[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 26, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H3976-H4007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024


                             General Leave

  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on H.R. 4366, and that I may include tabular 
material on the same.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 614 and rule 
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House 
on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 4366.
  The Chair appoints the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) to 
preside over the Committee of the Whole.

                              {time}  1415


                     In the Committee of the Whole

  Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the 
Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill 
(H.R. 4366) making appropriations for military construction, the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal 
year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes, with Mr. Issa 
in the chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The CHAIR. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the 
first time.
  General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed 1 
hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and the ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Appropriations, or their respective 
designees.
  The gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger) and the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger).
  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 4366, a bill that would 
provide funding for military construction and the Department of 
Veterans Affairs.
  During the last Congress, $3 trillion was spent outside of the normal 
appropriations process. As spending soared, so did inflation. There was 
damage done to the economy, and the work of the Appropriations 
Committee changed significantly over those 2 years. That is why, 
earlier this year, I asked subcommittee chairs to evaluate all of the 
funding in the pipeline.
  When the President's budget finally arrived, I directed them to 
review each agency budget line by line. I thank the subcommittee chairs 
for their work to identify ways to save hard-earned tax dollars.
  These savings have allowed us to reduce overall spending without 
shortchanging--which is most important--national defense, homeland 
security, and veterans.
  The bill before us demonstrates our commitment to reduce overall 
spending and still honor our commitment to our veterans. This bill 
makes good on that promise by fully funding veterans healthcare. It 
will ensure our veterans get the medical treatment and benefits they 
deserve.
  Specifically, the bill prioritizes our Nation's heroes by providing 
critical funding for our military bases and facilities, improving the 
quality of life of our servicemembers and their families, and ensuring 
our veterans are appropriately honored in our cemeteries and battle 
monuments. The bill also prohibits funding to be used for biased and 
controversial programs.
  Mr. Chair, I thank the Members and staff on both sides of the aisle 
for their hard work. This is a strong bill, and I look forward to 
supporting it.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 4366, with great 
respect to both of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, 
Chairwoman Granger and Chairman Carter, who are friends but with whom 
we strongly disagree on this legislation.
  The FY 2024 military construction, veterans affairs, and related 
agencies bill is, sadly, not one that I can support.
  Back in May, the subcommittee mark of the MILCON-VA bill cut the Cost 
of War Toxic Exposures Fund by $14.7 billion in 2024 and completely 
eliminated the toxic exposures fund in 2025, less than a year after we 
passed the bipartisan Honoring our PACT Act that promises dedicated 
funding for veterans of all wars exposed to Agent Orange, burn pits, 
and other toxic substances.
  This was in addition to the default on America act introduced in 
April by Republicans, which included a $2 billion rescission to 
immediately cut critical funding for VA and include no protections for 
veterans funding. We pushed back hard on these cuts as Democrats, and 
we were successful.
  Thankfully, as part of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, 
President Biden was able to undo that grievous harm by delivering the 
promise we all collectively made to our veterans by fully funding the 
toxic exposures fund.
  However, the problems did not stop there, and Democrats made 
significant efforts to right the other major wrongs in this bill, but, 
unfortunately, to no avail.
  The MILCON-VA bill is traditionally one of the more bipartisan 
bills--actually, so often that it is almost indistinguishable who is in 
the majority and who wrote those bills.
  That is not the case, sadly, this year because it is riddled with 
partisan riders, coming out of the full committee on a party-line vote 
significantly worse off than where it started. Riders include 
preventing VA from implementing its interim final rule that provides 
access to abortions for the life or health of the mother and in the 
case of rape or incest, as well as abortion counseling to provide 
healthcare services for women who desperately need it, and, 
importantly, to ensure that veterans have equal access to healthcare 
regardless of what State they live in because they get their healthcare 
from a Federal agency.

[[Page H3977]]

  It includes riders that do everything from prohibiting VA from 
implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives as well as 
training; prohibiting VA from flying the Pride flag over VA facilities; 
creating a license for people and organizations to discriminate against 
LGBTQI+ people under the guise of religious liberty and prevents the 
Federal Government from adequately responding; and prohibiting access 
to gender-affirming care, further disenfranchising veterans from VA.
  VA is a place where all veterans should feel welcome, included, and 
cared for. All veterans means all veterans, and what this bill does is 
shameful.
  On the MILCON side, this bill cuts funding for servicemembers and 
their families by $1.5 billion compared to the enacted level, compared 
to current services.
  The Republicans have cut military construction funding by $1.5 
billion compared to the current funding. In fact, this bill is $200 
million lower after the full committee markup than when it was first 
introduced in subcommittee. Even after the agreement with President 
Biden was signed into law, this bill cuts even more.
  We have a recruitment and retention problem, Mr. Chairman, and this 
bill cuts funding for military construction.
  We have major quality-of-life issues for our servicemembers, and this 
bill cuts funding for military construction and cuts funding for things 
like childcare centers, training centers, and airplane hangars that 
house and protect our billions of dollars of military equipment.
  This bill cuts dedicated funding for PFAS forever chemicals 
remediation and cleanup, which is a cut of $200 million from the 
current level, and dedicated funding for military installation climate 
change and resiliency projects, which is a cut of $90 million from the 
current level.
  There is an enormous need for funds to clean up PFAS forever 
chemicals contamination at BRAC sites as the services are still in the 
early stages of dealing with PFAS forever chemicals contamination.
  Dedicated PFAS forever chemicals funding has previously been provided 
in this bill so we can ensure continued progress in remediating 
contamination at closed bases and minimize the impact for those 
surrounding communities. This is critical funding needed to fulfill our 
commitment to ensure those pieces of land are safe for future use and 
for people who live nearby. This is poison that Republicans are 
refusing to provide funding to clean up.
  Furthermore, neglecting to continue investing in protecting our 
installations from climate change is a national security risk. We all 
know how extremely costly disaster assistance funding is. I am from 
Florida. I certainly know about that better than most.
  Last year, we provided DOD with $90 million, a comparatively small 
sum of funding now, which will pay huge dividends in the future and 
ensure our national security in the face of our changing climate. By 
eliminating the dedicated resilience funding this year, this bill would 
threaten future military readiness.
  Cutting military construction by $1.5 billion slows our historically 
bipartisan efforts to reduce the infrastructure backlog to strengthen 
our national security and to improve the quality of life of our 
servicemembers and their families. We are backtracking on our 
commitment to our servicemembers and their families.
  To make matters worse, veterans rely on programs throughout the 
Federal Government, not just programs in this bill. Instead of honoring 
the bipartisan budget agreement that this Chamber voted into law just 
last month, the FY 2024 House appropriations bills collectively break 
the commitment that was negotiated, agreed to, passed by a majority of 
Congress, and signed into law by President Biden to adequately fund 
critical domestic investments. Instead, these bills are written to the 
same exact number used before negotiations even began.
  These drastic cuts diminish access to education, transportation, job 
opportunities, and food assistance that veterans and their families 
rely on.
  Is there no line that Republicans won't cross? Is there no population 
that is off-limits?
  The MILCON-VA bill is just one piece of the puzzle, Mr. Chairman, and 
gutting all the other programs that veterans and their families rely on 
throughout the Federal Government breaks our promises to veterans and 
pulls the rug out from under those who served our country and whom we 
promised to take care of upon their return. I cannot and will not 
support it.
  The House MILCON-VA bill, as well as all 11 other appropriations 
bills, are headed for a collision course with the Senate, which got to 
work in a bipartisan manner. By the way, their version of this bill 
passed unanimously out of full committee. They got to work in a 
bipartisan manner to complete appropriations bills on time, consistent 
with the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
  These appropriations bills renege on the agreement and risk an 
automatic, across-the-board cut with a CR, toward which we are clearly 
headed--or, worse, toward a government shutdown.
  I will follow, Mr. Chairman, one of the first tenets that I learned 
as a legislator many years ago: Your word is your bond. I will stand by 
our veterans and our servicemembers by opposing this bill that deprives 
them of the services, care, and quality of life that they have earned 
and deserve.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Carter), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Military 
Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I am honored to present the fiscal 
year 2024 military construction, veterans affairs, and related agencies 
appropriations bill to the House today. This bill is special because it 
supports our troops and their families and the Nation's veterans.

  The bill provides $17.5 billion for military construction and family 
housing projects. This is less than the FY23 enacted amount. However, 
it is nearly $800 million above the President's request.
  We focus this investment in the Pacific to deter China's aggressive 
and coercive actions. We also provide significant funding for new 
barracks and child development centers.
  The bill fully funds veterans programs at the level requested by the 
President. It keeps our promises to veterans, and we do more to help 
veterans in the Pacific. We also ensure taxpayer funds will be used 
appropriately and effectively by increasing oversight of several 
programs.
  I thank my subcommittee ranking member. Although she disagrees with 
this bill, she has been a joy to work with, and our partnership has 
been good.
  I thank all the people who have worked on this bill and all of their 
families and the families of the veterans.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4366.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the ranking member of the 
House Appropriations Committee.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to the military 
construction and veterans affairs appropriations bill, which falls 
short of our commitments and backtracks on our promises to our 
veterans, our servicemembers, and their families.
  This bill cuts funding for critical military construction by over 
$1.5 billion compared to its current level. It is built on a house of 
cards that will crumble as this body and the American people come to 
realize the full scope of cuts the majority is pursuing.
  This is not the only bill that supports programs and services that 
our veterans rely on. Republicans cannot credibly claim to fully fund 
veterans programs. The American people can clearly see how veterans are 
being treated when they look at the rest of the majority's domestic 
funding bills.

                              {time}  1430

  Make no mistake. If it were not for the Democrats, this bill would 
have decreased funding for veterans' medical care by $2 billion. In 
addition to that, the funding for the Honoring our PACT Act would not 
have been there. In 2024, they were going to underfund it. For 2025, 
they completely eliminate it.

[[Page H3978]]

  We should not be in this position, and the global economy should 
never have been used as a bargaining chip to extract cuts to domestic 
spending. However, to prevent a catastrophic default, the President 
reached a deal with the Republican Speaker to lift the debt ceiling and 
to set spending levels. We have a path to fund the United States 
Government on time, a path that this Congress agreed to on a bipartisan 
basis, and we ought to take that path.
  Instead, this bill offers cuts to vital programs our veterans, 
servicemembers, and their families depend on. It cuts $200 million in 
dedicated funding for PFAS remediation and cleanup. These chemicals do 
not easily break down in the environment. They are a source of 
groundwater contamination on military bases, which can lead to serious 
health problems. Failure to quickly clean up contaminated areas puts 
the surrounding communities, including military families and civilians, 
at risk.
  This bill ignores the national security risk that will directly 
affect all of our bases at home and abroad--climate change. Additional 
dedicated funding for resilience projects is leaving America's 
servicemembers and veterans completely exposed in the line of fire.
  Instead of responsibly funding our veterans in a bill palatable to 
both sides of the aisle, this bill is loaded up with hateful riders 
that have no business in appropriations language. Prohibitions on 
equity and inclusion programs and flags demonstrate grossly misplaced 
priorities, fighting culture wars, leaving our veterans, hardworking 
families, and the economy out to dry.
  The bill places the Federal Government in the room with women and 
their doctors. By making it harder for veterans to access healthcare, 
we take a step closer toward a national abortion ban. Our veterans did 
not volunteer to serve this country and defend our freedom to have 
their freedom and their autonomy stripped by this Congress.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman from California (Mr. Valadao) is recognized 
and controls the remaining 26 minutes.
  Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Arrington), the chairman of the Committee on the Budget, on which 
I have the honor of serving with him.
  Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Chair, I am grateful to my appropriator colleagues 
for rightsizing the bureaucracy and reining in the wasteful and 
unnecessary spending after this government grew 40 percent during 
COVID. The taxpayers deserve fiduciaries who spend their money like it 
was our money. That is really the prevailing philosophy we should all 
embrace. I, again, commend the appropriators for the painstaking 
efforts to rein this in.
  I support the bill, but I highlight in an amendment one of the most 
egregious and largest wasteful spending categories, and that is 
improper payments. The Federal Government wastefully and fraudulently 
spends taxpayer money at an alarming rate. In 2021, it was almost $300 
billion. Last year, it was $245 billion.
  Mr. Chairman, that is money you could spend on a soldier or a sailor 
or on a safety net or infrastructure. It is going nowhere. It is larger 
than the Departments of Energy, Commerce, and Justice. It is a third of 
our defense spending.
  The VA is not the only problem. It is pervasive. At the VA, there is 
a long-term care category that has an improper payment rate of 47 
percent. Think about that. Almost 50 cents on every dollar is wasted in 
this program. It is unconscionable, Mr. Chairman.
  If you look across the board, the earned income tax credit, 30 cents 
on every dollar wasted, $18 billion. The Medicaid program wasted $80 
billion last year. The child tax credit wasted $5 billion. The list 
goes on. If we are going to rein in spending, if we are going to save 
the country from a debt crisis, we have got to get our fiscal house in 
order and focus on improper payments. It is not right.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel), a fierce advocate for our 
communities' veterans and a member of the Appropriations Committee.
  Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Chair, well, my, my, my, here we go 
again. The Republican attacks on access to legal abortion never end. 
Today, the target is women veterans, women who left their loved ones, 
trained hard, sometimes risked their lives to stand up for our freedom, 
and now it is time to stand up for theirs.
  All women should have the freedom to make their own personal decision 
about when or whether to start or grow a family. This bill would 
undermine the current Biden policy that allows VA medical centers to 
provide an abortion when the life or the health of the pregnant veteran 
is in danger.
  Republicans are willing to force women to wait until they are on 
death's door to receive the healthcare that they need. Really? This is 
how we thank veterans for their service?
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.
  Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Cline), a member of the Appropriations Committee.
  Mr. CLINE. Mr. Chairman, years of out-of-control government spending 
has fueled inflation and skyrocketed our Federal debt. It is far past 
time we prioritize those most important core functions of government as 
intended by our Founders in the Constitution.
  The fiscal year 2024 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill 
does just that. It prioritizes programs for those most important: our 
Nation's veterans, and facilities for our men and women defending our 
country.

