[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 81 (Monday, May 23, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2017

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                               speech of

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                               of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 18, 2016

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4974) making 
     appropriations for military construction, the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2017, and for other purposes:

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chair, I rise today in reluctant opposition to 
H.R. 4974, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related 
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017 (MilCon). MilCon funds military 
construction projects for the Department of Defense and health care and 
other important services for the country's veterans at the Department 
of Veterans Affairs (VA). This is a vital piece of legislation that we 
must get right so that our veterans get the benefits they earned and 
deserve and that our military has the facilities they need. 
Unfortunately, the bill has a major shortcoming--it cuts $1.5 billion 
below the President's request for the VA, including more than $1.2 
billion from the Veterans Health Administration. The VA serves over 
forty-three million Americans a year and over a billion dollar in cuts 
will make it harder for the VA to provide for our veterans. It is for 
this reason I cannot support the bill.
  Over the years, the VA has faced a number of challenges. The VA faced 
funding shortfalls and was unprepared to meet the demands of a new 
generation of returning veterans. Access to quality health care and 
veterans' benefits has been an ongoing challenge for the VA, 
highlighted by the claims backlog and by veterans waiting long periods 
for health care appointments. However, these challenges are made more 
difficult to overcome when Congress provides insufficient funds to the 
VA or shuts down the government, as it did in 2013--which led to 
furloughs at the VA. Many of my constituents are active duty or 
veterans who receive services through the VA and they deserve a fully 
funded VA that can quickly and accurately manage their claims.
  We simply must do better. As the Ranking Member on the House Budget 
Committee I proposed budgets that reversed sequestration for not just 
defense programs, but also for nondefense programs because they include 
important priorities like veterans' health care. I also proposed 
extending advance appropriations for all of VA's discretionary programs 
so that veterans' programs are insulated from the possibility of future 
government shutdowns. I am going to continue to fight to ensure that 
the VA gets the resources it needs to provide for the nation's veterans 
and I am hopeful that more funding will be provided to the VA when this 
bill returns from conference

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