[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 14, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H4104-H4107]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS AND RELATED AGENCIES
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2012
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule XIX,
consideration of the bill (H.R. 2055) making appropriations for
military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related
agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other
purposes, will now resume.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the engrossment and third
reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was
read the third time.
Motion to Recommit
Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentleman opposed to the bill?
Mr. OWENS. I am opposed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to
recommit.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. Owens moves to recommit the bill H.R. 2055 to the
Committee on Appropriations with instructions to report the
same back to the House forthwith with the following
amendment:
Page 30, line 17, insert before the period at the end the
following: ``Provided further, That, in addition to the funds
made available by Public Law 112-10 for `Department of
Veterans Affairs, Medical Services' for fiscal year 2012, an
additional $20,000,000 is appropriated for such account for
advertising of assistance and services for the prevention of
suicide among veterans (as authorized by section 532 of title
38, United States Code) for such fiscal year''.
Page 35, line 4, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced
by $25,000,000)''.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve a point of order against the
gentleman's motion.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. A point of order is reserved.
The gentleman from New York is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer this final amendment for the
benefit of those men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, as
well as for veterans of all wars in need of care.
There's been much debate in the House today about hard choices. Our
veterans made hard choices, made difficult decisions, and many of them
suffer because of that.
[[Page H4105]]
This amendment is fiscally responsible as it is fully paid for and,
most importantly, it takes care of veterans. We are asking that
approximately $20 million be appropriated for such account to assist in
the prevention of suicide among veterans.
I know as a young man--actually, as a young boy--I had uncles from
World War I, friends of my father's from World War II who suffered from
PTSD. It wasn't known by that term then, but clearly they did.
When you go to Walter Reed, when you go to Fort Drum and you look
into the eyes of the young men and women returning from Afghanistan and
Iraq, you can see the pain. This is what we are called to deal with
today.
America's troops have served with honor and distinction,
accomplishing tremendous progress in Iraq and Afghanistan. While we
have gone to great lengths ensuring that they have what they need to
accomplish the mission, it is the will and determination of the average
servicemember that is winning the fight for our country.
The current wars have demanded much of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and
marines overseas who carry out their mission under constant threat from
enemy fire, IEDs, and other dangers, all the while away from their
family and friends back home. In short, the men and women of the Armed
Forces are winning this fight through their incredible personal
sacrifice.
As we all know, this sacrifice often includes great cost to the
physical well-being of returning veterans, as well as mental health
concerns from PTSD and traumatic brain injury. It is our duty, out of
respect for their sacrifice, to ensure that every benefit they have
earned is available to all returning servicemembers. We can and must do
more to care for them. This includes increased services to address PTSD
and TBI, as well as adequate mental health services to prevent the
tragedy of suicide among returning combat veterans.
As the Representative for Fort Drum, the most deployed unit in the
United States Army, I am especially committed to seeing that members of
the Armed Forces are afforded everything they need when they return
home to their families and our communities. This amendment provides an
additional $20 million for veteran medical services to give the
Veterans Administration the resources it needs to provide these
essential services.
My amendment is fully offset and fulfills America's commitment to the
heroes that have sacrificed so much to defend America. I urge a ``yes''
vote on this final amendment.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CULBERSON. I rise in opposition to the motion.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Does the gentleman from Texas continue to
reserve his point of order?
Mr. CULBERSON. Yes, I do.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas is recognized for 5
minutes in opposition to the motion.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I would point out that the Subcommittee
on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs has worked in an arm-in-
arm, bipartisan way in support of our troops, in support of our
veterans. And we have provided funding for every need that was
presented to the committee to help our men and women in uniform do the
job that they do every day defending this Nation, to help our veterans
as they move out of active duty into retired status, to help the
Veterans Administration treat not only the veterans who have suffered
or been injured in combat in defense of this Nation, but also those
veterans who have suffered in some way psychological trauma that would
put them at risk of suicide, a growing problem, and one that the
committee is deeply concerned about, and, in fact, the committee has
fully funded at the President's request of $69.9 million. The committee
has provided essentially $70 million at the President's request, at the
request of the Veterans Administration. We have fully funded in every
way the request of the professionals in this area, what they believe is
necessary to meet the need that they have determined is out there among
the veterans of this Nation.