  My, my, my, what do we hear from the other side? Complaints about not 
being able to fly certain flags at military bases, complaints about not 
being able to fund climate change bureaucracies in our veterans' 
facilities, complaints about actually not being able to use taxpayer 
dollars to fund abortion services.
  This bill focuses on core government functions. It fully funds 
veterans' healthcare, veterans' benefits and VA programs. It ensures 
our veterans get the medical treatment and benefits they deserve. It 
provides funds to the agencies that ensure our military and veterans 
are appropriately honored in our cemeteries and battle monuments, and 
it prioritizes our Nation's Active Duty servicemembers and their 
families by providing nearly $800 million above the President's budget 
request for military construction and family housing. Let me repeat 
that: $800 million above the President's budget request.
  We can and we must support our Nation's heroes who have sacrificed so 
much to defend our freedoms and protect our homeland. That is why we 
must pass this strong legislation and make clear that we stand with our 
brave men and women in uniform.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  The gentlemen from Tennessee and California understand what kind of 
money really matters here. It is very nice to say that you are $800 
million above the President's budget request.
  The money that matters is where we are now and what Republicans are 
proposing to spend going forward. Republicans are cutting--which, of 
course, Mr. Cline neglected to mention--military construction $1.5 
billion below what we spend now. That is a cut by anyone's definition. 
They can play games with the language and the way they describe things, 
but there is no getting around that they are cutting $1.5 billion from 
military construction.
  What does that mean? That might just sound like, oh, we will build a 
few less buildings, it is not going to be that bad. Understand that DOD 
has assessed that 30 percent of our military infrastructure around the 
world is in fair or poor condition. Many of us have traveled around the 
world to inspect military bases, and we talk to our troops and pledge 
to our servicemembers how much they mean to us and how we have their 
backs. I have had the opportunity to be shown places where our hangar 
doors are held together with wax and spit, particularly in places like 
Okinawa and other areas where there is a lot of erosion and metal rusts 
more quickly. I live in a coastal State, and I have a coastal district, 
so I understand what happens there when you are on the coast from the 
salt air. I watched a servicemember try to pull closed a hangar door 
that was jury-rigged with a coat hanger because they couldn't get the 
door closed the way it normally

[[Page H3979]]

should, and we did not provide them funding anywhere in the near future 
to ensure that we can keep billions of dollars' worth of military 
equipment safe.
  Republicans are standing here and saying things that absolutely do 
not pass the straight-face test when they are trying to suggest that 
they are doing right by our servicemembers.
  We have a retention problem in our military. We have people who have 
testified to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related 
Agencies Subcommittee who are current servicemembers who talked to us 
about how they intended to spend their careers in the service, but 
because of the way they and their families felt treated, the decrepit 
housing that the military can't seem to get straight when it comes to 
dealing with mold and broken items and repairs that are necessary, they 
chose a different career path.
  If we continue on the path that Republicans have proposed, then what 
that means is that we are going to lose servicemembers, like we are 
already losing. That is irresponsible and unacceptable.
  Mr. Chairman, I will have more to say at a later time. I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Mississippi (Mr. Guest), a member of the House Appropriations 
Committee.
  Mr. GUEST. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 4366, the 
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act for FY 2024.
  I am proud that this legislation fully funds programs to care for our 
Nation's heroes, and it ensures that our military infrastructure needs 
are met to address critical national security priorities. This bill 
focuses on the important work of these agencies while also preventing 
the radical woke policies of the Biden administration from distracting 
these departments from their primary responsibilities.
  A recent example of these policies can be seen in my home State of 
Mississippi, where a VA facility chose to replace an American flag with 
an LGBTQ Pride flag.
  The mission of the VA is to fulfill President Lincoln's promise, a 
promise to care for those who have served in our Nation's military, 
their families, their caregivers, and their survivors. The work and the 
message of the VA should not be divisive but, rather, respectful toward 
our veterans and consistent with the purpose for which the VA was 
created.
  I am grateful that language is included in the bill to ensure that 
the only flags flown over VA facilities or national cemeteries are 
government, military, or POW/MIA flags.
  Mr. Chair, I am proud to support this bill. We owe our veterans a 
debt of gratitude, not a political message.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Lee), who represents tens of thousands of 
military servicemembers as well as veterans and is an incredible 
advocate on their behalf.
  Ms. LEE of Nevada. Mr. Chairman, I rise today as a Representative 
from southern Nevada, where we have Creech Air Force Base, Nellis Air 
Force Base, and hundreds of thousands of veterans that call southern 
Nevada home. As their Representative, I have extreme disappointment 
with this bill that we have before us, the MILCON-VA bill.

                              {time}  1445

  As a member of the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans 
Affairs, and Related Agencies, I take great pride in our work. This 
traditionally has been bipartisan and laser-focused on the needs of our 
veterans, of our servicemembers, and their families, and on the 
military's construction requirements to meet global security challenges 
facing our Nation, not just today, but in the future.
  Unfortunately, this bill is not a reflection of that MILCON-VA 
tradition of putting politics aside and putting our military, our 
servicemembers, our veterans, and our Nation first. Instead, this bill 
sacrifices our promises to veterans, our military readiness, and our 
national security, honestly, in favor of meeting the demands of a few 
extremist Republican politicians.
  Instead of ensuring our Nation provides for Americans who have 
sacrificed to keep our Nation safe, this bill focuses on picking 
culture war fights, banning the VA from flying certain flags or banning 
them from taking steps to advance equal opportunity and health access 
for every veteran.
  Instead of focusing on preparing our military to protect U.S. 
interests, the bill would prevent the VA from providing lifesaving 
reproductive healthcare to female veterans.
  As my colleague just said, the mission of the VA should be respectful 
to our veterans. I say to every woman veteran who has put her life on 
the line for our freedom that we should show them the respect that they 
can make their own choice and be free to make their own choice for 
their own healthcare.
  I want to be clear, as a woman who has undergone a D&C, that abortion 
care is healthcare. I will say that again. Abortion care is healthcare. 
Women who have put their lives on the line for our country, for our 
freedom, should have the ability to make that choice.
  The policies that extremist politicians, in addition to that, have 
tacked on to this bill prevents the VA from providing that type of 
care, even in the case when a pregnancy is the result of rape, incest, 
or the life of the mother is at risk.
  The CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as she may 
consume to the gentlewoman from Nevada.
  Ms. LEE of Nevada. Policies that extremist politicians have tacked on 
to this bill are offensive to men and women who serve our country, 
including my constituents at Creech and Nellis Air Force bases.
  I am especially alarmed at the $1.5 billion in proposed cuts to 
military construction. I am supportive of being thoughtful and 
responsible with our Federal spending, but at a time when our Nation 
faces mounting security challenges across this globe, I cannot 
understand how we can stand here today and cut nearly 10 percent of 
funding that would ensure that our military bases are fully equipped to 
handle global threats.
  This bill would increase the backlog of projects at bases likes 
Nellis and Creech, where I have heard directly from my airmen and 
airwomen working out of temporary, cramped, and outdated, unsafe 
facilities; and this, at a time when our military is already struggling 
with recruitment and retention.
  Full military construction funding is key to enable that our 
servicemembers meet National Defense Strategy demands, so we must 
invest fully in critical facilities, like Nellis' communication support 
center and the Weapons School Campus.
  We also need to support the mission-critical Reconnaissance 
Operations Training Facility and to repair the base's taxiway at 
Creech.
  We call on our men and women in our military to make our Nation and 
keep our Nation safe, but this bill does not meet the demands of our 
servicemembers and, instead, abandons men and women who we should be 
supporting most in southern Nevada and beyond.
  I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' and, instead, please let's get 
back to working together to get servicemembers and our veterans the 
resources that they need, that they have earned, and give them the 
respect and the freedom that they have fought for.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter) is recognized and 
controls the time.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Rutherford), a member of the Appropriations 
Committee.
  Mr. RUTHERFORD. I thank the gentleman, the chairman, for yielding.
  Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this fiscal year 2024 military 
construction and veterans affairs appropriations bill.
  Despite some of the allegations from my friends on the other side of 
the aisle, this is a good bill. The budget process is not about how 
much you cut; it is about where you cut. That is what is important.
  This bill is a good bill because it supports our veterans and our 
servicemembers. In fact, this bill fully funds President Biden's 
request for the VA and even exceeds the administration's request for 
military construction.

[[Page H3980]]

  On top of that, the VA funding in this bill is $16.5 million more 
than the fiscal year 2023 enacted level--the enacted level. Let me 
repeat. This bill fully funds veterans' healthcare programs, period.
  This includes keeping our promise that we just made to provide care 
to our toxic-exposed veterans, as we did last year through the Honoring 
our PACT Act.
  I am also proud that we robustly funded military construction 
projects across the world, focusing on our barracks, our child 
development centers, to the tune of almost $800 million more than the 
administration's request.
  This bill cuts wasteful spending, wasteful spending for programs that 
my constituents back home do not support, like critical race theory and 
DEI.
  Now, they want to say that we have politicized the issue of abortion 
within this bill. The fact of the matter is, President Biden's 
administration, through rulemaking in DOD, put in this language--that 
is why we are taking it out because they put it in--that they were 
going to use taxpayer dollars to actually facilitate someone getting an 
abortion.

  That is not what the taxpayers want. That is not what the Hyde 
amendment allows, and the partisanship that they referred to earlier is 
their partisanship.
  This administration and almost every executive agency in this 
government now legislates by fiat. They pass rules, 100-page rules. 
Those aren't rules. That is legislation. That is law. We have got to 
stop that, and we are doing that in this bill.
  I am very proud that in this bill we prohibit the VA from continuing 
to implement their abortion policy that they put in; it is nothing more 
than this administration's way of circumventing the Dobbs decision.
  House Republicans are delivering on our promise to care for the men 
and women who have served this Nation.
  The CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. RUTHERFORD. House Republicans, we are simply delivering on our 
promise to care for the men and women who serve this Nation.
  I commend Chairwoman Granger and Chairman Carter for having put this 
bill together in a fiscally responsible manner. Yes, we have made some 
cuts, but they were responsible cuts. They were cuts that needed to be 
made. We cut the waste so that we could help our men and women who 
serve this country in uniform. I urge support of this bill.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean).
  Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding.
  I rise in opposition to H.R. 4366.
  PFAS contamination is in my district, as in everyone else's district 
across this Nation. In my case, it is largely as a result of the legacy 
of firefighting foam used at what was Willow Grove Naval Air Base. My 
own brother worked there.
  PFAS contamination, we know, is extremely dangerous, and I will say 
those who produced these chemicals for six decades have known of their 
danger and hid it for many, many years.
  The brave men and women of our military were disproportionately 
highly exposed to rates of PFAS. More than 700 military bases have been 
contaminated with PFAS. The servicemembers that call these bases work 
or home have been continually exposed to these forever chemicals, as 
have their neighbors in the surrounding area.
  We are still learning more and more about the health effects from 
this level of toxin; decreased fertility, increased risk of cancers, 
obesity, thyroid hormone disruption, just to name a few.
  Congress and the White House have a responsibility to protect our 
current and future servicemembers from these toxins, as well as their 
neighbors. That is why the FY23 appropriations bill included an 
additional $200 million in dedicated funding for PFAS remediation and 
cleanup.
  Unfortunately, this bill has no dedicated funding for PFAS and does 
not meet the President's funding request. Failing to address this 
widespread nationwide PFAS contamination on our military bases and the 
surrounding areas is failing our servicemembers.
  Our military members stand up for us every single day. Today, we must 
stand up for them and all of our citizens by investing in PFAS research 
and remediation by rejecting this bill.
  The Pennsylvania Constitution, article I, section 29, provides that 
we have a right to clean air, clean water, and the preservation of our 
natural aesthetic. Let's live up to that right.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Allen).
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4366, 
the fiscal year 2024 military construction and veteran affairs 
appropriations bill, which honors our veterans, supports our national 
security, and cuts wasteful government spending. I say again, it cuts 
wasteful government spending.
  Last November, when the American people entrusted Republicans with 
the House majority, we made a commitment to a Nation that is safe. 
Today's legislation delivers on that commitment and ensures the 
Department of Defense has the resources and facilities it needs to 
protect our homeland from foreign adversaries.
  H.R. 4366 provides nearly $800 million above the President's budget 
for military construction, including $80 million for the first phase of 
construction for the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence Signal School 
at Fort Gordon.
  Building a 21st century military is crucial to fielding threats in 
the ever-evolving cyber environment, and that starts with these 
critical investments being made at Fort Gordon.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 4366.
  The CHAIR. The Chair would advise all Members we are in the Committee 
of the Whole.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman 
from Georgia (Ms. Greene).
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, first I would like to 
acknowledge all the amazing women that serve in our Nation's military 
and the mothers that serve in our Nation's military.
  But I will respond to something I heard a few minutes ago here, the 
pronouncement, the actual statement that abortion is women's 
healthcare.
  I state for the record, abortion is not healthcare in any way. 
Abortion is the murder of the unborn child in a woman's womb. Abortion 
is defined as taking a life. It doesn't save a life. It kills a life.
  Abortion methods are brutal, horrific, absolutely some of the worst 
things in today's times; ripping the limbs off an unborn baby, ripping 
its head off, killing it with chemicals inside of its mother's womb.
  This is not something that taxpayers should have to ever pay for. 
This is something that honestly should not exist. Abortion is murder, 
and it is evil.
  We should be supporting mothers in the military. We should be 
supporting women's actual healthcare, and that is not abortion.

                              {time}  1500

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to the time 
remaining.
  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Edwards). The gentlewoman from Florida has 8 
minutes remaining. The gentleman from Texas has 15 minutes remaining.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I am prepared to close, and I yield 
myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Chair, as the expression goes: Show me your budget, and I will 
show you what my values are.
  It is very clear with the lollipop tree of culture war riders that 
this bill that funds the quality of life and the national readiness and 
security of the United States of America and the protection and quality 
of life of our military servicemembers, it is clear that because this 
bill cuts $1.5 billion below what we are currently funding in military 
construction, the Republicans have shown where their values are.
  They can put all the lipstick on the pig that they have developed in 
this

[[Page H3981]]

bill that they want, but at the end of the day, they are still cutting 
$1.5 billion from military construction. That is cutting funding for 
airport hangars, for training centers, for childcare centers, for 
infrastructure that ensures that we can keep our servicemembers safe 
when they are serving overseas, while they are serving in the United 
States, and that is something that we have not done in modern times in 
this bill.
  Why? Because generally the military construction, veterans affairs, 
appropriations bill is, on a bipartisan basis, written as a commitment 
that we make to take care of our servicemembers while they are serving 
in the military on Active Duty and to take care of our veterans when 
they transition to retirement and spend the rest of their lives as 
veterans.
  This committee has a special responsibility. We are the only 
committee in the Congress that is responsible for the entire life cycle 
of an individual from when they start their service on Active Duty all 
the way through Active Duty and through their life as a veteran. We 
have a special responsibility to make sure that we are taking care of 
them, and cutting $1.5 billion is the opposite of that.
  The values that our friends on the other side of the aisle have shown 
is very clear. What they were more interested in doing, and the 
priority that was at the top of their agenda, included riders that 
prevent all veterans from getting equal access to healthcare no matter 
where they live. What they want to do in this bill--and you will see in 
subsequent amendments that will be offered--is they want to take away 
women veterans' right, their ability to make their own reproductive 
healthcare decisions.
  Furthermore, because veterans get their healthcare from the VA, it is 
essential that we do not discriminate against those veterans, those 
women veterans, no matter where they live; that they be able to get 
that access to healthcare whenever they need it to ensure that they can 
make their own reproductive healthcare decisions regardless of the 
State they live in.
  We spent the bulk of our time in the subcommittee and the full 
committee debating riders that do everything from prohibiting VA from 
implementing diversity and equity policies so that all veterans, no 
matter their religion, their culture, their ethnicity, their sexual 
orientation, that all veterans are treated equally; that we can ensure 
that no one feels alienated when walking through the doors of the VA 
facility.
  The Republicans zap any program, any policy related to treating 
veterans equally and making everyone feel welcome when they walk in 
that door.
  It was a top priority for them to prohibit VA facilities from flying 
the Pride flag over VA's facilities. If that is one of their top 
priorities, it is no wonder that they are cutting a billion-and-a-half 
dollars out of military construction, because our friends on the other 
side of the aisle have their policies backwards when it comes to taking 
care of the people who have served our country and continue to serve 
our country.
  They have given a license to discriminate against people who are 
LGBTQIA+ under the guise of religious liberty. They are preventing the 
Federal Government from adequately responding to that and from VA to 
provide healthcare services to everyone equally, and they are 
prohibiting access to gender-affirming care, which no matter what you 
might like to believe on the other side of the aisle, there are people 
who have served our country who deserve those services.
  All veterans should feel welcomed, included, and cared for. The fact 
that they are cutting funding for PFAS forever chemical cleanup means 
that we are going to be causing cancer and severe illness--which people 
are already getting by being exposed to these forever chemicals. We are 
going to ensure, because of the Republican values that are reflected in 
this bill, cutting funding for PFAS forever chemicals, we are going to 
ensure that more people who served our country and who live nearby 
facilities that need to be cleaned up from these chemicals get sick and 
eventually die. That is on them.
  There is enormous need for more funding to help make sure that we can 
do right by our veterans. This bill does the opposite, and I stand in 
opposition to it. I urge all Members to join me in voting against this 
bill so that we can go back to the drawing board.
  We will likely go back to the drawing board, I am quite sure, as this 
bill is on a crash course with the Senate bill which does a much better 
job at living up to the values that we all should adhere to, and that 
is taking care of people who have served our country and are serving 
our country nobly now.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. All time for general debate has expired.
  Pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment 
under the 5-minute rule.
  The bill shall be considered as read.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4366

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the 
     Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for military 
     construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related 
     agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and 
     for other purposes, namely:

                                TITLE I

                         DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

                      Military Construction, Army

       For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment 
     of temporary or permanent public works, military 
     installations, facilities, and real property for the Army as 
     currently authorized by law, including personnel in the Army 
     Corps of Engineers and other personal services necessary for 
     the purposes of this appropriation, and for construction and 
     operation of facilities in support of the functions of the 
     Commander in Chief, $1,517,455,000, to remain available until 
     September 30, 2028:  Provided, That, of this amount, not to 
     exceed $345,775,000 shall be available for study, planning, 
     design, architect and engineer services, and host nation 
     support, as authorized by law, unless the Secretary of the 
     Army determines that additional obligations are necessary for 
     such purposes and notifies the Committees on Appropriations 
     of both Houses of Congress of the determination and the 
     reasons therefor:  Provided further, That of the amount made 
     available under this heading, $162,900,000 shall be for the 
     projects and activities, and in the amounts, specified in the 
     table under the heading ``Military Construction, Army'' in 
     the report accompanying this Act, in addition to amounts 
     otherwise available for such purposes.

              Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps

       For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment 
     of temporary or permanent public works, naval installations, 
     facilities, and real property for the Navy and Marine Corps 
     as currently authorized by law, including personnel in the 
     Naval Facilities Engineering Command and other personal 
     services necessary for the purposes of this appropriation, 
     $4,477,961,000, to remain available until September 30, 2028: 
      Provided, That, of this amount, not to exceed $602,625,000 
     shall be available for study, planning, design, and architect 
     and engineer services, as authorized by law, unless the 
     Secretary of the Navy determines that additional obligations 
     are necessary for such purposes and notifies the Committees 
     on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of the 
     determination and the reasons therefor:  Provided further, 
     That of the amount made available under this heading, 
     $52,683,000 shall be for the projects and activities, and in 
     the amounts, specified in the table under the heading 
     ``Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'' in the 
     report accompanying this Act, in addition to amounts 
     otherwise available for such purposes.

                    Military Construction, Air Force

       For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment 
     of temporary or permanent public works, military 
     installations, facilities, and real property for the Air 
     Force as currently authorized by law, $2,439,614,000, to 
     remain available until September 30, 2028:  Provided, That, 
     of this amount, not to exceed $450,614,000 shall be available 
     for study, planning, design, and architect and engineer 
     services, as authorized by law, unless the Secretary of the 
     Air Force determines that additional obligations are 
     necessary for such purposes and notifies the Committees on 
     Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of the 
     determination and the reasons therefor:  Provided further, 
     That of the amount made available under this heading, 
     $30,300,000 shall be for the projects and activities, and in 
     the amounts, specified in the table under the heading 
     ``Military Construction, Air Force'' in the report 
     accompanying this Act, in addition to amounts otherwise 
     available for such purposes.

                  Military Construction, Defense-Wide

                     (including transfer of funds)

       For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment 
     of temporary or permanent public works, installations, 
     facilities, and real property for activities and agencies of 
     the Department of Defense (other than the

[[Page H3982]]

     military departments), as currently authorized by law, 
     $2,651,047,000, to remain available until September 30, 2028: 
      Provided, That such amounts of this appropriation as may be 
     determined by the Secretary of Defense may be transferred to 
     such appropriations of the Department of Defense available 
     for military construction or family housing as the Secretary 
     may designate, to be merged with and to be available for the 
     same purposes, and for the same time period, as the 
     appropriation or fund to which transferred:  Provided 
     further, That, of the amount, not to exceed $304,045,000 
     shall be available for study, planning, design, and architect 
     and engineer services, as authorized by law, unless the 
     Secretary of Defense determines that additional obligations 
     are necessary for such purposes and notifies the Committees 
     on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of the 
     determination and the reasons therefor.

               Military Construction, Army National Guard

       For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation, 
     and conversion of facilities for the training and 
     administration of the Army National Guard, and contributions 
     therefor, as authorized by chapter 1803 of title 10, United 
     States Code, and Military Construction Authorization Acts, 
     $369,261,000, to remain available until September 30, 2028:  
     Provided, That, of the amount, not to exceed $42,361,000 
     shall be available for study, planning, design, and architect 
     and engineer services, as authorized by law, unless the 
     Director of the Army National Guard determines that 
     additional obligations are necessary for such purposes and 
     notifies the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of 
     Congress of the determination and the reasons therefor:  
     Provided further, That of the amount made available under 
     this heading, $19,075,000 shall be for the projects and 
     activities, and in the amounts, specified in the table under 
     the heading ``Military Construction, Army National Guard'' in 
     the report accompanying this Act, in addition to amounts 
     otherwise available for such purposes.

               Military Construction, Air National Guard

       For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation, 
     and conversion of facilities for the training and 
     administration of the Air National Guard, and contributions 
     therefor, as authorized by chapter 1803 of title 10, United 
     States Code, and Military Construction Authorization Acts, 
     $189,322,000, to remain available until September 30, 2028:  
     Provided, That, of the amount, not to exceed $36,200,000 
     shall be available for study, planning, design, and architect 
     and engineer services, as authorized by law, unless the 
     Director of the Air National Guard determines that additional 
     obligations are necessary for such purposes and notifies the 
     Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of 
     the determination and the reasons therefor:  Provided 
     further, That of the amount made available under this 
     heading, $600,000 shall be for the projects and activities, 
     and in the amounts, specified in the table under the heading 
     ``Military Construction, Air National Guard'' in the report 
     accompanying this Act, in addition to amounts otherwise 
     available for such purposes.

                  Military Construction, Army Reserve

       For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation, 
     and conversion of facilities for the training and 
     administration of the Army Reserve as authorized by chapter 
     1803 of title 10, United States Code, and Military 
     Construction Authorization Acts, $117,076,000, to remain 
     available until September 30, 2028:  Provided, That, of the 
     amount, not to exceed $23,389,000 shall be available for 
     study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services, 
     as authorized by law, unless the Chief of the Army Reserve 
     determines that additional obligations are necessary for such 
     purposes and notifies the Committees on Appropriations of 
     both Houses of Congress of the determination and the reasons 
     therefor.

                  Military Construction, Navy Reserve

       For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation, 
     and conversion of facilities for the training and 
     administration of the reserve components of the Navy and 
     Marine Corps as authorized by chapter 1803 of title 10, 
     United States Code, and Military Construction Authorization 
     Acts, $61,291,000, to remain available until September 30, 
     2028:  Provided, That, of the amount, not to exceed 
     $6,495,000 shall be available for study, planning, design, 
     and architect and engineer services, as authorized by law, 
     unless the Secretary of the Navy determines that additional 
     obligations are necessary for such purposes and notifies the 
     Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of 
     the determination and the reasons therefor.

                Military Construction, Air Force Reserve

       For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation, 
     and conversion of facilities for the training and 
     administration of the Air Force Reserve as authorized by 
     chapter 1803 of title 10, United States Code, and Military 
     Construction Authorization Acts, $330,572,000, to remain 
     available until September 30, 2028:  Provided, That, of the 
     amount, not to exceed $12,146,000 shall be available for 
     study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services, 
     as authorized by law, unless the Chief of the Air Force 
     Reserve determines that additional obligations are necessary 
     for such purposes and notifies the Committees on 
     Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of the 
     determination and the reasons therefor:  Provided further, 
     That of the amount made available under this heading, 
     $29,000,000 shall be for the projects and activities, and in 
     the amounts, specified in the table under the heading 
     ``Military Construction, Air Force Reserve'' in the report 
     accompanying this Act, in addition to amounts otherwise 
     available for such purposes.

                   North Atlantic Treaty Organization

                      Security Investment Program

       For the United States share of the cost of the North 
     Atlantic Treaty Organization Security Investment Program for 
     the acquisition and construction of military facilities and 
     installations (including international military headquarters) 
     and for related expenses for the collective defense of the 
     North Atlantic Treaty Area as authorized by section 2806 of 
     title 10, United States Code, and Military Construction 
     Authorization Acts, $293,434,000, to remain available until 
     expended.

               Department of Defense Base Closure Account

       For deposit into the Department of Defense Base Closure 
     Account, established by section 2906(a) of the Defense Base 
     Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (10 U.S.C. 2687 note), 
     $539,174,000, to remain available until expended.

                   Family Housing Construction, Army

       For expenses of family housing for the Army for 
     construction, including acquisition, replacement, addition, 
     expansion, extension, and alteration, as authorized by law, 
     $304,895,000, to remain available until September 30, 2028.

             Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Army

       For expenses of family housing for the Army for operation 
     and maintenance, including debt payment, leasing, minor 
     construction, principal and interest charges, and insurance 
     premiums, as authorized by law, $395,485,000.

           Family Housing Construction, Navy and Marine Corps

       For expenses of family housing for the Navy and Marine 
     Corps for construction, including acquisition, replacement, 
     addition, expansion, extension, and alteration, as authorized 
     by law, $277,142,000, to remain available until September 30, 
     2028.

    Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Navy and Marine Corps

       For expenses of family housing for the Navy and Marine 
     Corps for operation and maintenance, including debt payment, 
     leasing, minor construction, principal and interest charges, 
     and insurance premiums, as authorized by law, $373,854,000.

                 Family Housing Construction, Air Force

       For expenses of family housing for the Air Force for 
     construction, including acquisition, replacement, addition, 
     expansion, extension, and alteration, as authorized by law, 
     $237,097,000, to remain available until September 30, 2028.

          Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Air Force

       For expenses of family housing for the Air Force for 
     operation and maintenance, including debt payment, leasing, 
     minor construction, principal and interest charges, and 
     insurance premiums, as authorized by law, $324,386,000.

         Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide

       For expenses of family housing for the activities and 
     agencies of the Department of Defense (other than the 
     military departments) for operation and maintenance, leasing, 
     and minor construction, as authorized by law, $50,785,000.

                         Department of Defense

                    Family Housing Improvement Fund

       For the Department of Defense Family Housing Improvement 
     Fund, $6,611,000, to remain available until expended, for 
     family housing initiatives undertaken pursuant to section 
     2883 of title 10, United States Code, providing alternative 
     means of acquiring and improving military family housing and 
     supporting facilities.

                         Department of Defense

            Military Unaccompanied Housing Improvement Fund

       For the Department of Defense Military Unaccompanied 
     Housing Improvement Fund, $496,000, to remain available until 
     expended, for unaccompanied housing initiatives undertaken 
     pursuant to section 2883 of title 10, United States Code, 
     providing alternative means of acquiring and improving 
     military unaccompanied housing and supporting facilities.

                       Administrative Provisions

       Sec. 101.  None of the funds made available in this title 
     shall be expended for payments under a cost-plus-a-fixed-fee 
     contract for construction, where cost estimates exceed 
     $25,000, to be performed within the United States, except 
     Alaska, without the specific approval in writing of the 
     Secretary of Defense setting forth the reasons therefor.
       Sec. 102.  Funds made available in this title for 
     construction shall be available for hire of passenger motor 
     vehicles.
       Sec. 103.  Funds made available in this title for 
     construction may be used for advances to the Federal Highway 
     Administration, Department of Transportation, for the 
     construction of access roads as authorized by section 210 of 
     title 23, United States Code,

[[Page H3983]]

