[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 28, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5143-S5144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Brown, Mr. Van Hollen, 
        Ms. Smith, Mr. Booker, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Schatz, Mrs. 
        Feinstein, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Leahy, and Mr. Wyden):
  S. 2508. A bill to amend the Truth in Lending Act to extend the 
consumer credit protections provided to members of the Armed Forces and 
their dependents under title 10, United States Code, to all consumers; 
to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I am reintroducing the Veterans and 
Consumers Fair Credit Act (VCFCA) along with Senator Merkley, Senate 
Banking Committee Chairman Brown, and many of my colleagues. This 
important legislation would extend the bipartisan Military Lending 
Act's (MLA) protections for active-duty servicemembers and their 
families to all Americans by imposing a nationwide 36 percent cap on 
the annual percentage rate (APR) for most extensions of consumer 
credit.
  The MLA was enacted on a bipartisan basis in 2006 to rein in payday 
and other unscrupulous lenders that targeted American troops with 
abusive and predatory loans. Unfortunately, the MLA does not protect 
veterans or Gold Star families from these exploitative practices. Our 
servicemembers and their families should not lose important consumer 
protections simply because they retire, separate from honorable 
service, or lose their loved ones. As such, our legislation would 
extend the MLA' s protections to veterans and Gold Star families as 
well as ensure that all Americans are shielded from predatory loans.
  Hundreds of millions of American consumers could benefit from a 36 
percent APR cap. In states that do not have such a cap, predatory 
lenders are permitted to offer loans with triple-digit APRs that trap 
individuals in cycles of debt. For instance, the Consumer Financial 
Protection Bureau found that 80 percent of payday loans are rolled over 
or renewed within two weeks. This practice can cause borrowers to pay 
more in fees than the amount of money they originally borrowed, which 
is a sign of predatory lending and poor underwriting.
  According to a coalition of community organizations, payday lenders 
are known to target the most vulnerable, including seniors, veterans, 
and low-income borrowers. Many in these communities were already 
struggling to make ends meet before the pandemic, and continuing to pay 
exorbitant APRs may cause them to fall deeper into economic insecurity. 
This is why it's important to extend strong protections against 
unscrupulous lenders to all Americans.
  The MLA's successful track record demonstrates that providing for 
reasonable, responsible limits on interest rates does not cut off 
consumers' access to credit. According to a May 2021 report from the 
Department of Defense, ``credit cards, auto loans, and personal loans 
are widely available at risk-based rates under the 36 percent 
[military] APR'' and ``[s]ervice members continue to have ample access 
to necessary credit.''
  Moreover, this legislation would follow the trend in many states 
towards greater protections against predatory loans. Eighteen states 
and the District of Columbia have enacted APR caps of 36% or lower for 
payday loans or banned them altogether. Lenders in these states have 
incentives to offer more affordable loans that borrowers have an 
ability to repay. The same incentives should apply across the nation.
  I thank the bill's supporters, including the Consumer Federation of 
America, the National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low income 
clients), the Center for Responsible Lending, Americans for Financial 
Reform, Veterans Education Success, the Military Officers Association 
of America, and the National Military Family Association.
  I urge our colleagues to join us in supporting this important 
legislation.
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      By Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. Rubio):
  S. 2509. A bill to authorize the New Partnerships Initiative to 
expand and diversify the partner base of the United States Agency for 
International Development and to provide more entry points for 
organizations to work with USAID; to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President. The United States Agency for International 
Development's (USAID) New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) was formed to 
help small and local nonprofit organizations partner with the agency on 
humanitarian work, and was inspired in part by requests from Congress 
for USAID to cooperate more closely with these organizations. The 
program was founded on the principle that greater diversity and 
competition among the USAID partner base would lead to better and more 
effective development

