeless or at risk because
of their poverty, lack of support from family and friends, and dismal
living conditions in cheap hotels or in overcrowded or substandard
housing.
While significant progress has been made, ending homelessness among
veterans remains a big challenge.
In my hometown of Houston for example, between the years 2010 and
2017, the number of homeless veterans increased from 771 to 1,162.
We must remain vigilant and continue to fight for those who put on
the uniform and fought for us.
Providing a home for veterans to come home to every night is the very
least we can do.
Mr. Chair, programs like VASH have succeeded in changing lives.
In 2012 alone, 35,905 veterans lived in the public housing provided
by VASH.
I have seen the impact of such grants in my home state of Texas, and
within my congressional district in Houston, and I am sure that this
funding has positively impacted many communities across this country.
In Texas, there are committed groups in Houston, working to eradicate
the issue of homelessness.
For example, the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center has been
involved in changing veterans' lives in a mighty way by providing
Veterans and their families with access to affordable housing and
medical services that will help them get back on their feet.
Mr. Chair, we cannot let this issue of homelessness continue.
I urge my colleagues to support Jackson Lee Amendment No. 33 and
commit ourselves to the hard but necessary work of ending veteran
homelessness in America.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition,
although I don't intend to oppose this amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for
5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, we understand and commend the
gentlewoman's concern about safeguarding the homeless programs. Looking
at what we have done, we have gotten in this bill $7.4 billion in
homeless veterans' treatment services, housing, and job training, and
we certainly are going to keep in mind, when we go to conference, what
the gentlewoman has presented us here today.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, let me again express my appreciation.
As I indicated, there is a very solid and strong stand on this bill
regarding providing for our homeless veterans. It is something that we
contend with in our city of Houston, but we are grateful that the local
officials are very concerned about it.
I want to make sure as we go to conference that our focus will
continue to be on making sure that maybe in our lifetime we extinguish
this concept of homeless veterans and homelessness among veterans by
providing them with a pathway to opportunity and success.
So I ask my colleagues to support my amendment, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 34 Offered by Ms. Jackson Lee
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 34
printed in part B of House Report 115-712.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
At the end of division C (before the short title), insert
the following:
Sec. __. The amounts otherwise provided by this Act are
revised by reducing the amount made available for
``Department of Veterans Affairs--Departmental
Administration--Information Technology Systems'' (and the
amount specified under such heading for operations and
maintenance), and by increasing the amount made available in
fiscal year 2019 for ``Veterans Health Administration--
Medical Services'', by $2,500,000 and $2,000,000,
respectively.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 923, the gentlewoman
from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, let me explain the Jackson Lee
amendment, which makes a modest but important improvement to the bill
by increasing the amount of funding for the supportive services for
veterans' families account by $2 million, offset by a certain amount to
the $4 billion allocated to the VA's information technology systems.
Let me read a story that talks about Liz, who is an Army veteran and
a single mom:
After losing her job, she struggled to pay the rent and
provide for her daughter. Liz's landlord said she had always
been an excellent tenant, but his patience was wearing thin
as her recent rent arrears continued to increase.
Disheartened with a fruitless job search and unsure where
else to turn, Liz came to the Veterans Outreach Center. She
was immediately connected with a case manager, an employment
specialist, and an accredited State benefits counselor, and
the Supportive Services for Veteran Families team.
I include in the Record an article about Liz.
``Heroism Knows no Gender''
Liz is an Army Veteran and a single mom. After losing her
job, she struggled to pay the rent and provide for her
daughter. Liz's landlord said she had always been an
excellent tenant but his patience was wearing thin as her
rent arrears continued to increase. Disheartened with a
fruitless job search and unsure of where else to turn, Liz
came to the Veterans Outreach Center (VOC). She was
immediately connected with a Case Manager, an Employment
Specialist, an Accredited State Veterans Benefits Counselor,
and the SSVF team.
In order to avoid the immediate crisis of homelessness, the
Services To Enable Positive Solutions (S.T.E.P.S) program at
the VOC paid Liz's rent arrears, which had escalated to an
amount that was insurmountable. Within a few short days of
connecting with the team at VOC, Liz had a job interview that
resulted in full-time, meaningful employment. In less than a
week, she had a benefits review with an on-site counselor
from the New York State Division of Veterans Affairs during
which she applied for an increase in disability compensation.