One of the great joys I know that all of us have as Members of
Congress is to provide the support that is necessary for our men and
women in uniform to do the extraordinarily difficult job that they
confront every day and to ensure that their families have the peace of
mind that their son, their daughter, their father, their husband, their
loved one has been given every piece of equipment, every possible
support logistically with the love and comfort and prayers that we all
send them with their families.
{time} 1350
We as Members of Congress also have a sacred obligation to ensure
that those men and women who are out there defending us don't ever need
to look over their shoulder, that they don't ever need to worry that
they are lacking in any way the equipment, the support. Everything that
they might possibly need in the course of their day defending this
Nation we have made sure, on the Appropriations Committee, that the men
and women in uniform have. We've made sure that the Veterans
Administration hospitals across the Nation have everything they need to
take care of our men and women in uniform who have retired and gone on
to the private sector to work in some other capacity.
As a general rule, I've heard the number, the average time, that a
man or woman serving the Nation may serve in uniform is--I think the
numbers I've heard are about 36 months, but they will spend the rest of
their life in the care of the Veterans Administration. And it's an
extraordinarily important trust that our subcommittee takes very
personally, as a truly sacred obligation on our part to make sure that
these wonderful men and women, these extraordinarily courageous men and
women who have sacrificed so much have everything they need when they
move into the VA system, that the VA Hospital is providing them with
the very best possible medical care, physically, mentally--and suicide
prevention, in fact, is one of those areas that we on the subcommittee
have fully funded and worked again in a bipartisan way.
In fact, our committee as a whole has always worked together in a
very bipartisan way, and particularly the subcommittees that deal with
the men and women in uniform. Whether it be the Military Construction,
the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee, or the Defense Subcommittee, the
members of the Appropriations Committee don't pay attention to party
labels. We're focused on what's best for the men and women of the
United States military. We're focused on what's best for their families
and for the Veterans Administration, the health care that our men and
women in uniform are given physically--again, mentally. And without
regard to party, without regard to any other distinction other than
what's good for these men and women who serve our Nation, we have
worked together without really any real serious disagreements.
We, of course, have a problem today in the Nation of unprecedented
debt, unprecedented deficits, record unfunded liabilities. And the new
conservative majority that controls the House today is determined to do
everything we can to reduce the unconscionable burden that's being
passed on to our children and grandchildren. So we have found savings
in this bill in money that was unspent, in accounts where money has
been set aside for years and unspent, where savings have been produced
from reduced cost of concrete and steel, reduced bid savings, for
example, that we then returned that money to the taxpayers. We found
areas that we could save money, but not at the expense of our men and
women in uniform.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman from Texas has
expired.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I wish to withdraw my reservation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The reservation of the point of order is
withdrawn.
Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to
recommit.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 and clause 9 of rule
XX,
[[Page H4106]]
this 15-minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by 5-
minute votes on the passage of H.R. 2055 and adoption of House
Resolution 300.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 184,
nays 234, not voting 14, as follows:
[Roll No. 417]
YEAS--184
Ackerman
Altmire
Baca
Baldwin
Barrow
Bass (CA)
Becerra
Berkley
Berman
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Boren
Boswell
Brady (PA)
Braley (IA)
Brown (FL)
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardoza
Carnahan
Carney
Carson (IN)
Castor (FL)
Chandler
Chu
Cicilline
Clarke (MI)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly (VA)
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Costello
Courtney
Critz
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis (IL)
DeFazio
DeGette
DeLauro
Deutch
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Donnelly (IN)
Doyle
Edwards
Ellison
Engel
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Frank (MA)
Fudge
Garamendi
Gohmert
Gonzalez
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hanabusa
Hastings (FL)
Heinrich
Higgins
Himes
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hirono
Hochul
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hoyer
Inslee
Israel
Jackson Lee (TX)
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Jones
Kaptur
Keating
Kildee
Kind
Kissell
Kucinich
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lofgren, Zoe
Lowey
Lujan
Lynch
Maloney
Markey
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McIntyre
McNerney
Meeks
Michaud
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Moore
Moran
Murphy (CT)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Olver
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peters
Peterson
Pingree (ME)
Polis
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rahall
Reyes
Richardson
Richmond
Ross (AR)
Rothman (NJ)
Ruppersberger
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schrader
Schwartz
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Sewell
Sherman
Shuler
Sires
Smith (WA)
Stark
Sutton
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Tonko
Towns
Tsongas
Van Hollen
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walz (MN)
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watt
Waxman
Welch
Wilson (FL)
Woolsey
Wu
Yarmuth
NAYS--234
Adams
Aderholt
Akin
Alexander
Amash
Austria
Bachmann
Bachus
Barletta
Bartlett
Barton (TX)
Bass (NH)
Benishek
Berg
Biggert
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Bonner
Bono Mack
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Brooks
Buchanan
Bucshon
Buerkle
Burgess
Burton (IN)
Calvert
Camp
Campbell
Canseco
Cantor
Capito
Carter
Cassidy
Chabot
Chaffetz
Coble
Coffman (CO)
Cole
Conaway
Cravaack
Crawford
Crenshaw
Culberson
Davis (KY)
Denham
Dent
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Dold
Dreier
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers
Emerson
Farenthold
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Flake
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Gardner
Garrett
Gerlach
Gibbs
Gibson
Gingrey (GA)
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (MO)
Griffin (AR)
Griffith (VA)
Grimm
Guinta
Guthrie
Hall
Hanna
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Hastings (WA)
Hayworth
Heck
Hensarling
Herger
Herrera Beutler
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurt
Issa
Jenkins
Johnson (IL)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jordan
Kelly
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kinzinger (IL)
Kline
Labrador
Lamborn
Lance
Landry
Lankford
Latham
LaTourette
Latta
Lewis (CA)
LoBiondo
Long
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lummis
Lungren, Daniel E.
Mack
Manzullo
Marchant
Marino
McCarthy (CA)
McCaul
McClintock
McCotter
McHenry
McKeon
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
Meehan
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Mulvaney
Murphy (PA)
Myrick
Neugebauer
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Nunnelee
Olson
Palazzo
Paul
Paulsen
Pearce
Pence
Petri
Pitts
Platts
Poe (TX)
Pompeo
Posey
Price (GA)
Quayle
Reed
Rehberg
Reichert
Renacci
Ribble
Rigell
Rivera
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Rooney
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross (FL)
Royce
Runyan
Ryan (WI)
Scalise
Schilling
Schmidt
Schock
Schweikert
Scott (SC)
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Southerland
Stearns
Stutzman
Sullivan
Terry
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tipton
Turner
Upton
Walberg
Walden
Walsh (IL)
Webster
West
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
Young (IN)
NOT VOTING--14
Andrews
Broun (GA)
Eshoo
Giffords
Jackson (IL)
Lee (CA)
Rangel
Rokita
Roybal-Allard
Rush
Slaughter
Speier
Stivers
Weiner
{time} 1419
Messrs. CASSIDY and SCOTT of South Carolina and Mrs. MYRICK changed
their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Messrs. CARSON of Indiana, BUTTERFIELD, OLVER and ELLISON changed
their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the motion to recommit was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Miller of Michigan). The question is on
the passage of the bill.
Under clause 10 of rule XX, the yeas and nays are ordered.
