[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 11, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1506-S1507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 3521

  Mr. VITTER. Madam President, I rise to again advocate that we move 
forward, we come together across the aisle as Democrats and Republicans 
to agree on what we do agree on and to do some things constructively--
specifically, to help veterans across our country.
  There are 27 community-based VA clinics that are on the books at the 
Veterans' Administration ready to go. The VA is ready to break ground, 
move forward, and build these expanded community-based clinics to serve 
areas around the country and veterans around the country in a much 
better way. I am particularly interested because 2 of those 27 clinics 
are in Louisiana, in Lafayette and in Lake Charles.
  All of these clinics have gotten stuck in the mud through several 
rounds of bureaucratic delay at the VA--funding delays, authorization 
delays, and a dispute about whether moving forward with these clinics 
was kosher under the budget rules. We have solved all of those 
problems. We have figured out solutions to all of those problems that 
satisfies everyone. The House of Representatives has taken those 
solutions, put them together in a bill and passed it overwhelmingly out 
of the House with over 400 votes in support--virtually unanimous. Now 
we are on the Senate floor and all we have to do is take that bill, 
adopt a simple noncontroversial amendment and pass it through the 
Senate. No one in the Senate disagrees with the substance of this bill. 
No one disagrees with the substance of the amendment we would add to 
this bill. No one disagrees with the importance of moving forward with 
these 27 VA clinics. Yet we are still finding it difficult to move this 
simple noncontroversial matter through the Senate. Why? Because, quite 
frankly, some of our colleagues who have a much bigger, broader 
veterans package want to hold this hostage for their veterans package. 
While I applaud their sincerity, I applaud their passion, I think we 
should agree on what we can agree on and move forward with what we 
agree on. Let's not get bogged down and defeat 27 very important 
community-based veterans clinics because there are major and sincere 
disagreements about the much broader package.
  I also think it will build good will to resolve some of those issues 
and come forward with a compromise version of a larger package if we do 
that. In that spirit, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed 
to the immediate consideration of H.R. 3521, which was received from 
the House; that my amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to; that 
the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed and that the 
motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. SANDERS. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
  Mr. SANDERS. Madam President, I appreciate the interest of Senator 
Vitter in this very important issue. Senator Landrieu of Louisiana 
shares his concern, as do Senators from many States in this country 
because, as Senator Vitter indicated, this bill will authorize the VA 
to enter into 27 major medical facility leases in 18 States and Puerto 
Rico. So this is, in fact, a very big issue.
  But as Senator Vitter knows very well, 2 weeks ago this very same 
provision was part of a comprehensive veterans bill supported by the 
American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American 
Veterans, the Vietnam Veterans of America, the Paralyzed Veterans of 
America, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and virtually 
every veterans organization in this country because the veterans 
community is facing a host of problems.
  Senator Vitter points out one problem. He is right. But there are 
many other problems. I say to my friend, we could have resolved this 
problem 2 weeks ago if I could have had four more Republican votes, 
including his, to pass this legislation.
  What this bill does, and the reason it is supported by millions of 
veterans all over this country, is that it addresses the major problems 
facing our veterans community. I say to my friend from Louisiana, and 
any other Senator, if you are not prepared to stand with veterans in 
their time of need, don't send them off to war. If you don't want to 
pay for the care veterans need, don't send them off to war and then 
tell us it is too expensive to take care of them.
  The legislation that again is supported by virtually every major 
veterans organization in this country, expands the caregivers program, 
improves and expands dental care, provides advanced appropriations for 
the VA--something many of us feel is terribly important--takes a major 
step to end the benefits backlog, deals with the very serious problem 
of instate tuition assistance for post-9/11 veterans, and addresses the 
horrible problem that women and men in the military face when they are 
sexually assaulted. We address that issue as well.
  This legislation also addresses the issue of reproductive health. We 
have 2,300 men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and who 
were wounded in the war in such ways they are unable to have babies. 
They want families but can't have babies, and so we help address in 
this bill that issue; whether through in vitro fertilization, adoption 
or other ways to help them have families. That is what this legislation 
does.
  So I look forward to working with my colleague and friend from 
Louisiana to get that legislation passed or to sit down and work on a 
compromise piece of legislation.
  I would say to my friend from Louisiana, today you can be a hero. 
Today you can get your concern passed and the concerns of veterans all 
over America by supporting my unanimous consent request to pass the 
bill that came up 2 weeks ago.
  Mr. President, I object to Senator Vitter's proposal.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate 
consideration of Calendar No. 297, S. 1950; that a Sanders substitute 
amendment, the text of S. 1982, the Comprehensive Veterans Health and 
Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act,