[[Page S5144]]

work. Since its creation, NPI has helped USAID expand its collaboration 
with local nonprofits to undertake critical work overseas, but this 
vital program needs a clearly defined foundation in statute and long-
term authorization of funding to sustain its progress well beyond 2021.
  Today, I am pleased to introduce the New Partnerships Initiative 
Authorization Act with Senator Rubio. This legislation would cement 
USAID's commitment to diversifying its nonprofit partner base by 
authorizing the program and necessary funding through Fiscal Year 2026. 
Additionally, the New Partnerships Initiative Authorization Act would 
improve outcomes at the NPI program by outlining in statute core 
elements of the program, and requiring the USAID Administrator to 
adhere to certain criteria regarding program management and nonprofit 
recruitment.
  This bipartisan legislation is an opportunity to ensure that the New 
Partnerships Initiative continues to be an effective tool for 
diversifying USAID's partner base through the inclusion of locally 
based and underutilized partners. I look forward to working with USAID 
leadership and my colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee to 
swiftly consider and implement the New Partnerships Initiative 
Authorization Act.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Ms. CORTEZ MASTO (for herself and Mr. Boozman):
  S. 2513. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 
application and review process of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
for clothing allowance claims submitted by veterans, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I rise today to tell you about Brian 
Neuman, an Iraq combat veteran who was wounded while serving our Nation 
overseas in 2004.
  Brian has spent years working with the Wounded Warrior Project to 
help other veterans get the benefits that they need.
  Years after returning home, Brian applied for an annual clothing 
allowance of $841. This allowance should be available to veterans like 
Brian when a medication or a medical device causes irregular wear or 
damage to their clothing.
  As many vets with service injuries will tell you, their clothes wear 
down much faster than other people's, and the prosthetics can rip or 
tear clothes as well. Some veterans need tailoring to make clothing fit 
more comfortably around their injuries. Others have to treat skin 
conditions with creams that damage their clothes.
  These veterans get compensation for the expenses associated with 
their injuries--and rightly so. Our veterans have given this country so 
much, and Congress has a responsibility to hold up its end of the 
bargain, to care for them when they are injured during their service to 
our Nation.
  But right now, this benefit isn't accessible for many veterans, and 
that is wrong, and we need to change it.
  In the case of the clothing allowance benefits, as Brian discovered, 
the VA currently requires veterans to be evaluated for this benefit in 
person, every year. One year, Brian physically went to a VA clinic to 
submit the clothing allowance application, and his request was denied 
because the VA had no record that he received a prosthetic at that 
specific clinic. At that point, like many vets, Brian gave up on the 
process in frustration.
  That is just unacceptable. These are brave men and women who are 
living with severe burns or who wear prosthetic devices as a result of 
their service. In many cases, the VA already knows these veterans have 
a medical condition that isn't going to change year from year.
  And that didn't make any sense to Brian, so he did something about 
it. He reached out to see if Congress could solve the problem. He did. 
He did it, he says, less for himself, but more for the many veterans in 
rural States, like mine in Nevada, who live hours away from the nearest 
VA Brian knows that many of them are so worn out by the process of 
applying for what is owed them that they just give up.

  These men and women are tired of jumping through hoops to access 
their earned benefits. So why are we forcing them to navigate this 
complicated bureaucracy? There are certainly places to cut costs, but 
this isn't one of them.
  The Senate can fix this problem easily, and I have introduced a 
bipartisan bill to do just that. I am glad to be working across the 
aisle with my colleague Senator Boozman to support injured and disabled 
veterans. Our bill makes it easier for them to get clothing that works 
for their specific needs. My legislation requires the VA to 
automatically renew this clothing allowance. Veterans can get it until 
they say they don't need it anymore or until the VA's records indicate 
that they don't require it. This will make sure they aren't forced to 
drive long distances to access a VA benefit they are owed.
  I am looking forward to moving this legislation through Congress so 
we can make life a little easier for the 40,000 wounded warriors who 
currently receive this benefit and for the thousands more who qualify. 
There shouldn't be any redtape stopping veterans from getting their 
benefits, so let's pass this bill and fix this problem.
  I am going to continue to work in every way I can to make sure that 
veterans in Nevada and across the country get the Federal resources 
they need

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