The payment of Liz's back rent allowed her and her daughter
to keep a roof over their head. With a roof over their heads
and their living situation stabilized, Liz was able to focus
on her employment and securing her benefits, which are both
components of an Individual Development Plan (IDP) that will
help Liz sustain permanent housing in the future.
The VOC was able to stabilize Liz and her daughter while
concurrently providing the supportive services necessary for
her to maintain permanent housing. The temporary financial
assistance was delivered to the landlord in a timely,
efficient manner with the help of a S.T.E.P.S collaborative
partner. Through coordinated case management, the
aforementioned supportive services were provided quickly and
effectively. The longterm result of this effort is yet to be
determined, but at the 90-day benchmark, Liz has retained
both her job and her home. She has realized this goal
independently, without requesting any additional financial
assistance. Consequently, the VOC was able to better the
lives of a mom (a Veteran) and her child immeasurably through
SSVF funding.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. This is a very conspicuous and daily occurrence that
happens where our veterans are able to go to a supportive team that
understands their service, appreciates their plight, and works to help
them so that they do not go into the cycle of homelessness.
I think it is particularly important when we think about veterans and
their families. They are many times single parents, many times disabled
or with family concerns, mental health needs, and these services that
are provided include healthcare, daily living, legal services,
fiduciary and payee services, personal financial planning, childcare,
transportation, and housing counseling.
Veterans like the Air Force veteran who, hoping to utilize the skills
he learned in the service, instead bounced from job to job after being
discharged, found himself sleeping at night on the cold cement under a
bridge in Chicago. But, of course, he was able to get the
[[Page H4992]]
support from our veterans support services.
This is, again, a valuable statement made by this legislation, and I
ask my colleagues to continue to support the services given by this
particular program.
Again, I hope that we will see the end of homelessness among our
veterans and the increase in support services to help them in their
pathway to success.
Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to support my amendment, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the
amendment, although I do not oppose the amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for
5 minutes.
There was no objection.
{time} 1000
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, our bill includes $340 million for
the Supportive Services for Veteran Family Program, which is $20
million above the President's budget request. But we understand the
gentlewoman's concerns and we will certainly keep them in mind in
conference.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, let me close by acknowledging and
thanking the chairman and ranking member again for their leadership on
this bill and to remind my colleagues that there are a series of
stories of veterans who really needed these services.
Katie, an SSVF caseworker at the Salvation Army Bismarck, received a
call from a veteran named Cherie. Cherie was referred by the family
assistance adviser at the military service center in Bismarck.
According to Cherie, she didn't know the Salvation Army had the
veterans program until she inquired for help.
Cherie approached them. She had suffered a head injury resulting in a
3-inch blood clot, skull fracture, severe concussion. In short, she
suffered traumatic brain injury. While on unpaid medical leave via
physician's orders, she was terminated from her employer.
This is the kind of devastating news that will be heard from veterans
who will seek and receive this kind of help.
Mr. Chairman, I include in the Record articles explaining the plight
of a veteran in Bismarck:
How the Salvation Army Helped a Mother and Her Children Keep Their Home
On December 20, 2011, Katie, an SSVF Caseworker at the
Salvation Army Bismarck Corps, received a call from a Veteran
named Cherie. Cherie was referred by the Family Assistance
Advisor at the Military Service Center in Bismarck, ND.
According to Cherie, she ``didn't know the Salvation Army had
the Veterans program until [she] required help.'' Cherie
approached the SSVF program because on November 19th, she
suffered a head injury resulting in a 3-inch blood clot,
skull fracture and a severe concussion; in short, she
suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). While on unpaid
medical leave via physician's orders, she was terminated from
her employer. A single mother of two, her biggest concern was
maintaining her current residency.
On December 21st, when Cherie met with Katie, she was very
emotional and had difficulty processing her thoughts. She was
extremely overwhelmed with how to pay for her rent and
utilities and provide for her children while unemployed.
Katie provided emotional support as well as resources for a
food box, an application for food stamps through the county,
contact information for a Veterans employment team
representative and lastly, information about a support group
for women Veterans in the Bismarck community. In Cherie's own
words, ``The SSVF assistance provided peace of mind and
helped keep me on my feet, especially with having kids. Katie
has been such a calming influence, good about following up
and very supportive.''