This will be a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 411,
nays 5, not voting 16, as follows:
[Roll No. 418]
YEAS--411
Ackerman
Adams
Aderholt
Akin
Alexander
Altmire
Austria
Baca
Bachmann
Bachus
Baldwin
Barletta
Barrow
Bartlett
Barton (TX)
Bass (CA)
Bass (NH)
Becerra
Benishek
Berg
Berkley
Berman
Biggert
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Blumenauer
Bonner
Bono Mack
Boren
Boswell
Boustany
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Braley (IA)
Brooks
Brown (FL)
Buchanan
Bucshon
Buerkle
Burgess
Burton (IN)
Butterfield
Calvert
Camp
Canseco
Cantor
Capito
Capps
Capuano
Cardoza
Carnahan
Carney
Carson (IN)
Carter
Cassidy
Castor (FL)
Chabot
Chaffetz
Chandler
Chu
Cicilline
Clarke (MI)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Coble
Coffman (CO)
Cohen
Conaway
Connolly (VA)
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Costello
Courtney
Cravaack
Crawford
Crenshaw
Critz
Crowley
Cuellar
Culberson
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis (KY)
DeFazio
DeGette
DeLauro
Denham
Dent
DesJarlais
Deutch
Diaz-Balart
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Dold
Donnelly (IN)
Doyle
Dreier
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Edwards
Ellison
Ellmers
Emerson
Engel
Farenthold
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Frank (MA)
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Fudge
Gallegly
Garamendi
Gardner
Garrett
Gerlach
Gibbs
Gibson
Gingrey (GA)
Gohmert
Gonzalez
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (MO)
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Griffin (AR)
Griffith (VA)
Grijalva
Grimm
Guinta
Guthrie
Gutierrez
Hall
Hanabusa
Hanna
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Hastings (FL)
Hastings (WA)
Hayworth
Heck
Heinrich
Hensarling
Herrera Beutler
Higgins
Himes
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hirono
Hochul
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hoyer
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurt
Inslee
Israel
Issa
Jackson Lee (TX)
Jenkins
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Jones
Jordan
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly
Kildee
Kind
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kinzinger (IL)
Kissell
Kline
Kucinich
Labrador
Lamborn
Lance
Landry
Langevin
Lankford
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latham
LaTourette
Latta
Levin
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Lofgren, Zoe
Long
Lowey
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lujan
Lummis
Lungren, Daniel E.
Lynch
Mack
Maloney
Manzullo
Marchant
Marino
Markey
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (CA)
McCarthy (NY)
McCaul
McClintock
McCollum
McCotter
McDermott
McGovern
McHenry
McIntyre
McKeon
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
McNerney
Meehan
Meeks
Mica
Michaud
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller (NC)
Miller, Gary
Miller, George
Moore
Moran
Mulvaney
Murphy (CT)
Murphy (PA)
Myrick
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Neugebauer
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Nunnelee
Olson
Olver
Owens
Palazzo
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Paulsen
Payne
Pearce
Pelosi
Pence
Perlmutter
Peters
Peterson
Petri
Pingree (ME)
Pitts
Platts
Poe (TX)
Polis
Pompeo
Posey
[[Page H4107]]
Price (GA)
Price (NC)
Quayle
Quigley
Rahall
Reed
Rehberg
Reichert
Renacci
Reyes
Ribble
Richardson
Richmond
Rigell
Rivera
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Rooney
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross (AR)
Ross (FL)
Rothman (NJ)
Royce
Runyan
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Ryan (WI)
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Scalise
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schilling
Schmidt
Schock
Schrader
Schwartz
Schweikert
Scott (SC)
Scott (VA)
Scott, Austin
Scott, David
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Sewell
Sherman
Shimkus
Shuler
Shuster
Simpson
Sires
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Southerland
Stark
Stearns
Stutzman
Sullivan
Sutton
Terry
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tierney
Tipton
Tonko
Towns
Tsongas
Turner
Upton
Van Hollen
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walberg
Walden
Walsh (IL)
Walz (MN)
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watt
Waxman
Webster
Welch
West
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Wilson (FL)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Womack
Woodall
Woolsey
Wu
Yarmuth
Yoder
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
Young (IN)
NAYS--5
Amash
Campbell
Duncan (TN)
Flake
Paul
NOT VOTING--16
Andrews
Broun (GA)
Cole
Davis (IL)
Eshoo
Giffords
Herger
Jackson (IL)
Lee (CA)
Rangel
Rokita
Roybal-Allard
Slaughter
Speier
Stivers
Weiner
Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote). There are 2 minutes
remaining in this vote.
{time} 1426
So the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________