     when projects authorized therein are certified as important 
     to the national defense by the Secretary of Defense.
       Sec. 104.  None of the funds made available in this title 
     may be used to begin construction of new bases in the United 
     States for which specific appropriations have not been made.
       Sec. 105.  None of the funds made available in this title 
     shall be used for purchase of land or land easements in 
     excess of 100 percent of the value as determined by the Army 
     Corps of Engineers or the Naval Facilities Engineering 
     Command, except: (1) where there is a determination of value 
     by a Federal court; (2) purchases negotiated by the Attorney 
     General or the designee of the Attorney General; (3) where 
     the estimated value is less than $25,000; or (4) as otherwise 
     determined by the Secretary of Defense to be in the public 
     interest.
       Sec. 106.  None of the funds made available in this title 
     shall be used to: (1) acquire land; (2) provide for site 
     preparation; or (3) install utilities for any family housing, 
     except housing for which funds have been made available in 
     annual Acts making appropriations for military construction.
       Sec. 107.  None of the funds made available in this title 
     for minor construction may be used to transfer or relocate 
     any activity from one base or installation to another, 
     without prior notification to the Committees on 
     Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.
       Sec. 108.  None of the funds made available in this title 
     may be used for the procurement of steel for any construction 
     project or activity for which American steel producers, 
     fabricators, and manufacturers have been denied the 
     opportunity to compete for such steel procurement.
       Sec. 109.  None of the funds available to the Department of 
     Defense for military construction or family housing during 
     the current fiscal year may be used to pay real property 
     taxes in any foreign nation.
       Sec. 110.  None of the funds made available in this title 
     may be used to initiate a new installation overseas without 
     prior notification to the Committees on Appropriations of 
     both Houses of Congress.
       Sec. 111.  None of the funds made available in this title 
     may be obligated for architect and engineer contracts 
     estimated by the Government to exceed $500,000 for projects 
     to be accomplished in Japan, in any North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization member country, or in countries bordering the 
     Arabian Gulf, unless such contracts are awarded to United 
     States firms or United States firms in joint venture with 
     host nation firms.
       Sec. 112.  None of the funds made available in this title 
     for military construction in the United States territories 
     and possessions in the Pacific and on Kwajalein Atoll, or in 
     countries bordering the Arabian Gulf, may be used to award 
     any contract estimated by the Government to exceed $1,000,000 
     to a foreign contractor:  Provided, That this section shall 
     not be applicable to contract awards for which the lowest 
     responsive and responsible bid of a United States contractor 
     exceeds the lowest responsive and responsible bid of a 
     foreign contractor by greater than 20 percent:  Provided 
     further, That this section shall not apply to contract awards 
     for military construction on Kwajalein Atoll for which the 
     lowest responsive and responsible bid is submitted by a 
     Marshallese contractor.
       Sec. 113.  The Secretary of Defense shall inform the 
     appropriate committees of both Houses of Congress, including 
     the Committees on Appropriations, of plans and scope of any 
     proposed military exercise involving United States personnel 
     30 days prior to its occurring, if amounts expended for 
     construction, either temporary or permanent, are anticipated 
     to exceed $100,000.
       Sec. 114.  Funds appropriated to the Department of Defense 
     for construction in prior years shall be available for 
     construction authorized for each such military department by 
     the authorizations enacted into law during the current 
     session of Congress.
       Sec. 115.  For military construction or family housing 
     projects that are being completed with funds otherwise 
     expired or lapsed for obligation, expired or lapsed funds may 
     be used to pay the cost of associated supervision, 
     inspection, overhead, engineering and design on those 
     projects and on subsequent claims, if any.
       Sec. 116.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any 
     funds made available to a military department or defense 
     agency for the construction of military projects may be 
     obligated for a military construction project or contract, or 
     for any portion of such a project or contract, at any time 
     before the end of the fourth fiscal year after the fiscal 
     year for which funds for such project were made available, if 
     the funds obligated for such project: (1) are obligated from 
     funds available for military construction projects; and (2) 
     do not exceed the amount appropriated for such project, plus 
     any amount by which the cost of such project is increased 
     pursuant to law.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 117.  Subject to 30 days prior notification, or 14 
     days for a notification provided in an electronic medium 
     pursuant to sections 480 and 2883 of title 10, United States 
     Code, to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of 
     Congress, such additional amounts as may be determined by the 
     Secretary of Defense may be transferred to: (1) the 
     Department of Defense Family Housing Improvement Fund from 
     amounts appropriated for construction in ``Family Housing'' 
     accounts, to be merged with and to be available for the same 
     purposes and for the same period of time as amounts 
     appropriated directly to the Fund; or (2) the Department of 
     Defense Military Unaccompanied Housing Improvement Fund from 
     amounts appropriated for construction of military 
     unaccompanied housing in ``Military Construction'' accounts, 
     to be merged with and to be available for the same purposes 
     and for the same period of time as amounts appropriated 
     directly to the Fund:  Provided, That appropriations made 
     available to the Funds shall be available to cover the costs, 
     as defined in section 502(5) of the Congressional Budget Act 
     of 1974, of direct loans or loan guarantees issued by the 
     Department of Defense pursuant to the provisions of 
     subchapter IV of chapter 169 of title 10, United States Code, 
     pertaining to alternative means of acquiring and improving 
     military family housing, military unaccompanied housing, and 
     supporting facilities.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 118.  In addition to any other transfer authority 
     available to the Department of Defense, amounts may be 
     transferred from the Department of Defense Base Closure 
     Account to the fund established by section 1013(d) of the 
     Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 
     (42 U.S.C. 3374) to pay for expenses associated with the 
     Homeowners Assistance Program incurred under 42 U.S.C. 
     3374(a)(1)(A). Any amounts transferred shall be merged with 
     and be available for the same purposes and for the same time 
     period as the fund to which transferred.
       Sec. 119.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
     funds made available in this title for operation and 
     maintenance of family housing shall be the exclusive source 
     of funds for repair and maintenance of all family housing 
     units, including general or flag officer quarters:  Provided, 
     That not more than $15,000 per unit may be spent annually for 
     the maintenance and repair of any general or flag officer 
     quarters without 30 days prior notification, or 14 days for a 
     notification provided in an electronic medium pursuant to 
     sections 480 and 2883 of title 10, United States Code, to the 
     Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress, 
     except that an after-the-fact notification shall be submitted 
     if the limitation is exceeded solely due to costs associated 
     with environmental remediation that could not be reasonably 
     anticipated at the time of the budget submission:  Provided 
     further, That the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) is 
     to report annually to the Committees on Appropriations of 
     both Houses of Congress all operation and maintenance 
     expenditures for each individual general or flag officer 
     quarters for the prior fiscal year.
       Sec. 120.  Amounts contained in the Ford Island Improvement 
     Account established by subsection (h) of section 2814 of 
     title 10, United States Code, are appropriated and shall be 
     available until expended for the purposes specified in 
     subsection (i)(1) of such section or until transferred 
     pursuant to subsection (i)(3) of such section.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 121.  During the 5-year period after appropriations 
     available in this Act to the Department of Defense for 
     military construction and family housing operation and 
     maintenance and construction have expired for obligation, 
     upon a determination that such appropriations will not be 
     necessary for the liquidation of obligations or for making 
     authorized adjustments to such appropriations for obligations 
     incurred during the period of availability of such 
     appropriations, unobligated balances of such appropriations 
     may be transferred into the appropriation ``Foreign Currency 
     Fluctuations, Construction, Defense'', to be merged with and 
     to be available for the same time period and for the same 
     purposes as the appropriation to which transferred.
       Sec. 122.  Amounts appropriated or otherwise made available 
     in an account funded under the headings in this title may be 
     transferred among projects and activities within the account 
     in accordance with the reprogramming guidelines for military 
     construction and family housing construction contained in 
     Department of Defense Financial Management Regulation 
     7000.14-R, Volume 3, Chapter 7, of March 2011, as in effect 
     on the date of enactment of this Act.
       Sec. 123.  None of the funds made available in this title 
     may be obligated or expended for planning and design and 
     construction of projects at Arlington National Cemetery.
       Sec. 124.  For an additional amount for the accounts and in 
     the amounts specified, to remain available until September 
     30, 2028:
       ``Military Construction, Army'', $47,700,000;
       ``Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'', 
     $689,409,000;
       ``Military Construction, Air Force'', $148,300,000;
       ``Military Construction, Defense-Wide'', $280,100,000;
       ``Military Construction, Army National Guard'', 
     $26,800,000;
       ``Military Construction, Air National Guard'', 
     $126,742,000;
       ``Military Construction, Army Reserve'', $40,000,000;
       ``Military Construction, Air Force Reserve'', $8,500,000; 
     and
       ``Family Housing Construction, Air Force'', $27,000,000:
       Provided, That such funds may only be obligated to carry 
     out construction projects identified in the respective 
     military department's unfunded priority list for fiscal year

[[Page H3984]]

     2024 submitted to Congress:  Provided further, That such 
     projects are subject to authorization prior to obligation and 
     expenditure of funds to carry out construction:  Provided 
     further, That not later than 60 days after enactment of this 
     Act, the Secretary of the military department concerned, or 
     their designee, shall submit to the Committees on 
     Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an expenditure plan 
     for funds provided under this section.
       Sec. 125.  All amounts appropriated to the ``Department of 
     Defense--Military Construction, Army'', ``Department of 
     Defense--Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'', 
     ``Department of Defense--Military Construction, Air Force'', 
     and ``Department of Defense--Military Construction, Defense-
     Wide'' accounts pursuant to the authorization of 
     appropriations in a National Defense Authorization Act 
     specified for fiscal year 2024 in the funding table in 
     section 4601 of that Act shall be immediately available and 
     allotted to contract for the full scope of authorized 
     projects.
       Sec. 126.  Notwithstanding section 116 of this Act, funds 
     made available in this Act or any available unobligated 
     balances from prior appropriations Acts may be obligated 
     before October 1, 2025, for fiscal year 2017, 2018, and 2019 
     military construction projects for which project 
     authorization has not lapsed or for which authorization is 
     extended for fiscal year 2024 by a National Defense 
     Authorization Act:  Provided, That no amounts may be 
     obligated pursuant to this section from amounts that were 
     designated by the Congress as an emergency requirement 
     pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget or the 
     Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
       Sec. 127.  For the purposes of this Act, the term 
     ``congressional defense committees'' means the Committees on 
     Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the 
     Senate, the Subcommittee on Military Construction and 
     Veterans Affairs of the Committee on Appropriations of the 
     Senate, and the Subcommittee on Military Construction and 
     Veterans Affairs of the Committee on Appropriations of the 
     House of Representatives.
       Sec. 128.  For an additional amount for the accounts and in 
     the amounts specified for planning and design and for 
     construction improvements to Department of Defense laboratory 
     facilities, to remain available until September 30, 2028:
       ``Military Construction, Army'', $30,000,000;
       ``Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'', 
     $30,000,000; and
       ``Military Construction, Air Force'', $30,000,000:
       Provided, That not later than 60 days after enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of the military department concerned, 
     or their designee, shall submit to the Committees on 
     Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an expenditure plan 
     for funds provided under this section:  Provided further, 
     That the Secretary of the military department concerned may 
     not obligate or expend any funds prior to approval by the 
     Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of 
     the expenditure plan required by this section.
       Sec. 129.  For an additional amount for ``Military 
     Construction, Air Force'', $252,000,000, to remain available 
     until September 30, 2028, for expenses incurred as a result 
     of natural disasters:  Provided, That not later than 60 days 
     after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 
     Air Force, or their designee, shall submit to the Committees 
     on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an expenditure 
     plan for funds provided under this section.
       Sec. 130.  For an additional amount for the accounts and in 
     the amounts specified for planning and design, for child 
     development centers, to remain available until September 30, 
     2028:
       ``Military Construction, Army'', $25,000,000;
       ``Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'', 
     $25,000,000; and
       ``Military Construction, Air Force'', $25,000,000:
       Provided, That not later than 60 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the military 
     department concerned, or their designee, shall submit to the 
     Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an 
     expenditure plan for funds provided under this section.
       Sec. 131.  For an additional amount for the accounts and 
     amounts specified for planning and design, for barracks, to 
     remain available until September 30, 2028:
       ``Military Construction Army'', $65,000,000;
       ``Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'', 
     $65,000,000; and
       ``Military Construction, Air Force'', $65,000,000:
       Provided, That not later than 60 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the military 
     department concerned, or their designee, shall submit to the 
     Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an 
     expenditure plan for funds provided under this section.
       Sec. 132.  For an additional amount for the accounts and in 
     the amounts specified for unspecified minor construction for 
     demolition, to remain available until September 30, 2028:
       ``Military Construction, Army'', $15,000,000;
       ``Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'', 
     $15,000,000;
       ``Military Construction, Air Force'', $15,000,000;
       ``Military Construction, Army National Guard'', 
     $15,000,000;
       ``Military Construction, Air National Guard'', $15,000,000;
       ``Military Construction, Army Reserve'', $5,000,000;
       ``Military Construction, Navy Reserve'', $5,000,000; and
       ``Military Construction, Air Force Reserve'', $5,000,000:
       Provided, That not later than 60 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the military 
     department concerned, or their designee, shall submit to the 
     Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an 
     expenditure plan for funds provided under this section:  
     Provided further, That the Secretary of the military 
     department concerned may not obligate or expend any funds 
     prior to approval by the Committees on Appropriations of both 
     Houses of Congress of the expenditure plan required by this 
     section.
       Sec. 133.  For an additional amount for the accounts and in 
     the amounts specified, to remain available until September 
     30, 2028:
       ``Military Construction, Army'', $122,210,000;
       ``Military Construction, Air Force'', $90,400,000;
       ``Military Construction, Army National Guard'', 
     $134,881,000; and
       ``Military Construction, Army Reserve'', $23,000,000:
       Provided, That funds may only be obligated to carry out 
     cost to complete projects identified in the respective 
     military department's unfunded priority list for fiscal year 
     2024 submitted to Congress:  Provided further, That such 
     projects are subject to authorization prior to obligation and 
     expenditure funds to carry out construction:  Provided 
     further, That not later than 60 days after enactment of this 
     Act, the Secretary of the military department concerned, or 
     their designee, shall submit to the Committees on 
     Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an expenditure plan 
     for funds under this section.
       Sec. 134.  For an additional amount for ``Military 
     Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'', $50,000,000 to remain 
     available until September 30, 2028, for planning and design 
     for Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program 
     construction:  Provided, That not later than 60 days after 
     the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Navy, 
     or their designee, shall submit to the Committees on 
     Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an expenditure plan 
     for funds provided under this section.
       Sec. 135.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used to carry out the closure or realignment of the United 
     States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
       Sec. 136. (a) None of the funds made available by this Act 
     for the Department of the Air Force, or any other Department 
     and Agency, may be obligated or expended for the construction 
     or modification of facilities for temporary or permanent use 
     by the United States Space Command for headquarters 
     operations unless, pursuant to subsection (b), the preferred 
     location for permanent headquarters of the United States 
     Space Command is selected or until the required report is 
     submitted.
       (b) In the event a permanent location for the headquarters 
     is selected other than the preferred location as identified 
     by the Department of the Air Force in January 2021, the 
     Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to the congressional 
     appropriations committees a report on the rationale for the 
     selection of a permanent location for the headquarters of the 
     United States Space Command.
       (c) Subsection (a) shall not apply to any repair necessary 
     to maintain facilities to protect personnel or property.

                                TITLE II

                     DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

                    Veterans Benefits Administration

                       compensation and pensions

                     (including transfer of funds)

       For the payment of compensation benefits to or on behalf of 
     veterans and a pilot program for disability examinations as 
     authorized by section 107 and chapters 11, 13, 18, 51, 53, 
     55, and 61 of title 38, United States Code; pension benefits 
     to or on behalf of veterans as authorized by chapters 15, 51, 
     53, 55, and 61 of title 38, United States Code; and burial 
     benefits, the Reinstated Entitlement Program for Survivors, 
     emergency and other officers' retirement pay, adjusted-
     service credits and certificates, payment of premiums due on 
     commercial life insurance policies guaranteed under the 
     provisions of title IV of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act 
     (50 U.S.C. App. 541 et seq.) and for other benefits as 
     authorized by sections 107, 1312, 1977, and 2106, and 
     chapters 23, 51, 53, 55, and 61 of title 38, United States 
     Code, $4,655,879,000, which shall be in addition to funds 
     previously appropriated under this heading that become 
     available on October 1, 2023, to remain available until 
     expended; and, in addition, $181,390,281,000, which shall 
     become available on October 1, 2024, to remain available 
     until expended:  Provided, That not to exceed $22,109,000 of 
     the amount made available for fiscal year 2025 under this 
     heading shall be reimbursed to ``General Operating Expenses, 
     Veterans Benefits Administration'', and ``Information 
     Technology Systems'' for necessary expenses in implementing 
     the provisions of chapters 51, 53, and 55 of title 38, United 
     States Code, the funding source for which is specifically 
     provided as the ``Compensation and Pensions'' appropriation:  
     Provided further, That such sums as may be earned on an 
     actual qualifying patient basis, shall be reimbursed to 
     ``Medical Care Collections Fund'' to augment the funding of 
     individual medical facilities for nursing home care provided 
     to pensioners as authorized.

[[Page H3985]]

  


                         readjustment benefits

       For the payment of readjustment and rehabilitation benefits 
     to or on behalf of veterans as authorized by chapters 21, 30, 
     31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 39, 41, 51, 53, 55, and 61 of title 38, 
     United States Code, $11,523,134,000, which shall become 
     available on October 1, 2024, to remain available until 
     expended:  Provided, That expenses for rehabilitation program 
     services and assistance which the Secretary is authorized to 
     provide under subsection (a) of section 3104 of title 38, 
     United States Code, other than under paragraphs (1), (2), 
     (5), and (11) of that subsection, shall be charged to this 
     account.

                   veterans insurance and indemnities

       For military and naval insurance, national service life 
     insurance, servicemen's indemnities, service-disabled 
     veterans insurance, and veterans mortgage life insurance as 
     authorized by chapters 19 and 21 of title 38, United States 
     Code, $12,701,000, which shall be in addition to funds 
     previously appropriated under this heading that become 
     available on October 1, 2023, to remain available until 
     expended; and in addition, $135,119,422, which shall become 
     available on October 1, 2024, to remain available until 
     expended.

                 veterans housing benefit program fund

       For the cost of direct and guaranteed loans, such sums as 
     may be necessary to carry out the program, as authorized by 
     subchapters I through III of chapter 37 of title 38, United 
     States Code:  Provided, That such costs, including the cost 
     of modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 
     of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974:  Provided further, 
     That, during fiscal year 2024, within the resources 
     available, not to exceed $500,000 in gross obligations for 
     direct loans are authorized for specially adapted housing 
     loans.
       In addition, for administrative expenses to carry out the 
     direct and guaranteed loan programs, $316,742,419.

            vocational rehabilitation loans program account

       For the cost of direct loans, $78,337, as authorized by 
     chapter 31 of title 38, United States Code:  Provided, That 
     such costs, including the cost of modifying such loans, shall 
     be as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act 
     of 1974:  Provided further, That funds made available under 
     this heading are available to subsidize gross obligations for 
     the principal amount of direct loans not to exceed 
     $2,026,000.
       In addition, for administrative expenses necessary to carry 
     out the direct loan program, $460,698, which may be paid to 
     the appropriation for ``General Operating Expenses, Veterans 
     Benefits Administration''.

          native american veteran housing loan program account

       For administrative expenses to carry out the direct loan 
     program authorized by subchapter V of chapter 37 of title 38, 
     United States Code, $2,718,546.

      general operating expenses, veterans benefits administration

       For necessary operating expenses of the Veterans Benefits 
     Administration, not otherwise provided for, including hire of 
     passenger motor vehicles, reimbursement of the General 
     Services Administration for security guard services, and 
     reimbursement of the Department of Defense for the cost of 
     overseas employee mail, $3,899,000,000:  Provided, That 
     expenses for services and assistance authorized under 
     paragraphs (1), (2), (5), and (11) of section 3104(a) of 
     title 38, United States Code, that the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs determines are necessary to enable entitled veterans: 
     (1) to the maximum extent feasible, to become employable and 
     to obtain and maintain suitable employment; or (2) to achieve 
     maximum independence in daily living, shall be charged to 
     this account:  Provided further, That, of the funds made 
     available under this heading, not to exceed 10 percent shall 
     remain available until September 30, 2025.