Since Cherie has been involved with the Salvation Army, she
has been able to focus on recovering from her TBI, has found
temporary full-time employment for which permanent placement
is promising, and is able to provide for her children and
keep a roof over their heads. She's also spreading the word
to fellow Veterans throughout the state about the SSVF
program.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. I ask my colleagues to support the program overall
and my amendment.
Mr. Chair, thank you for this opportunity to briefly explain Jackson
Lee Amendment No. 34.
Before I begin, let me express my appreciation and thanks to good
friends, Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz, for
their hard and constructive work in shepherding this legislation to the
floor.
Chairman Calvert and I have worked together constructively for many
years and he has always distinguished himself as one of the more
bipartisan members of the House.
And Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz has for years been one of the
ablest Members of this body; I thank them both for their commitment to
the important work of ensuring that our veterans receive the care and
support they have earned from a grateful nation.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 34 makes a modest but important improvement
to the bill by increasing the amount of funding for the ``Supportive
Services for Veterans' Families'' account by $2 million, offset by a
reduction of $2.5 million to the $4 billion allocated to the VA's
``Information Technology Systems'' account.
Today, in our country, there are approximately 107,000 veterans (male
and female) who are homeless on any given night.
Any perhaps twice as many (200,000) experience homelessness at some
point during the course of a year.
The VA's ``Supportive Services for Veterans' Families'' Program helps
veterans, and their families, who may have fallen on hard times or hit
a rough patch in life and need a little help from the country they
selflessly risked their life to defend.
Homeless veterans or veterans facing homelessness who have minor age
children are in need of special programs that allow housing that
welcomes children.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 34 will enable this vital program to serve
more veterans' families in need of help by provide a bit more funding
for grants to private non-profit organizations and consumer
cooperatives that provide supportive services to very low-income
veteran families living in or transitioning to permanent housing.
The SSVF Program ensures that eligible veteran families receive the
outreach, case management, and assistance in obtaining VA and other
benefits.
These services may include health care, daily living, legal services,
fiduciary and payee services, personal financial planning, child care,
transportation, housing counseling.
The SSVF Program enables VA staff and local homeless service
providers to work together to effectively address the unique challenges
that make it difficult for some veterans and their families to remain
stably housed.
Many homeless veterans, including in my own state of Texas, lack
housing because they lost their job or could no longer afford rent;
many suffer from an untreated mental illness that keeps them from
working.
Every day the SSVF program makes a real difference in the lives of
real people.
Veterans like the Air Force veteran who, hoping to utilize the skills
he learned in the service, instead bounced from job to job after being
discharged and found himself sleeping at night on the cold cement under
a bridge in Chicago.
Through the Thresholds Veterans Project, funded through the SSVF,
this hero received steady community service support and eventually was
placed in his own studio apartment.
He now says, in his own words: I have a home. I enjoy bein' inside.''
Veterans like the one in Texas who because he lost his job at a
manufacturing plant and was unable to pay the bills, was forced to seek
shelter for himself and his family at a homeless shelter.
Fortunately, the homeless shelter was a SSVF grantee and was able to
assist the veteran obtain employment and his family in securing
affordable low-cost housing.
There are thousands of similar success stories made possible by the
SSVF Program that I could share but all of them share a common theme:
they involve veterans who served their country proudly, fell down on
their luck, picked themselves back up, and found affordable and
sustainable housing for their families because of the assistance and
support made possible by the SSVF program.
Ensuring that veterans have a place of their own to call home is the
very least we can do.
I urge my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee Amendment and commit
ourselves to the hard but necessary work of ending veteran homelessness
in America.
I urge my colleagues to support Jackson Lee Amendment No. 34.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 35 Offered by Mr. Walberg
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 35
printed in part B of House Report 115-712.
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
[[Page H4993]]
At the end of division C (before the short title), insert
the following:
Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to implement,
administer, or enforce section 17.3240 of title 38, Code of
Federal Regulations, as proposed in 82 Fed. Reg. 48018
(October 16, 2017).
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 923, the gentleman
from Michigan (Mr. Walberg) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my commonsense
amendment to ensure our Nation's injured and amputee veterans will
continue to have the ability to choose the orthotist or prosthetist
that best meets his or her healthcare needs, whether that practitioner
is a VA employee or a VA-contracted provider.