[[Page S1507]]

be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed; 
and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the 
table, with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Manchin). The first objection is heard to 
the request by the Senator from Louisiana.
  Is there objection to the request by the Senator from Vermont?
  Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, on behalf of 43 Members of the Senate, I 
object based on substantive disagreements about this very broad-based 
bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, reclaiming the floor and my time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana.
  Mr. VITTER. I think it is really regrettable. The Senator from 
Vermont and I can talk about the substance. I will be happy to talk 
about the substance of his big bill. But the bottom line is that 43 
Members of the Senate disagree with him about serious substantive 
issues.
  Because there is major disagreement--almost half of the Senate, 43 
Members of the Senate--he is going to block moving forward with 27 
clinics to serve veterans around the country, about which there is no 
disagreement. On my bill, as amended, there is zero disagreement on the 
substance of that bill. Because he can't get his way fully on a bigger 
package, he is going to take the bat and take the ball, and home plate, 
first base, second, and third, and go home. I don't think this is the 
approach and spirit in which the American people want us to work. I 
think the American people want us to agree when we can agree. I think 
we should bend over to agree in those instances where we can agree and 
actually accomplish substantive, concrete things. We would be doing 
that by moving forward separately with these 27 important community-
based clinics. And by the way, I think we would be creating a much 
better environment to continue to work on a compromised broader 
package.
  I commend this approach again to my friend from Vermont. I think we 
should come together where we agree. I think we should accomplish what 
we can and continue to work on a broader package. But taking these 27 
clinics hostage is not doing that, is not creating an atmosphere which 
is conducive to progress on a broader package, and is not properly 
serving the American people.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I would remind my colleague from 
Louisiana that the vote on that bill was 56 to 41. This is a 15-vote 
plurality. There is another person who was not here who would have 
voted for us on that bill, so 57 votes. But because of a Republican 
request for a budget point of order, we need 60 votes. So a strong 
majority of the Members in the Senate support this comprehensive 
legislation. We are three votes shy of passing it. I intend to reach 
out to the Senator from Louisiana and every other Senator to see 
whether we get these three votes so we can pass the most comprehensive 
veterans legislation brought to the floor of the Senate in many 
decades.
  This is not a complicated issue. On Veterans Day and on Memorial Day, 
every Member of the Senate and House goes back to his or her district 
and tells veterans just how much they respect them and love them and so 
forth and so on. That is all fine and well. Speeches are important. But 
at the end of the day, serving our veterans means a lot more than 
giving speeches. It means voting for programs that will improve their 
lives.
  I will not disagree with anybody who says veterans programs are often 
expensive. They are expensive. When somebody goes off to war and comes 
back without any legs, without any arms, losing their eyesight or their 
hearing or dealing with TBI--traumatic brain injury--or PTSD--post-
traumatic stress disorder--or suffering from sexual assault, it is an 
expensive proposition to make those folks as well as we possibly can. 
But, as I said earlier, if we are not prepared to support the men and 
women who come back from war, don't send them off to war in the first 
place.
  So I very much hope I will be successful in working on an agreement 
with the Senator from Louisiana and some of my other Republican 
colleagues so we can do what the veterans community wants us to do.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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