                     Veterans Health Administration

                            medical services

       For necessary expenses for furnishing, as authorized by 
     law, inpatient and outpatient care and treatment to 
     beneficiaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs and 
     veterans described in section 1705(a) of title 38, United 
     States Code, including care and treatment in facilities not 
     under the jurisdiction of the Department, and including 
     medical supplies and equipment, bioengineering services, food 
     services, and salaries and expenses of healthcare employees 
     hired under title 38, United States Code, assistance and 
     support services for caregivers as authorized by section 
     1720G of title 38, United States Code, loan repayments 
     authorized by section 604 of the Caregivers and Veterans 
     Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-163; 124 
     Stat. 1174; 38 U.S.C. 7681 note), monthly assistance 
     allowances authorized by section 322(d) of title 38, United 
     States Code, grants authorized by section 521A of title 38, 
     United States Code, and administrative expenses necessary to 
     carry out sections 322(d) and 521A of title 38, United States 
     Code, and hospital care and medical services authorized by 
     section 1787 of title 38, United States Code; 
     $71,000,000,000, plus reimbursements, shall become available 
     on October 1, 2024, and shall remain available until 
     September 30, 2025:  Provided, That, of the amount made 
     available on October 1, 2024, under this heading, 
     $2,000,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 
     2026:  Provided further, That, notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     establish a priority for the provision of medical treatment 
     for veterans who have service-connected disabilities, lower 
     income, or have special needs:  Provided further, That, 
     notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs shall give priority funding for the 
     provision of basic medical benefits to veterans in enrollment 
     priority groups 1 through 6:  Provided further, That, 
     notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs may authorize the dispensing of prescription 
     drugs from Veterans Health Administration facilities to 
     enrolled veterans with privately written prescriptions based 
     on requirements established by the Secretary:  Provided 
     further, That the implementation of the program described in 
     the previous proviso shall incur no additional cost to the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs:  Provided further, That the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that sufficient 
     amounts appropriated under this heading for medical supplies 
     and equipment are available for the acquisition of 
     prosthetics designed specifically for female veterans:  
     Provided further, That nothing in section 2044(e)(1) of title 
     38, United States Code, may be construed as limiting amounts 
     that may be made available under this heading for fiscal 
     years 2024 and 2025 in this or prior Acts.

                         medical community care

       For necessary expenses for furnishing health care to 
     individuals pursuant to chapter 17 of title 38, United States 
     Code, at non-Department facilities, $20,382,000,000, plus 
     reimbursements, shall become available on October 1, 2024, 
     and shall remain available until September 30, 2025:  
     Provided, That, of the amount made available on October 1, 
     2024, under this heading, $2,000,000,000 shall remain 
     available until September 30, 2026.

                     medical support and compliance

       For necessary expenses in the administration of the 
     medical, hospital, nursing home, domiciliary, construction, 
     supply, and research activities, as authorized by law; 
     administrative expenses in support of capital policy 
     activities; and administrative and legal expenses of the 
     Department for collecting and recovering amounts owed the 
     Department as authorized under chapter 17 of title 38, United 
     States Code, and the Federal Medical Care Recovery Act (42 
     U.S.C. 2651 et seq.), $11,800,000,000, plus reimbursements, 
     shall become available on October 1, 2024, and shall remain 
     available until September 30, 2025:  Provided, That, of the 
     amount made available on October 1, 2024, under this heading, 
     $350,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2026.

                           medical facilities

       For necessary expenses for the maintenance and operation of 
     hospitals, nursing homes, domiciliary facilities, and other 
     necessary facilities of the Veterans Health Administration; 
     for administrative expenses in support of planning, design, 
     project management, real property acquisition and 
     disposition, construction, and renovation of any facility 
     under the jurisdiction or for the use of the Department; for 
     oversight, engineering, and architectural activities not 
     charged to project costs; for repairing, altering, improving, 
     or providing facilities in the several hospitals and homes 
     under the jurisdiction of the Department, not otherwise 
     provided for, either by contract or by the hire of temporary 
     employees and purchase of materials; for leases of 
     facilities; and for laundry services; $9,400,000,000, plus 
     reimbursements, shall become available on October 1, 2024, 
     and shall remain available until September 30, 2025:  
     Provided, That, of the amount made available on October 1, 
     2024, under this heading, $500,000,000 shall remain available 
     until September 30, 2026.

                    medical and prosthetic research

       For necessary expenses in carrying out programs of medical 
     and prosthetic research and development as authorized by 
     chapter 73 of title 38, United States Code, $938,000,000, 
     plus reimbursements, shall remain available until September 
     30, 2025:  Provided, That the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall ensure that sufficient amounts appropriated under this 
     heading are available for prosthetic research specifically 
     for female veterans, and for toxic exposure research.

                    National Cemetery Administration

       For necessary expenses of the National Cemetery 
     Administration for operations and maintenance, not otherwise 
     provided for, including uniforms or allowances therefor; 
     cemeterial expenses as authorized by law; purchase of one 
     passenger motor vehicle for use in cemeterial operations; 
     hire of passenger motor vehicles; and repair, alteration or 
     improvement of facilities under the jurisdiction of the 
     National Cemetery Administration, $480,000,000, of which not 
     to exceed 10 percent shall remain available until September 
     30, 2025.

                      Departmental Administration

                         general administration

                     (including transfer of funds)

       For necessary operating expenses of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, not otherwise provided for, including 
     administrative expenses in support of Department-wide capital 
     planning, management and policy activities, uniforms, or 
     allowances therefor; not to exceed $25,000 for official 
     reception and representation expenses; hire of passenger 
     motor vehicles; and reimbursement of the General Services 
     Administration for security guard services, $475,000,000, of 
     which not to

[[Page H3986]]

     exceed 10 percent shall remain available until September 30, 
     2025:  Provided, That funds provided under this heading may 
     be transferred to ``General Operating Expenses, Veterans 
     Benefits Administration''.

                       board of veterans appeals

       For necessary operating expenses of the Board of Veterans 
     Appeals, $287,000,000 of which not to exceed 10 percent shall 
     remain available until September 30, 2025.

                     information technology systems

                     (including transfer of funds)

       For necessary expenses for information technology systems 
     and telecommunications support, including developmental 
     information systems and operational information systems; for 
     pay and associated costs; and for the capital asset 
     acquisition of information technology systems, including 
     management and related contractual costs of said 
     acquisitions, including contractual costs associated with 
     operations authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United 
     States Code, $6,401,000,000, plus reimbursements:  Provided, 
     That $1,606,977,000 shall be for pay and associated costs, of 
     which not to exceed 3 percent shall remain available until 
     September 30, 2025:  Provided further, That $4,668,373,000 
     shall be for operations and maintenance, of which not to 
     exceed 5 percent shall remain available until September 30, 
     2025:  Provided further, That $125,650,000 shall be for 
     information technology systems development, and shall remain 
     available until September 30, 2025:  Provided further, That 
     amounts made available for salaries and expenses, operations 
     and maintenance, and information technology systems 
     development may be transferred among the three subaccounts 
     after the Secretary of Veterans Affairs requests from the 
     Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress the 
     authority to make the transfer and an approval is issued:  
     Provided further, That amounts made available for the 
     ``Information Technology Systems'' account for development 
     may be transferred among projects or to newly defined 
     projects:  Provided further, That no project may be increased 
     or decreased by more than $3,000,000 of cost prior to 
     submitting a request to the Committees on Appropriations of 
     both Houses of Congress to make the transfer and an approval 
     is issued, or absent a response, a period of 30 days has 
     elapsed:  Provided further, That the funds made available 
     under this heading for information technology systems 
     development shall be for the projects, and in the amounts, 
     specified in the table entitled ``Information Technology 
     Development Projects'' under this heading in the report 
     accompanying this Act.

                   veterans electronic health record

       For activities related to implementation, preparation, 
     development, interface, management, rollout, and maintenance 
     of a Veterans Electronic Health Record system, including 
     contractual costs associated with operations authorized by 
     section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, and salaries and 
     expenses of employees hired under titles 5 and 38, United 
     States Code, $1,863,000,000, to remain available until 
     September 30, 2026:  Provided, That the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of 
     both Houses of Congress quarterly reports detailing 
     obligations, expenditures, and deployment implementation by 
     facility, including any changes from the deployment plan or 
     schedule:  Provided further, That the funds provided in this 
     account shall only be available to the Office of the Deputy 
     Secretary, to be administered by that Office:  Provided 
     further, That 25 percent of the funds made available under 
     this heading shall not be available until July 1, 2024, and 
     are contingent upon the Secretary of Veterans Affairs--
       (1) providing the Committees on Appropriations a report 
     detailing the status of outstanding issues impacting the 
     stability and usability of the new electronic health record 
     system, including those that contributed to the October 13, 
     2022, deployment delay, along with a timeline and measurable 
     metrics to resolve issues, no later than 60 days after 
     enactment of this Act;
       (2) certifying and detailing any changes to the full 
     deployment schedule, no later than 60 days prior to July 1, 
     2024; and
       (3) certifying in writing no later than 30 days prior to 
     July 1, 2024, the following--
       (A) the status of issues included in the report referenced 
     in paragraph (1), including issues that have not been closed 
     but have been suitably resolved or mitigated in a manner that 
     will enhance provider productivity and minimize the potential 
     for patient harm; and
       (B) whether the system is stable, ready, and optimized for 
     further deployment at VA sites.

                      office of inspector general

       For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General, 
     to include information technology, in carrying out the 
     provisions of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 
     App.), $296,000,000, of which not to exceed 10 percent shall 
     remain available until September 30, 2025.

                      construction, major projects

       For constructing, altering, extending, and improving any of 
     the facilities, including parking projects, under the 
     jurisdiction or for the use of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs, or for any of the purposes set forth in sections 
     316, 2404, 2406 and chapter 81 of title 38, United States 
     Code, not otherwise provided for, including planning, 
     architectural and engineering services, construction 
     management services, maintenance or guarantee period services 
     costs associated with equipment guarantees provided under the 
     project, services of claims analysts, offsite utility and 
     storm drainage system construction costs, and site 
     acquisition, where the estimated cost of a project is more 
     than the amount set forth in section 8104(a)(3)(A) of title 
     38, United States Code, or where funds for a project were 
     made available in a previous major project appropriation, 
     $881,000,000, of which $373,096,000 shall remain available 
     until September 30, 2028, and of which $507,904,000 shall 
     remain available until expended, of which $110,000,000 shall 
     be available for seismic improvement projects and seismic 
     program management activities, including for projects that 
     would otherwise be funded by the Construction, Minor 
     Projects, Medical Facilities or National Cemetery 
     Administration accounts:  Provided, That except for advance 
     planning activities, including needs assessments which may or 
     may not lead to capital investments, and other capital asset 
     management related activities, including portfolio 
     development and management activities, and planning, cost 
     estimating, and design for major medical facility projects 
     and major medical facility leases and investment strategy 
     studies funded through the advance planning fund and the 
     planning and design activities funded through the design 
     fund, staffing expenses, and funds provided for the purchase, 
     security, and maintenance of land for the National Cemetery 
     Administration through the land acquisition line item, none 
     of the funds made available under this heading shall be used 
     for any project that has not been notified to Congress 
     through the budgetary process or that has not been approved 
     by the Congress through statute, joint resolution, or in the 
     explanatory statement accompanying such Act and presented to 
     the President at the time of enrollment:  Provided further, 
     That such sums as may be necessary shall be available to 
     reimburse the ``General Administration'' account for payment 
     of salaries and expenses of all Office of Construction and 
     Facilities Management employees to support the full range of 
     capital infrastructure services provided, including minor 
     construction and leasing services:  Provided further, That 
     funds made available under this heading for fiscal year 2024, 
     for each approved project shall be obligated: (1) by the 
     awarding of a construction documents contract by September 
     30, 2024; and (2) by the awarding of a construction contract 
     by September 30, 2025:  Provided further, That the Secretary 
     of Veterans Affairs shall promptly submit to the Committees 
     on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress a written report 
     on any approved major construction project for which 
     obligations are not incurred within the time limitations 
     established above:  Provided further, That notwithstanding 
     the requirements of section 8104(a) of title 38, United 
     States Code, amounts made available under this heading for 
     seismic improvement projects and seismic program management 
     activities shall be available for the completion of both new 
     and existing seismic projects of the Department.

                      construction, minor projects

       For constructing, altering, extending, and improving any of 
     the facilities, including parking projects, under the 
     jurisdiction or for the use of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs, including planning and assessments of needs which 
     may lead to capital investments, architectural and 
     engineering services, maintenance or guarantee period 
     services costs associated with equipment guarantees provided 
     under the project, services of claims analysts, offsite 
     utility and storm drainage system construction costs, and 
     site acquisition, or for any of the purposes set forth in 
     sections 316, 2404, 2406 and chapter 81 of title 38, United 
     States Code, not otherwise provided for, where the estimated 
     cost of a project is equal to or less than the amount set 
     forth in section 8104(a)(3)(A) of title 38, United States 
     Code, $680,000,000, of which $612,000,000 shall remain 
     available until September 30, 2028, and of which $68,000,000 
     shall remain available until expended, along with unobligated 
     balances of previous ``Construction, Minor Projects'' 
     appropriations which are hereby made available for any 
     project where the estimated cost is equal to or less than the 
     amount set forth in such section:  Provided, That funds made 
     available under this heading shall be for: (1) repairs to any 
     of the nonmedical facilities under the jurisdiction or for 
     the use of the Department which are necessary because of loss 
     or damage caused by any natural disaster or catastrophe; and 
     (2) temporary measures necessary to prevent or to minimize 
     further loss by such causes.

       grants for construction of state extended care facilities

       For grants to assist States to acquire or construct State 
     nursing home and domiciliary facilities and to remodel, 
     modify, or alter existing hospital, nursing home, and 
     domiciliary facilities in State homes, for furnishing care to 
     veterans as authorized by sections 8131 through 8137 of title 
     38, United States Code, $164,000,000, to remain available 
     until expended.

             grants for construction of veterans cemeteries

       For grants to assist States and tribal organizations in 
     establishing, expanding, or improving veterans cemeteries as 
     authorized by section 2408 of title 38, United States Code, 
     $60,000,000, to remain available until expended.