The VA currently is proposing a rule that I fear will reverse a
decades-old policy of allowing injured and amputee veterans to choose
who provides their artificial limbs and orthotic braces. The VA would
have the sole authority to make what they describe as this
``administrative business decision.''
But choice of provider is a clinical decision and an important
patient protection. These men and women have sacrificed greatly for our
country and it is imperative we do everything we can to make sure they
receive the timely and patient-centered healthcare they have earned and
deserve.
O&P care is very intimate and specialized, and the correct
practitioner for that veteran makes all the difference in the lifestyle
the veteran leads. We should do everything we can do in our power to
make the often difficult and frustrating transition from service to
civilian life as easy as possible, especially when veterans have
incurred a disabling condition.
This has been a very important issue to me, and I would like to take
the time to thank my colleague, Representative Rutherford, for working
with me on this amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I would also like to thank both the Appropriations
Committee and the Veterans' Affairs Committee for working with me on
this important and timely issue.
Mr. Chairman, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and empower
our veterans in making their personal healthcare decisions, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the
amendment, although I do not oppose the amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for
5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, we understand that to allay
concerns regarding this proposed rule, the VA is planning to propose a
supplemental rule to amend it. But we will monitor the situation. As we
move to conference with the Senate, we will keep this in mind and be
glad to work the gentleman.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for his commitment
and I certainly respect his position and that he will carry that out. I
have legislation to do this, but this is the opportunity to at least
make the point and give some certainty to our veterans that their care
has and will be taken in deep and grateful consideration.
Mr. Chairman, I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment and
empower our veterans in making their personal healthcare decisions, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 36 Offered by Ms. Eshoo
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 36
printed in part B of House Report 115-712.
Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
At the end of division C (before the short title) insert
the following new section:
Sec. __. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available by this division may be used to convey the 17.1
acres of land and the 126 existing housing units known as
Shenandoah Square and located in Mountain View, California.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 923, the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Eshoo) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Chairman, this amendment will prevent the Army from
moving forward with its plan to sell 17 acres of Federal land and 126
military housing units known as Shenandoah Square in the heart of my
congressional district.
Shenandoah Square is located next to Moffett Federal Airfield in
Mountain View, California, and houses 108 military and civilian
families serving in the Air National Guard, the Army National Guard,
the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Marine Corps.
Established in 2004, Shenandoah Square is part of the California
Military Communities privatized military housing entity, which consists
of 2,900 homes located at Fort Irwin, Camp Parks, Moffett Federal
Airfield, and Shenandoah Square.
This entity is overleveraged and is in hundreds of millions of
dollars in debt because of the Army's decision to overinvest in housing
at Fort Irwin that assumed greater than realized gains in the Basic
Housing Allowance provided to servicemembers.
Now the Army is justifying its sale of Shenandoah Square on the
grounds that there is declining demand for military housing in the bay
area, but this is hardly the case. In fact, it is absurd.
I have met with the families and servicemembers living at Shenandoah
Square who serve in the region with the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps,
Navy, and the Coast Guard. The residents have consistently raised
concerns that the property management company contracted by the Army
has been working to drive out the remaining military personnel living
in the Shenandoah complex to artificially depress military demand for
housing to justify its decision to sell the land.
My Silicon Valley district is facing one of the most severe housing
crises in the country, and the 17 acres of land that Shenandoah sits on
is some of the most valuable in our entire country. Clearly, the Army
is selling Shenandoah Square to pay down the debt it created and keep
the California Military Communities entity from going bankrupt. This is
really wrong and does a huge disservice to the military families living
in this housing.
This House is already on record expressing concerns about the Army's
plans to sell Shenandoah Square. I offered an amendment to the National
Defense Authorization Act for 2019 expressing the sense of Congress
that the Army should explore all possible alternatives to a sale,
including subleasing the property to an entity that can better develop
affordable housing on the property, and the amendment was adopted by a
voice vote.
The Army can pursue a win-win situation by subleasing this land to
one of the many willing partners in Silicon Valley seeking to develop
housing and generate a regular stream of income to make this LLC whole
again, but they refuse to.
Mr. Chairman, I want to make something very clear. I would support
new housing for our military families if they included our military
families. They are offering housing for 8 families, when we have 109. I
think that this is really unacceptable.
