[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 7, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H2728-H2729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              SUPPORT AN AMENDMENT TO THE RESCISSIONS BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 1995, the gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. Montgomery] is 
recognized during morning business for 2 minutes.
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from 
Florida [Ms. Brown] and the gentleman from Guam [Mr. Underwood] for 
giving me part of their time.
  Madam Speaker, I rise to support, and I hope all Members would 
support, an amendment to the rescissions bill. This amendment would 
restore the $206 million for veterans' programs which the Committee on 
Appropriations proposes to rescind.
  Madam Speaker, I hope the Committee on Rules will permit us to offer 
a clean amendment to restore these funds.
  The six VA projects which the committee has recommended be canceled 
are needed in order to improve access to necessary outpatient care in 
an area where over 1 million veterans reside.
  Rather than producing real savings, the proposed rescissions would 
tend to have the opposite effect because they would cut projects aimed 
at making VA health care delivery more cost-effective.
  As the President of the United States said yesterday, ``These cuts 
would harm those veterans who most need the Nation's help.'' Enacting 
this measure would contradict the Speaker's assurance to me in January 
that Congress would not cut veterans' programs.
  Madam Speaker, in some parts of the country the VA really does not 
have the proper health facilities to meet the veterans' needs. I am 
told that the clinics are too small. For example, in Puerto Rico eye 
doctors are forced to perform eye examinations in hallways. Many VA 
outpatient clinics were built so long ago that there is no privacy for 
women veterans. In most of these older facilities, there is only one 
examining 
 [[Page H2729]] room per doctor. We would like to provide two examining 
rooms for each doctor, which would facilitate and speed up the process. 
We hope we will have the support when we offer this amendment to 
restore the $206 million cut by the Committee on Appropriations.

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