[[Page H3987]]

  


                       Administrative Provisions

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 201.  Any appropriation for fiscal year 2024 for 
     ``Compensation and Pensions'', ``Readjustment Benefits'', and 
     ``Veterans Insurance and Indemnities'' may be transferred as 
     necessary to any other of the mentioned appropriations:  
     Provided, That, before a transfer may take place, the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall request from the 
     Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress the 
     authority to make the transfer and such Committees issue an 
     approval, or absent a response, a period of 30 days has 
     elapsed.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 202.  Amounts made available for the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2024, in this or any other 
     Act, under the ``Medical Services'', ``Medical Community 
     Care'', ``Medical Support and Compliance'', and ``Medical 
     Facilities'' accounts may be transferred among the accounts:  
     Provided, That any transfers among the ``Medical Services'', 
     ``Medical Community Care'', and ``Medical Support and 
     Compliance'' accounts of 1 percent or less of the total 
     amount appropriated to the account in this or any other Act 
     may take place subject to notification from the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs to the Committees on Appropriations of both 
     Houses of Congress of the amount and purpose of the transfer: 
      Provided further, That any transfers among the ``Medical 
     Services'', ``Medical Community Care'', and ``Medical Support 
     and Compliance'' accounts in excess of 1 percent, or 
     exceeding the cumulative 1 percent for the fiscal year, may 
     take place only after the Secretary requests from the 
     Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress the 
     authority to make the transfer and an approval is issued:  
     Provided further, That any transfers to or from the ``Medical 
     Facilities'' account may take place only after the Secretary 
     requests from the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses 
     of Congress the authority to make the transfer and an 
     approval is issued.
       Sec. 203.  Appropriations available in this title for 
     salaries and expenses shall be available for services 
     authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code; 
     hire of passenger motor vehicles; lease of a facility or land 
     or both; and uniforms or allowances therefore, as authorized 
     by sections 5901 through 5902 of title 5, United States Code.
       Sec. 204.  No appropriations in this title (except the 
     appropriations for ``Construction, Major Projects'', and 
     ``Construction, Minor Projects'') shall be available for the 
     purchase of any site for or toward the construction of any 
     new hospital or home.
       Sec. 205.  No appropriations in this title shall be 
     available for hospitalization or examination of any persons 
     (except beneficiaries entitled to such hospitalization or 
     examination under the laws providing such benefits to 
     veterans, and persons receiving such treatment under sections 
     7901 through 7904 of title 5, United States Code, or the 
     Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.)), unless reimbursement of the 
     cost of such hospitalization or examination is made to the 
     ``Medical Services'' account at such rates as may be fixed by 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
       Sec. 206.  Appropriations available in this title for 
     ``Compensation and Pensions'', ``Readjustment Benefits'', and 
     ``Veterans Insurance and Indemnities'' shall be available for 
     payment of prior year accrued obligations required to be 
     recorded by law against the corresponding prior year accounts 
     within the last quarter of fiscal year 2023.
       Sec. 207.  Appropriations available in this title shall be 
     available to pay prior year obligations of corresponding 
     prior year appropriations accounts resulting from sections 
     3328(a), 3334, and 3712(a) of title 31, United States Code, 
     except that if such obligations are from trust fund accounts 
     they shall be payable only from ``Compensation and 
     Pensions''.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 208.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
     during fiscal year 2024, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall, from the National Service Life Insurance Fund under 
     section 1920 of title 38, United States Code, the Veterans' 
     Special Life Insurance Fund under section 1923 of title 38, 
     United States Code, and the United States Government Life 
     Insurance Fund under section 1955 of title 38, United States 
     Code, reimburse the ``General Operating Expenses, Veterans 
     Benefits Administration'' and ``Information Technology 
     Systems'' accounts for the cost of administration of the 
     insurance programs financed through those accounts:  
     Provided, That reimbursement shall be made only from the 
     surplus earnings accumulated in such an insurance program 
     during fiscal year 2024 that are available for dividends in 
     that program after claims have been paid and actuarially 
     determined reserves have been set aside:  Provided further, 
     That if the cost of administration of such an insurance 
     program exceeds the amount of surplus earnings accumulated in 
     that program, reimbursement shall be made only to the extent 
     of such surplus earnings:  Provided further, That the 
     Secretary shall determine the cost of administration for 
     fiscal year 2024 which is properly allocable to the provision 
     of each such insurance program and to the provision of any 
     total disability income insurance included in that insurance 
     program.
       Sec. 209.  Amounts deducted from enhanced-use lease 
     proceeds to reimburse an account for expenses incurred by 
     that account during a prior fiscal year for providing 
     enhanced-use lease services shall be available until 
     expended.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 210.  Funds available in this title or funds for 
     salaries and other administrative expenses shall also be 
     available to reimburse the Office of Resolution Management, 
     Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of Employment 
     Discrimination Complaint Adjudication, and the Alternative 
     Dispute Resolution function within the Office of Human 
     Resources and Administration for all services provided at 
     rates which will recover actual costs but not to exceed 
     $86,481,000 for the Office of Resolution Management, 
     Diversity and Inclusion, $6,960,000 for the Office of 
     Employment Discrimination Complaint Adjudication, and 
     $7,772,000 for the Alternative Dispute Resolution function 
     within the Office of Human Resources and Administration:  
     Provided, That payments may be made in advance for services 
     to be furnished based on estimated costs:  Provided further, 
     That amounts received shall be credited to the ``General 
     Administration'' and ``Information Technology Systems'' 
     accounts for use by the office that provided the service.
       Sec. 211.  No funds of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
     shall be available for hospital care, nursing home care, or 
     medical services provided to any person under chapter 17 of 
     title 38, United States Code, for a non-service-connected 
     disability described in section 1729(a)(2) of such title, 
     unless that person has disclosed to the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs, in such form as the Secretary may require, current, 
     accurate third-party reimbursement information for purposes 
     of section 1729 of such title:  Provided, That the Secretary 
     may recover, in the same manner as any other debt due the 
     United States, the reasonable charges for such care or 
     services from any person who does not make such disclosure as 
     required:  Provided further, That any amounts so recovered 
     for care or services provided in a prior fiscal year may be 
     obligated by the Secretary during the fiscal year in which 
     amounts are received.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 212.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
     proceeds or revenues derived from enhanced-use leasing 
     activities (including disposal) may be deposited into the 
     ``Construction, Major Projects'' and ``Construction, Minor 
     Projects'' accounts and be used for construction (including 
     site acquisition and disposition), alterations, and 
     improvements of any medical facility under the jurisdiction 
     or for the use of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Such 
     sums as realized are in addition to the amount provided for 
     in ``Construction, Major Projects'' and ``Construction, Minor 
     Projects''.
       Sec. 213.  Amounts made available under ``Medical 
     Services'' are available--
       (1) for furnishing recreational facilities, supplies, and 
     equipment; and
       (2) for funeral expenses, burial expenses, and other 
     expenses incidental to funerals and burials for beneficiaries 
     receiving care in the Department.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 214.  Such sums as may be deposited into the Medical 
     Care Collections Fund pursuant to section 1729A of title 38, 
     United States Code, may be transferred to the ``Medical 
     Services'' and ``Medical Community Care'' accounts to remain 
     available until expended for the purposes of these accounts.
       Sec. 215.  The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may enter into 
     agreements with Federally Qualified Health Centers in the 
     State of Alaska and Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations 
     which are party to the Alaska Native Health Compact with the 
     Indian Health Service, to provide healthcare, including 
     behavioral health and dental care, to veterans in rural 
     Alaska. The Secretary shall require participating veterans 
     and facilities to comply with all appropriate rules and 
     regulations, as established by the Secretary. The term 
     ``rural Alaska'' shall mean those lands which are not within 
     the boundaries of the municipality of Anchorage or the 
     Fairbanks North Star Borough.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 216.  Such sums as may be deposited into the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs Capital Asset Fund pursuant to 
     section 8118 of title 38, United States Code, may be 
     transferred to the ``Construction, Major Projects'' and 
     ``Construction, Minor Projects'' accounts, to remain 
     available until expended for the purposes of these accounts.
       Sec. 217.  Not later than 30 days after the end of each 
     fiscal quarter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     submit to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of 
     Congress a report on the financial status of the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs for the preceding quarter:  Provided, 
     That, at a minimum, the report shall include the direction 
     contained in the paragraph entitled ``Quarterly reporting'', 
     under the heading ``General Administration'' in the joint 
     explanatory statement accompanying Public Law 114-223.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 218.  Amounts made available under the ``Medical 
     Services'', ``Medical Community Care'', ``Medical Support and 
     Compliance'', ``Medical Facilities'', ``General Operating 
     Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration'', ``Board of 
     Veterans Appeals'', ``General Administration'', and 
     ``National Cemetery Administration'' accounts for fiscal year 
     2024 may be transferred to or from the ``Information 
     Technology Systems'' account:  Provided, That such transfers 
     may not

[[Page H3988]]

     result in a more than 10 percent aggregate increase in the 
     total amount made available by this Act for the ``Information 
     Technology Systems'' account:  Provided further, That, before 
     a transfer may take place, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall request from the Committees on Appropriations of both 
     Houses of Congress the authority to make the transfer and an 
     approval is issued.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 219.  Of the amounts appropriated to the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2024 for ``Medical 
     Services'', ``Medical Community Care'', ``Medical Support and 
     Compliance'', ``Medical Facilities'', ``Construction, Minor 
     Projects'', and ``Information Technology Systems'', up to 
     $430,532,000, plus reimbursements, may be transferred to the 
     Joint Department of Defense--Department of Veterans Affairs 
     Medical Facility Demonstration Fund, established by section 
     1704 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
     Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84; 123 Stat. 2571) and may be used 
     for operation of the facilities designated as combined 
     Federal medical facilities as described by section 706 of the 
     Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
     Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417; 122 Stat. 4500):  Provided, 
     That additional funds may be transferred from accounts 
     designated in this section to the Joint Department of 
     Defense--Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility 
     Demonstration Fund upon written notification by the Secretary 
     of Veterans Affairs to the Committees on Appropriations of 
     both Houses of Congress:  Provided further, That section 220 
     of title II of division J of Public Law 117-328 is repealed.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 220.  Of the amounts appropriated to the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs which become available on October 1, 2024, 
     for ``Medical Services'', ``Medical Community Care'', 
     ``Medical Support and Compliance'', and ``Medical 
     Facilities'', up to $456,547,000, plus reimbursements, may be 
     transferred to the Joint Department of Defense--Department of 
     Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund, 
     established by section 1704 of the National Defense 
     Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84; 
     123 Stat. 2571) and may be used for operation of the 
     facilities designated as combined Federal medical facilities 
     as described by section 706 of the Duncan Hunter National 
     Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 
     110-417; 122 Stat. 4500):  Provided, That additional funds 
     may be transferred from accounts designated in this section 
     to the Joint Department of Defense--Department of Veterans 
     Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund upon written 
     notification by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the 
     Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 221.  Such sums as may be deposited into the Medical 
     Care Collections Fund pursuant to section 1729A of title 38, 
     United States Code, for healthcare provided at facilities 
     designated as combined Federal medical facilities as 
     described by section 706 of the Duncan Hunter National 
     Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 
     110-417; 122 Stat. 4500) shall also be available: (1) for 
     transfer to the Joint Department of Defense--Department of 
     Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund, 
     established by section 1704 of the National Defense 
     Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84; 
     123 Stat. 2571); and (2) for operations of the facilities 
     designated as combined Federal medical facilities as 
     described by section 706 of the Duncan Hunter National 
     Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 
     110-417; 122 Stat. 4500):  Provided, That, notwithstanding 
     section 1704(b)(3) of the National Defense Authorization Act 
     for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84; 123 Stat. 2573), 
     amounts transferred to the Joint Department of Defense--
     Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration 
     Fund shall remain available until expended.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 222.  Of the amounts available in this title for 
     ``Medical Services'', ``Medical Community Care'', ``Medical 
     Support and Compliance'', and ``Medical Facilities'', a 
     minimum of $15,000,000 shall be transferred to the DOD-VA 
     Health Care Sharing Incentive Fund, as authorized by section 
     8111(d) of title 38, United States Code, to remain available 
     until expended, for any purpose authorized by section 8111 of 
     title 38, United States Code.
       Sec. 223.  The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall notify 
     the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress 
     of all bid savings in a major construction project that total 
     at least $5,000,000, or 5 percent of the programmed amount of 
     the project, whichever is less:  Provided, That such 
     notification shall occur within 14 days of a contract 
     identifying the programmed amount:  Provided further, That 
     the Secretary shall notify the Committees on Appropriations 
     of both Houses of Congress 14 days prior to the obligation of 
     such bid savings and shall describe the anticipated use of 
     such savings.
       Sec. 224.  None of the funds made available for 
     ``Construction, Major Projects'' may be used for a project in 
     excess of the scope specified for that project in the 
     original justification data provided to the Congress as part 
     of the request for appropriations unless the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs receives approval from the Committees on 
     Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.
       Sec. 225.  Not later than 30 days after the end of each 
     fiscal quarter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     submit to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of 
     Congress a quarterly report containing performance measures 
     and data from each Veterans Benefits Administration Regional 
     Office:  Provided, That, at a minimum, the report shall 
     include the direction contained in the section entitled 
     ``Disability claims backlog'', under the heading ``General 
     Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration'' in the 
     joint explanatory statement accompanying Public Law 114-223:  
     Provided further, That the report shall also include 
     information on the number of appeals pending at the Veterans 
     Benefits Administration as well as the Board of Veterans 
     Appeals on a quarterly basis.
       Sec. 226.  The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide 
     written notification to the Committees on Appropriations of 
     both Houses of Congress 15 days prior to organizational 
     changes which result in the transfer of 25 or more full-time 
     equivalents from one organizational unit of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs to another.
       Sec. 227.  The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide 
     on a quarterly basis to the Committees on Appropriations of 
     both Houses of Congress notification of any single national 
     outreach and awareness marketing campaign in which 
     obligations exceed $1,000,000.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 228.  The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, upon 
     determination that such action is necessary to address needs 
     of the Veterans Health Administration, may transfer to the 
     ``Medical Services'' account any discretionary appropriations 
     made available for fiscal year 2024 in this title (except 
     appropriations made to the ``General Operating Expenses, 
     Veterans Benefits Administration'' account) or any 
     discretionary unobligated balances within the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, including those appropriated for fiscal 
     year 2024, that were provided in advance by appropriations 
     Acts:  Provided, That transfers shall be made only with the 
     approval of the Office of Management and Budget:  Provided 
     further, That the transfer authority provided in this section 
     is in addition to any other transfer authority provided by 
     law:  Provided further, That no amounts may be transferred 
     from amounts that were designated by Congress as an emergency 
     requirement pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget 
     or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 
     1985:  Provided further, That such authority to transfer may 
     not be used unless for higher priority items, based on 
     emergent healthcare requirements, than those for which 
     originally appropriated and in no case where the item for 
     which funds are requested has been denied by Congress:  
     Provided further, That, upon determination that all or part 
     of the funds transferred from an appropriation are not 
     necessary, such amounts may be transferred back to that 
     appropriation and shall be available for the same purposes as 
     originally appropriated:  Provided further, That before a 
     transfer may take place, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall request from the Committees on Appropriations of both 
     Houses of Congress the authority to make the transfer and 
     receive approval of that request.