We can't allow military families to be left without housing as they
serve our country in one of the most expensive housing markets in the
country. That is why I urge my colleagues to do the right thing and
support this amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition,
although I will not oppose the amendment.
The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Byrne). Without objection, the gentleman is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, the FY2018 omnibus included report
language asking the Army to look at alternatives for conveying this
property. We have yet to receive this report. This amendment has no
effect, as
[[Page H4994]]
the underlying bill does not include any funding for the conveyance of
this property.
Mr. Chairman, for that reason, I will not oppose the amendment, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman. I urge my colleagues
to support my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 37 Offered by Mr. Peters
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 37
printed in part B of House Report 115-712.
Mr. PETERS. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
At the end of division C (before the short title), insert
the following:
Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to transfer
funds made available for the following programs:
(1) The Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program.
(2) The Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans program.
(3) The Supportive Services for Veteran Families program.
(4) The Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Veterans Affairs Supported Housing (HUD-VASH)
programs.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 923, the gentleman
from California (Mr. Peters) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
Mr. PETERS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to
division C of the Appropriations bill related to the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
In September 2017, the VA issued a plan to shift funding away from
programs that helped homeless veterans. After national outcry, the
proposal was tabled, but that attempt is the reason for my amendment.
Its goal is simple: It prohibits taking funding from VA programs that
provide services to homeless veterans, including the Homeless Providers
Grant and Per Diem program, a clinical rehabilitation and treatment
program, the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program, and HUD-
VASH housing vouchers.
Congress has made money available in a bipartisan way to reduce
homelessness for veterans. It is unconscionable that the VA would use
funds specifically intended for that purpose on another purpose.
San Diego County has the third-largest veterans population
nationwide, behind Los Angeles and Maricopa Counties. This is why,
since being elected, I have worked with my colleagues to provide more
funding and services to veterans who are homeless or at risk of
becoming homeless. I have furthered this work over the last year and a
half as a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
These vets took an oath to protect our country, and now America must
keep its promise to take care of them. They should not be struggling,
and they most certainly should not be living on the streets.
San Diego has achieved some progress in getting vets off the streets
and into housing in recent years. Other cities, like Salt Lake City,
New Orleans, and Houston, have reached functional zero, which means
that homelessness among veterans is rare, brief, and nonrecurring. But
across the country, the problem is still far too prevalent.
I ask my colleagues to support this amendment that will help protect
valuable resources that our veterans desperately need, and I look
forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to
fund veterans homelessness programs and to make sure that Federal
dollars committed to that purpose are used for that important need.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition,
although I do not oppose the amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentlewoman from Florida is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, the committee opposed the
Department's tentative decision last fall to convert almost a billion
dollars of funding for homeless programs from special purpose funding
to general purpose funding.
This action would have been a fundamental change to the manner in
which medical care funding is allocated to the field, and I support
giving more local flexibility to Veterans Integrated Service Networks
and medical center directors.
{time} 1015
However, I strongly support transparency when it comes to changing
the levels that Congress sets for VA programs.
We are the appropriations institution. We are the ones that make
those decisions. The proposed realignment by VA would have potentially
risked funding for essential programs such as the Supportive Services
for Veteran Families Program.
Thankfully, after numerous discussions with the committee and public
outrage, the Department decided not to move forward with its proposal
in FY18. We fully expect for the VA to comply with the levels that we
set for programs; and if the levels need to be adjusted, then the VA
must consult with Congress before making changes.
I thank the gentleman from California for his amendment, and I
believe it sends a strong message to the Department that it must
respect congressional priorities.
I urge all Members to support the gentleman's amendment, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Peters).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 38 Offered by Mr. Ratcliffe
The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 38
printed in part B of House Report 115-712.
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
At the end of division C (before the short title) insert
the following:
Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used to propose, plan for, or execute a new or additional
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 923, the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Chair, I would like to thank Chairman Carter and
Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz for their hard work on behalf of the
63,000 veterans in my district, as well as servicemembers and veterans
across the country.
Mr. Chairman, I am grateful to once again have the opportunity to
offer this important amendment, which would simply prohibit any funds
made available in this act from being used to propose, to plan for, or
to execute a new or additional round of BRAC.
Mr. Chairman, I am privileged to represent the Fourth Congressional
District of Texas, which is home to the Red River Army Depot. The Depot
has supported the warfighter since 1941; and although the Depot
community has weathered a lot of changes over the years, its commitment
to mission has remained the same. On the placards inside of every
vehicle are the words ``We build it as if our lives depend on it.
Theirs do.''
The Depot is a vital job creator in northeast Texas, and it is a
critical component, Mr. Chairman, of our national defense. In this
fiscal environment, we have to be careful stewards of taxpayer dollars
and focus our limited resources on addressing critical national
security objectives and our military readiness. Having another round of
BRAC simply won't help us achieve this goal.
To that point, the Government Accountability Office said that the
last round of BRAC back in 2005 cost the American taxpayers over $35
billion, which was 67 percent more than the original cost estimate.
Starting another round of BRAC would weaken our capabilities while
[[Page H4995]]
increasing our vulnerabilities in the face of critical threats facing
our Nation right now.
I would like to thank my colleagues who have supported this important
amendment for the past 3 years, and I look forward to having this
amendment included in the MILCON-VA appropriations bill.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to
the amendment.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Florida is recognized for 5
minutes.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I do oppose this amendment. I, like
many Members, have concerns and share the gentleman's concerns about
another round of BRAC. I realize that this is a complex issue for all
Members of Congress, especially those with military facilities in their
district.
I know that previous rounds of BRAC have ended up being far more
expensive and expansive than we were initially led to believe. However,
I have concerns about maintaining the infrastructure that the
Department of Defense doesn't need. For example, the estimate of excess
capacity for the Army is 22 percent. The Air Force's estimate of excess
capacity is roughly 30 percent.
I can tell you that, since I became the ranking member of this
subcommittee, when I have traveled around the world, almost to a
person, when we have spoken to a leader on a military base, they raise
the issue of needing to go through another round of BRAC. Both the Army
and the Air Force are strong supporters of another BRAC round.
While this amendment has no real effect, it does send a message that
Congress is unwilling to tackle a tough issue. This amendment is an
abdication of our duties as Members of this House to ensure taxpayer
resources are being used in a wise and fiscally responsible way.
Therefore, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and have a
serious conversation about another BRAC round.
While I am not suggesting that we support another BRAC round, we
should not be tying our hands by taking it off the table.
Mr. Chair, I urge Members to oppose the amendment, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Chair, I yield to my colleague from Texas,
Chairman Carter.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the
gentleman's amendment. I want to reassure my fellow Texans that this
subcommittee is committed to protecting the installations in the great
State of Texas, and I will be on top of that.
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, just to reiterate, we shouldn't be
taking any method that gives us an opportunity to be fiscally
responsible and save money off the table.
Our friends on the other side of the aisle consistently talk a good
game about being fiscally responsible, blow holes in the deficit by
passing massive tax scam legislation of a $1.5 trillion deficit
expansion, and include amendments like this one that prevent the
military, who have asked repeatedly to be able to at least engage in a
discussion about another BRAC round, to save millions of dollars and
close facilities that are no longer needed. Yet, the last several
years, the majority has refused to make the tough decisions and at
least have a discussion about this.
It is not responsible. Certainly not fiscally responsible. Mr. Chair,
I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe).
The amendment was agreed to.
Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chair, I move to strike the last word.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from New Jersey is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, as we complete debate on these three
bills and these amendments, I would like to say a few words in closing.
I know I join my ranking member, Mrs. Lowey, in thanking our
colleagues for the very constructive and civil debate over the last
couple of days. I thank the chairman, certainly Judge Carter, as well
as Ms. Wasserman Schultz and their counterparts for the other two
bills, for being involved in work products that have been part of an
open and collaborative process.
The Appropriations Committee received over 57,000 Member requests to
our database and through our Member Day hearings, the majority of which
are reflected in the bills that have been discussed over the last
couple of days.
Secondly, now Members have the opportunity to further make their mark
through the amendment process on the floor. The result, after two days
here, is that we have legislation that truly represents the priorities
of the American people. These priorities include caring for our
veterans, our troops, and their families; rebuilding our Armed Forces;
sustaining our national defense; and investing in essential
infrastructure that grows our economy and creates jobs.
I urge all of my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, to
support these bills. These are bills that fund Federal programs that
all Americans, especially our veterans and our troops, rely on to keep
themselves safe, protect their lives and livelihoods, and preserve our
Nation's ideals. These are programs that all of us can support.