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Sec. 229.  Amounts made available for the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2024, under the ``Board of 
     Veterans Appeals'' and the ``General Operating Expenses, 
     Veterans Benefits Administration'' accounts may be 
     transferred between such accounts:  Provided, That before a 
     transfer may take place, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall request from the Committees on Appropriations of both 
     Houses of Congress the authority to make the transfer and 
     receive approval of that request.
       Sec. 230.  The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may not 
     reprogram funds among major construction projects or programs 
     if such instance of reprogramming will exceed $7,000,000, 
     unless such reprogramming is approved by the Committees on 
     Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.
       Sec. 231. (a) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     ensure that the toll-free suicide hotline under section 
     1720F(h) of title 38, United States Code--
       (1) provides to individuals who contact the hotline 
     immediate assistance from a trained professional; and
       (2) adheres to all requirements of the American Association 
     of Suicidology.
       (b)(1) None of the funds made available by this Act may be 
     used to enforce or otherwise carry out any Executive action 
     that prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 
     appointing an individual to occupy a vacant civil service 
     position, or establishing a new civil service position, at 
     the Department of Veterans Affairs with respect to such a 
     position relating to the hotline specified in subsection (a).
       (2) In this subsection--
       (A) the term ``civil service'' has the meaning given such 
     term in section 2101(1) of title 5, United States Code; and
       (B) the term ``Executive action'' includes--
       (i) any Executive order, Presidential memorandum, or other 
     action by the President; and
       (ii) any agency policy, order, or other directive.
       (c)(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a 
     study on the effectiveness of

[[Page H3989]]

     the hotline specified in subsection (a) during the 5-year 
     period beginning on January 1, 2016, based on an analysis of 
     national suicide data and data collected from such hotline.
       (2) At a minimum, the study required by paragraph (1) 
     shall--
       (A) determine the number of veterans who contact the 
     hotline specified in subsection (a) and who receive follow up 
     services from the hotline or mental health services from the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs thereafter;
       (B) determine the number of veterans who contact the 
     hotline who are not referred to, or do not continue 
     receiving, mental health care who commit suicide; and
       (C) determine the number of veterans described in 
     subparagraph (A) who commit or attempt suicide.
       Sec. 232.  Effective during the period beginning on October 
     1, 2018, and ending on January 1, 2025, none of the funds 
     made available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs by this 
     or any other Act may be obligated or expended in 
     contravention of the ``Veterans Health Administration 
     Clinical Preventive Services Guidance Statement on the 
     Veterans Health Administration's Screening for Breast Cancer 
     Guidance'' published on May 10, 2017, as issued by the 
     Veterans Health Administration National Center for Health 
     Promotion and Disease Prevention.
       Sec. 233. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
     the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs for the ``Medical Services'' 
     account may be used to provide--
       (1) fertility counseling and treatment using assisted 
     reproductive technology to a covered veteran or the spouse of 
     a covered veteran; or
       (2) adoption reimbursement to a covered veteran.
       (b) In this section:
       (1) The term ``service-connected'' has the meaning given 
     such term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
       (2) The term ``covered veteran'' means a veteran, as such 
     term is defined in section 101 of title 38, United States 
     Code, who has a service-connected disability that results in 
     the inability of the veteran to procreate without the use of 
     fertility treatment.
       (3) The term ``assisted reproductive technology'' means 
     benefits relating to reproductive assistance provided to a 
     member of the Armed Forces who incurs a serious injury or 
     illness on active duty pursuant to section 1074(c)(4)(A) of 
     title 10, United States Code, as described in the memorandum 
     on the subject of ``Policy for Assisted Reproductive Services 
     for the Benefit of Seriously or Severely Ill/Injured 
     (Category II or III) Active Duty Service Members'' issued by 
     the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs on 
     April 3, 2012, and the guidance issued to implement such 
     policy, including any limitations on the amount of such 
     benefits available to such a member except that--
       (A) the time periods regarding embryo cryopreservation and 
     storage set forth in part III(G) and in part IV(H) of such 
     memorandum shall not apply; and
       (B) such term includes embryo cryopreservation and storage 
     without limitation on the duration of such cryopreservation 
     and storage.
       (4) The term ``adoption reimbursement'' means reimbursement 
     for the adoption-related expenses for an adoption that is 
     finalized after the date of the enactment of this Act under 
     the same terms as apply under the adoption reimbursement 
     program of the Department of Defense, as authorized in 
     Department of Defense Instruction 1341.09, including the 
     reimbursement limits and requirements set forth in such 
     instruction.
       (c) Amounts made available for the purposes specified in 
     subsection (a) of this section are subject to the 
     requirements for funds contained in section 508 of division H 
     of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115-
     141).
       Sec. 234.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act or any other Act for the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs may be used in a manner that is inconsistent 
     with: (1) section 842 of the Transportation, Treasury, 
     Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of 
     Columbia, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 
     (Public Law 109-115; 119 Stat. 2506); or (2) section 
     8110(a)(5) of title 38, United States Code.
       Sec. 235.  Section 842 of Public Law 109-115 shall not 
     apply to conversion of an activity or function of the 
     Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits 
     Administration, or National Cemetery Administration to 
     contractor performance by a business concern that is at least 
     51 percent owned by one or more Indian Tribes as defined in 
     section 5304(e) of title 25, United States Code, or one or 
     more Native Hawaiian Organizations as defined in section 
     637(a)(15) of title 15, United States Code.
       Sec. 236. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the 
     Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Labor, shall 
     discontinue using Social Security account numbers to identify 
     individuals in all information systems of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs as follows:
       (1) For all veterans submitting to the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs new claims for benefits under laws 
     administered by the Secretary, not later than September 30, 
     2024.
       (2) For all individuals not described in paragraph (1), not 
     later than March 23, 2026.
       (b) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may use a Social 
     Security account number to identify an individual in an 
     information system of the Department of Veterans Affairs if 
     and only if the use of such number is required to obtain 
     information the Secretary requires from an information system 
     that is not under the jurisdiction of the Secretary.
       (c) The matter in subsections (a) and (b) shall supersede 
     section 238 of division F of Public Law 116-94.
       Sec. 237.  For funds provided to the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs for each of fiscal year 2024 and 2025 for ``Medical 
     Services'', section 239 of division A of Public Law 114-223 
     shall apply.
       Sec. 238.  None of the funds appropriated in this or prior 
     appropriations Acts or otherwise made available to the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs may be used to transfer any 
     amounts from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund 
     to any other account within the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs.
       Sec. 239.  Of the funds provided to the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs for each of fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 
     2025 for ``Medical Services'', funds may be used in each year 
     to carry out and expand the child care program authorized by 
     section 205 of Public Law 111-163, notwithstanding subsection 
     (e) of such section.
       Sec. 240.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available in this title may be used by the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs to enter into an agreement related to 
     resolving a dispute or claim with an individual that would 
     restrict in any way the individual from speaking to members 
     of Congress or their staff on any topic not otherwise 
     prohibited from disclosure by Federal law or required by 
     Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national 
     defense or the conduct of foreign affairs.
       Sec. 241.  For funds provided to the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs for each of fiscal year 2024 and 2025, section 258 of 
     division A of Public Law 114-223 shall apply.
       Sec. 242. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise 
     made available by this Act may be used to deny an Inspector 
     General funded under this Act timely access to any records, 
     documents, or other materials available to the department or 
     agency over which that Inspector General has responsibilities 
     under the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.), or 
     to prevent or impede the access of the Inspector General to 
     such records, documents, or other materials, under any 
     provision of law, except a provision of law that expressly 
     refers to such Inspector General and expressly limits the 
     right of access.
       (b) A department or agency covered by this section shall 
     provide its Inspector General access to all records, 
     documents, and other materials in a timely manner.
       (c) Each Inspector General shall ensure compliance with 
     statutory limitations on disclosure relevant to the 
     information provided by the establishment over which that 
     Inspector General has responsibilities under the Inspector 
     General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.).
       (d) Each Inspector General covered by this section shall 
     report to the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and 
     the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
     Representatives within 5 calendar days of any failure by any 
     department or agency covered by this section to comply with 
     this requirement.
       Sec. 243.  None of the funds made available in this Act may 
     be used in a manner that would increase wait times for 
     veterans who seek care at medical facilities of the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs.
       Sec. 244.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act to the Veterans Health Administration 
     may be used in fiscal year 2024 to convert any program which 
     received specific purpose funds in fiscal year 2023 to a 
     general purpose funded program unless the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs submits written notification of any such 
     proposal to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses 
     of Congress at least 30 days prior to any such action and an 
     approval is issued by the Committees.
       Sec. 245.  For funds provided to the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs for each of fiscal year 2024 and 2025, section 248 of 
     division A of Public Law 114-223 shall apply.
       Sec. 246. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise 
     made available by this Act may be used to conduct research 
     commencing on or after October 1, 2019, that uses any canine, 
     feline, or non-human primate unless the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs approves such research specifically and in writing 
     pursuant to subsection (b).
       (b)(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may approve the 
     conduct of research commencing on or after October 1, 2019, 
     using canines, felines, or non-human primates if the 
     Secretary determines that--
       (A) the scientific objectives of the research can only be 
     met by using such canines, felines, or non-human primates;
       (B) such scientific objectives are directly related to an 
     illness or injury that is combat-related; and
       (C) the research is consistent with the revised Department 
     of Veterans Affairs canine research policy document dated 
     December 15, 2017, including any subsequent revisions to such 
     document.
       (2) The Secretary may not delegate the authority under this 
     subsection.
       (c) If the Secretary approves any new research pursuant to 
     subsection (b), not later than 30 days before the 
     commencement of such research, the Secretary shall submit to 
     the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and House of 
     Representatives a report describing--
       (1) the nature of the research to be conducted using 
     canines, felines, or non-human primates;

[[Page H3990]]

       (2) the date on which the Secretary approved the research;
       (3) the justification for the determination of the 
     Secretary that the scientific objectives of such research 
     could only be met using canines, felines, or non-human 
     primates;
       (4) the frequency and duration of such research; and
       (5) the protocols in place to ensure the necessity, safety, 
     and efficacy of the research.
       (d) Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
     of this Act, and biannually thereafter, the Secretary shall 
     submit to such Committees a report describing--
       (1) any research being conducted by the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs using canines, felines, or non-human 
     primates as of the date of the submittal of the report;
       (2) the circumstances under which such research was 
     conducted using canines, felines, or non-human primates;
       (3) the justification for using canines, felines, or non-
     human primates to conduct such research; and
       (4) the protocols in place to ensure the necessity, safety, 
     and efficacy of such research.
       (e) The Department shall implement a plan under which the 
     Secretary will eliminate or reduce the research conducted 
     using canines, felines, or non-human primates by not later 
     than 5 years after the date of enactment of Public Law 116-
     94.
       Sec. 247. (a) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may use 
     amounts appropriated or otherwise made available in this 
     title to ensure that the ratio of veterans to full-time 
     employment equivalents within any program of rehabilitation 
     conducted under chapter 31 of title 38, United States Code, 
     does not exceed 125 veterans to one full-time employment 
     equivalent.
       (b) Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
     of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report 
     on the programs of rehabilitation conducted under chapter 31 
     of title 38, United States Code, including--
       (1) an assessment of the veteran-to-staff ratio for each 
     such program; and
       (2) recommendations for such action as the Secretary 
     considers necessary to reduce the veteran-to-staff ratio for 
     each such program.
       Sec. 248.  Amounts made available for the ``Veterans Health 
     Administration, Medical Community Care'' account in this or 
     any other Act for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 may be used for 
     expenses that would otherwise be payable from the Veterans 
     Choice Fund established by section 802 of the Veterans 
     Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, as amended (38 U.S.C. 
     1701 note).
       Sec. 249.  Obligations and expenditures applicable to the 
     ``Medical Services'' account in fiscal years 2017 through 
     2019 for aid to state homes (as authorized by section 1741 of 
     title 38, United States Code) shall remain in the ``Medical 
     Community Care'' account for such fiscal years.
       Sec. 250.  Of the amounts made available for the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2024, in this or any 
     other Act, under the ``Veterans Health Administration--
     Medical Services'', ``Veterans Health Administration--Medical 
     Community Care'', ``Veterans Health Administration--Medical 
     Support and Compliance'', and ``Veterans Health 
     Administration--Medical Facilities'' accounts, $1,279,096,000 
     shall be made available for gender-specific care and 
     programmatic efforts to deliver care for women veterans.
       Sec. 251.  Notwithstanding any other law, by no later than 
     September 30, 2023, the Secretary shall commence construction 
     of the Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Bakersfield, 
     California in accordance with Lease No.36C10F20L0008.
       Sec. 252.  None of the funds made available in this Act 
     shall be expended for monthly payments under Lease No. 
     VA10112R0032, including section 11 of the lease, that exceed 
     $223,166.67 unless required for maintenance and repairs or 
     improvements related to the form, fit, or function of the 
     facility that directly enhances the safety of veterans or 
     improves healthcare services.
       Sec. 253.  Not later than 30 days after the end of each 
     fiscal quarter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     submit to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of 
     Congress a quarterly report on the status of the ``Veterans 
     Medical Care and Health Fund'', established to execute 
     section 8002 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public 
     Law 117-2):  Provided, That, at a minimum, the report shall 
     include an update on obligations by program, project or 
     activity and a plan for expending the remaining funds:  
     Provided further, That the Secretary of Veterans Affairs must 
     submit notification of any plans to reallocate funds from the 
     current apportionment categories of ``Medical Services'', 
     ``Medical Support and Compliance'', ``Medical Facilities'', 
     ``Medical Community Care'', or ``Medical and Prosthetic 
     Research'', including the amount and purpose of each 
     reallocation to the Committees on Appropriations of both 
     Houses of Congress and such Committees issue an approval, or 
     absent a response, a period of 30 days has elapsed.
       Sec. 254.  Any amounts transferred to the Secretary and 
     administered by a corporation referred to in section 7364(b) 
     of title 38, United States Code, between October 1, 2017 and 
     September 30, 2018 for purposes of carrying out an order 
     placed with the Department of Veterans Affairs pursuant to 
     section 1535 of title 31, United States Code, that are 
     available for obligation pursuant to section 7364(b)(1) of 
     title 38, United States Code, are to remain available for the 
     liquidation of valid obligations incurred by such corporation 
     during the period of performance of such order, provided that 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines that such 
     amounts need to remain available for such liquidation.
       Sec. 255.  Unobligated balances available under the 
     headings ``Construction, Major Projects'' and ``Construction, 
     Minor Projects'' may be obligated by the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs for a facility pursuant to section 2(e)(1) 
     of the Communities Helping Invest through Property and 
     Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-
     294; 38 U.S.C. 8103 note), as amended, to provide additional 
     funds or to fund an escalation clause under such section of 
     such Act:  Provided, That before such unobligated balances 
     are obligated pursuant to this section, the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs shall request from the Committees on 
     Appropriations of both Houses of Congress the authority to 
     obligate such unobligated balances and such Committees issue 
     an approval, or absent a response, a period of 30 days has 
     elapsed:  Provided further, That the request to obligate such 
     unobligated balances must provide Congress notice that the 
     entity described in section 2(a)(2) of Public Law 114-294, as 
     amended, has exhausted available cost containment approaches 
     as set forth in the agreement under section 2(c) of such 
     Public Law.
       Sec. 256.  Of the unobligated balances available to the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs from prior appropriations 
     Acts, the following funds are hereby rescinded from the 
     following accounts in the amounts specified:
       ``Veterans Health Administration--Medical Services'', 
     $4,933,113,000;
       ``Veterans Health Administration--Medical Community Care'', 
     $1,909,069,000; and
       ``Veterans Health Administration--Medical Facilities'', 
     $250,515,000.
       Sec. 257.  Not later than 30 days after the date the funds 
     become available, the Secretary shall submit to the 
     Committees on Appropriations an expenditure plan for funds 
     made available through the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 
     (P.L. 118-5) for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund for 
     fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
       Sec. 258. (a) None of the funds made available in this Act 
     may be used to implement, administer, or otherwise carry out 
     the Department of Veterans Affairs interim final rule 
     published on September 9, 2022, or any successor to such 
     rule, or to propose, promulgate, or implement any 
     substantially similar rule or policy.
       (b) None of the funds appropriated in this Act shall be 
     expended for any abortion, including through a medical 
     benefits package or health benefits program that includes 
     coverage of abortion.
       (c) The limitations established in subsection (b) shall not 
     apply to an abortion--
       (1) if the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or 
     incest; or
       (2) in the case where a woman suffers from a physical 
     disorder, physical injury, or physical illness, including a 
     life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from 
     the pregnancy itself, that would, as certified by a 
     physician, place the woman in danger of death unless an 
     abortion is performed.
       Sec. 259.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used for surgical procedures or hormone therapies for the 
     purposes of gender affirming care.
       Sec. 260.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to fly or 
     display a flag over a facility of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs or a national cemetery other than the flag of the 
     United States, the flag of a State, Territory, or District of 
     Columbia, the flag of an Indian Tribal government, the flag 
     of the Department, the flag of an Armed Force, or the POW/MIA 
     flag.