H.R. 5895 begins the 2019 appropriations process on a strong footing
and fulfills our commitment to the American people that we will get our
work done on their behalf, and I urge my colleagues to pass the bill as
we go ahead to vote in the near future.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The Chair understands that amendment No. 39 will
not be offered.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, as the designee of Ranking Member
Lowey, I move to strike the last word.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Florida is recognized for 5
minutes.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman of
the full committee and our ranking member, Mrs. Lowey, for the
incredible work that they have done to get us to this point.
While in the minority we have had some concerns about the process,
the opportunity to work closely side by side with our colleagues, the
opportunity that I had to work with Chairman Dent and looking forward
to working with Chairman Carter, is really an example of how we should
be working together throughout the entire legislative process.
I want to thank our staff for doing a remarkable job on this work
product, and I look forward to continuing to conference.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chair, as the designee of Ranking Member Lowey, I
move to strike the last word.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from California is recognized for 5
minutes.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chair, I acknowledge the work of the appropriators.
As an appropriator myself, I have great respect for the work that they
do. But I have concerns about the bill that is before us on the floor
today.
Mr. Chair, as you know, a budget should be a statement of our
national values. What is important to us as a Nation should be how we
allocate our resources in that budget, and its manifestations in terms
of appropriations bills should not be doing harm. This is really a
partisan spending bill that tramples over some of our American values,
gutting smart investments in our economy, hurting Americans' health,
and endangering families.
The Republicans are pushing forward a minibus appropriations bill
that fails to protect the interests of the American people.
Many of us have been attracted to the political process--as moms, as
parents--to effect public policy to promote the well-being of our
children in ways that are beyond our own control. We can give them all
the love, attention, and care, but we cannot guarantee the quality of
air that they breathe, the cleanliness of the water that they drink,
and the world in which they live in terms of the environment.
[[Page H4996]]
So I have very serious concerns about the danger posed in the Energy
and Water portion of this bill. It cuts vital clean energy initiatives,
even as gas prices surge because of the President's reckless policies.
It attacks job-creating investments in transformational energy
technologies and slashes funding for critical nuclear nonproliferation
priorities.
In terms of the children of whom I spoke earlier, this GOP bill also
includes unacceptable poison pill riders that permit deadly firearms to
be carried on public land, assaults the clean water our children drink,
encourages pollution of our oceans, and pushes our Nation's already
endangered species toward extinction.
This bad bill is a first step in the Republicans' plan to choke off
funding--and this is really the critical part of it for me--for vital
Democratic priorities for America's families later in the
appropriations process. It paves the way for their plan to starve key
investments in health, education, and good-paying jobs for communities
across the country.
Mr. Chairman, the Republicans are wasting everyone's time when we
should be focused on meeting the urgent needs of the American people.
The majority has spent this entire Congress stacking the deck for
special interests, as they do in these poison pills in this bill, while
undermining the interests of families.
The Democrats are focusing on what matters in the lives of the
American people. We are committed to giving the American people A
Better Deal: Better Jobs, Better Pay, Better Future; and for our
children, not to promote air pollution, which is what this bill would
do, but to eliminate it.
I urge my colleagues to join in voting ``no'' on this bill for our
economy. You know what the sad part of it is: it is so close to doing a
better job for the American people. The poison pills take it in a bad
direction. The process under which it was put forth is harmful to other
priorities that I know we share in a bipartisan way across the aisle.
Hopefully we can work more closely as we go forward in a bipartisan
way. That is the tradition of the Appropriations Committee.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chair, I move to strike the last word.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from New Jersey is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chair, with all due respect to the minority
leader, the process has been collaborative, Republicans and Democrats.
These are the three bills that have historically received both
Republican and Democratic support. They embody American values.
What could be more important than looking after our veterans and
their families? Energy and water, infrastructure. We are enormously
proud of the work of both the chairs and ranking members. I urge
Members, both Republicans and Democrats, to support these bills, as
they historically have done, and look after the interests of the
American people, especially those who serve in our military today and
those who have paid the supreme sacrifice.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
{time} 1030
Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now
rise.
The motion was agreed to.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr.
Zeldin) having assumed the chair, Mr. Byrne, Acting Chair of the
Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that
that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5895)
making appropriations for energy and water development and related
agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for other
purposes, had come to no resolution thereon.
____________________