                               TITLE III

                            RELATED AGENCIES

                  American Battle Monuments Commission

                         salaries and expenses

       For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, of the 
     American Battle Monuments Commission, including the 
     acquisition of land or interest in land in foreign countries; 
     purchases and repair of uniforms for caretakers of national 
     cemeteries and monuments outside of the United States and its 
     territories and possessions; rent of office and garage space 
     in foreign countries; purchase (one-for-one replacement basis 
     only) and hire of passenger motor vehicles; not to exceed 
     $15,000 for official reception and representation expenses; 
     and insurance of official motor vehicles in foreign 
     countries, when required by law of such countries, 
     $158,630,000, to remain available until expended.

                 foreign currency fluctuations account

       For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, of the 
     American Battle Monuments Commission, such sums as may be 
     necessary, to remain available until expended, for purposes 
     authorized by section 2109 of title 36, United States Code.

           United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

                         salaries and expenses

       For necessary expenses for the operation of the United 
     States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims as authorized by 
     sections 7251 through 7298 of title 38, United States Code, 
     $47,200,000:  Provided, That $3,385,000 shall be available 
     for the purpose of providing financial assistance as 
     described and in accordance with the process and reporting 
     procedures set forth under this heading in Public Law 102-
     229.

[[Page H3991]]

  


                      Department of Defense--Civil

                       Cemeterial Expenses, Army

                         salaries and expenses

       For necessary expenses for maintenance, operation, and 
     improvement of Arlington National Cemetery and Soldiers' and 
     Airmen's Home National Cemetery, including the purchase or 
     lease of passenger motor vehicles for replacement on a one-
     for-one basis only, and not to exceed $2,000 for official 
     reception and representation expenses, $100,267,000, of which 
     not to exceed $15,000,000 shall remain available until 
     September 30, 2026. In addition, such sums as may be 
     necessary for parking maintenance, repairs and replacement, 
     to be derived from the ``Lease of Department of Defense Real 
     Property for Defense Agencies'' account.

                              construction

       For necessary expenses for planning and design and 
     construction at Arlington National Cemetery and Soldiers' and 
     Airmen's Home National Cemetery, $88,600,000, to remain 
     available until expended for planning and design and 
     construction associated with the Southern Expansion project 
     at Arlington National Cemetery.

                      Armed Forces Retirement Home

                               trust fund

       For expenses necessary for the Armed Forces Retirement Home 
     to operate and maintain the Armed Forces Retirement Home--
     Washington, District of Columbia, and the Armed Forces 
     Retirement Home--Gulfport, Mississippi, to be paid from funds 
     available in the Armed Forces Retirement Home Trust Fund, 
     $77,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2025, of 
     which $8,940,000 shall remain available until expended for 
     construction and renovation of the physical plants at the 
     Armed Forces Retirement Home--Washington, District of 
     Columbia, and the Armed Forces Retirement Home--Gulfport, 
     Mississippi:  Provided, That of the amounts made available 
     under this heading from funds available in the Armed Forces 
     Retirement Home Trust Fund, $25,000,000 shall be paid from 
     the general fund of the Treasury to the Trust Fund.

                        Administrative Provision

       Sec. 301.  Amounts deposited into the special account 
     established under 10 U.S.C. 7727 are appropriated and shall 
     be available until expended to support activities at the Army 
     National Military Cemeteries.

                                TITLE IV

                           GENERAL PROVISIONS

       Sec. 401.  No part of any appropriation contained in this 
     Act shall remain available for obligation beyond the current 
     fiscal year unless expressly so provided herein.
       Sec. 402.  None of the funds made available in this Act may 
     be used for any program, project, or activity, when it is 
     made known to the Federal entity or official to which the 
     funds are made available that the program, project, or 
     activity is not in compliance with any Federal law relating 
     to risk assessment, the protection of private property 
     rights, or unfunded mandates.
       Sec. 403.  All departments and agencies funded under this 
     Act are encouraged, within the limits of the existing 
     statutory authorities and funding, to expand their use of 
     ``E-Commerce'' technologies and procedures in the conduct of 
     their business practices and public service activities.
       Sec. 404.  Unless stated otherwise, all reports and 
     notifications required by this Act shall be submitted to the 
     Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, 
     and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of 
     the House of Representatives and the Subcommittee on Military 
     Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies of 
     the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
       Sec. 405.  None of the funds made available in this Act may 
     be transferred to any department, agency, or instrumentality 
     of the United States Government except pursuant to a transfer 
     made by, or transfer authority provided in, this or any other 
     appropriations Act.
       Sec. 406.  None of the funds made available in this Act may 
     be used for a project or program named for an individual 
     serving as a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner of 
     the United States House of Representatives.
       Sec. 407. (a) Any agency receiving funds made available in 
     this Act, shall, subject to subsections (b) and (c), post on 
     the public Web site of that agency any report required to be 
     submitted by the Congress in this or any other Act, upon the 
     determination by the head of the agency that it shall serve 
     the national interest.
       (b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to a report if--
       (1) the public posting of the report compromises national 
     security; or
       (2) the report contains confidential or proprietary 
     information.
       (c) The head of the agency posting such report shall do so 
     only after such report has been made available to the 
     requesting Committee or Committees of Congress for no less 
     than 30 days.
       Sec. 408. (a) None of the funds made available in this Act 
     may be used to maintain or establish a computer network 
     unless such network blocks the viewing, downloading, and 
     exchanging of pornography.
       (b) Nothing in subsection (a) shall limit the use of funds 
     necessary for any Federal, State, tribal, or local law 
     enforcement agency or any other entity carrying out criminal 
     investigations, prosecution, or adjudication activities.
       Sec. 409.  None of the funds made available in this Act may 
     be used by an agency of the executive branch to pay for 
     first-class travel by an employee of the agency in 
     contravention of sections 301-10.122 through 301-10.124 of 
     title 41, Code of Federal Regulations.
       Sec. 410.  None of the funds made available in this Act may 
     be used to execute a contract for goods or services, 
     including construction services, where the contractor has not 
     complied with Executive Order No. 12989.
       Sec. 411.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used in contravention of section 101(e)(8) of title 10, 
     United States Code.
       Sec. 412. (a) In General.--None of the funds appropriated 
     or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense in 
     this Act may be used to construct, renovate, or expand any 
     facility in the United States, its territories, or 
     possessions to house any individual detained at United States 
     Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the purposes of 
     detention or imprisonment in the custody or under the control 
     of the Department of Defense.
       (b) The prohibition in subsection (a) shall not apply to 
     any modification of facilities at United States Naval 
     Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
       (c) An individual described in this subsection is any 
     individual who, as of June 24, 2009, is located at United 
     States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and who--
       (1) is not a citizen of the United States or a member of 
     the Armed Forces of the United States; and
       (2) is--
       (A) in the custody or under the effective control of the 
     Department of Defense; or
       (B) otherwise under detention at United States Naval 
     Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
       Sec. 413.  None of the funds appropriated by this Act may 
     be used in any way, directly or indirectly, to influence 
     congressional action on any legislation or appropriation 
     matter pending before Congress, other than to communicate to 
     Members of Congress as described in 18 U.S.C. 1913.
       Sec. 414.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be made available to implement, 
     administer, apply, enforce, or carry out Executive Order 
     13985 of January 20, 2021 (86 Fed. Reg. 7009), Executive 
     Order 14035 of June 25, 2021 (86 Fed. Reg. 34593), or 
     Executive Order 14091 of February 16, 2023 (88 Fed. Reg. 
     10825).
       Sec. 415.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used to carry out any program, project, or activity that 
     promotes or advances Critical Race Theory or any concept 
     associated with Critical Race Theory.
       Sec. 416. (a) In General.--Notwithstanding section 7 of 
     title 1, United States Code, section 1738C of title 28, 
     United States Code, or any other provision of law, none of 
     the funds provided by this Act, or previous appropriations 
     Acts, shall be used in whole or in part to take any 
     discriminatory action against a person, wholly or partially, 
     on the basis that such person speaks, or acts, in accordance 
     with a sincerely held religious belief, or moral conviction, 
     that marriage is, or should be recognized as, a union of one 
     man and one woman.
       (b) Discriminatory action defined.--As used in subsection 
     (a), a discriminatory action means any action taken by the 
     Federal Government to--
       (1) alter in any way the Federal tax treatment of, or cause 
     any tax, penalty, or payment to be assessed against, or deny, 
     delay, or revoke an exemption from taxation under section 
     501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 of, any person 
     referred to in subsection (a);
       (2) disallow a deduction for Federal tax purposes of any 
     charitable contribution made to or by such person;
       (3) withhold, reduce the amount or funding for, exclude, 
     terminate, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, any Federal 
     grant, contract, subcontract, cooperative agreement, 
     guarantee, loan, scholarship, license, certification, 
     accreditation, employment, or other similar position or 
     status from or to such person;
       (4) withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise make 
     unavailable or deny, any entitlement or benefit under a 
     Federal benefit program, including admission to, equal 
     treatment in, or eligibility for a degree from an educational 
     program, from or to such person; or
       (5) withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise make 
     unavailable or deny access or an entitlement to Federal 
     property, facilities, educational institutions, speech fora 
     (including traditional, limited, and nonpublic fora), or 
     charitable fundraising campaigns from or to such person.
       (c) Accreditation; Licensure; Certification.--The Federal 
     Government shall consider accredited, licensed, or certified 
     for purposes of Federal law any person that would be 
     accredited, licensed, or certified, respectively, for such 
     purposes but for a determination against such person wholly 
     or partially on the basis that the person speaks, or acts, in 
     accordance with a sincerely held religious belief or moral 
     conviction described in subsection (a).
       Sec. 417.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used for any office, programs, or activity for the 
     purposes of diversity, equity, and inclusion training or 
     implementation.

                       spending reduction account

       Sec. 418.  $0.

[[Page H3992]]

       This Act may be cited as the ``Military Construction, 
     Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 
     2024''.

  The Acting CHAIR. All points of order against provisions in the bill 
are waived.
  No amendment to the bill shall be in order except those printed in 
House Report 118-158, amendments en bloc described in section 3 of 
House Resolution 614, and pro forma amendments described in section 4 
of House Resolution 614.
  Each amendment printed in House Report 118-158 may be offered only in 
the order printed in the report, by the Member designated in the 
report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time 
specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent 
and an opponent, shall not be subject to the amendment except as 
provided by section 4 of House Resolution 614, and shall not be subject 
to a demand for division of the question.
  It shall be in order at any time for the chair of the Committee on 
Appropriations or her designee to offer amendments en bloc consisting 
of amendments printed in House Report 118-158 not earlier disposed of. 
Amendments en bloc shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 
20 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective 
designees, shall not be subject to amendment, except as provided by 
section 4 of House Resolution 614, and shall not be subject to a demand 
for division of the question.
  During consideration of the bill for amendment, the chair and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective 
designees may offer up to 10 pro forma amendments each at any point for 
the purpose of debate.


                  Amendment No. 1 Offered by Mr. Ryan

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 1 
printed in House Report 118-158.
  Mr. RYAN. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 2, line 18, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $103,000,000) (reduced by $103,000,000)''.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 614, the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Ryan) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. RYAN. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment, which increases Army 
construction funding by $103 million to address extensive flood damage 
at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
  A few weeks ago on July 9, New York's Hudson Valley, along with other 
parts of the Northeast, was devastated by a once-in-a-millennium flood 
that saw nearly 10 inches of torrential rainfall arrive on the Hudson 
Valley in just a few hours, washing away homes of our military 
families, devastating roads, businesses in the surrounding community, 
and tragically costing the life of a young woman in the surrounding 
community just outside West Point.
  My alma mater, the United States Military Academy at West Point, was 
hit particularly hard. I have been on the ground multiple times seeing 
the damage firsthand, along with colleagues from both sides of the 
aisle, to assess the extent of the damage. We have decimated roads, 
collapsed cliffside routes, compromising damage to barracks, bridges, 
and facilities critical to carrying out the vital mission of the United 
States Military Academy at West Point. In particular, I draw attention 
to the fact that all of the enlisted soldier barracks, serving hundreds 
of enlisted soldiers at the garrison have been completely destroyed. 
There is nowhere for these soldiers on post to live, causing a 
cascading effect and a real housing crunch across the post.
  As of this moment, the cost estimates to rebuild are increasing each 
day, presently topping out at over $100 million. As we know, West Point 
serves a mission-critical role in our Nation's national security--the 
world's premier leadership institute, creating leaders and shaping the 
future of our Nation's Army. This institution made myself, many of my 
colleagues across the aisle, and many others of our Nation, into 
leaders. We cannot stand by during this time of need for such a 
critical national security resource.
  Allowing West Point to be hamstrung by such significant damage 
imperils our military readiness, and we must ensure the institution has 
the resources it needs to urgently repair and rebuild and get back to 
their mission.
  Mr. Chair, I urge the support of my colleagues throughout the 
Congress, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition, 
although I am not opposed.
  The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I support the amendment, and I urge 
its adoption.
  Mr. Chair, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman 
from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I strongly support the gentleman's 
amendment and commend him for his efforts to address the severe 
flooding problems that have occurred in and around West Point.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RYAN. Mr. Chair, I thank my colleagues for the bipartisan support 
of this critical amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Ryan).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the noes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. RYAN. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from New York 
will be postponed.

                              {time}  1515


                  Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mr. Ogles

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 2 
printed in House Report 118-158.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 9, line 24, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $3,000,000)''.
       Page 92, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $3,000,000)''.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 614, the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Mr. Ogles) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, as we attempt to cut spending back to top-line 
FY 2022 levels, we must address the glaring $32.6 trillion debt.
  We must commit in this Congress to significant spending cuts. If we 
don't, we will be mortgaging the futures of our children. We will 
perpetually hobble long-term economic growth by not only destroying our 
future borrowing power but by forcing our Treasury to dedicate much of 
its future spending to debt repayment rather than meeting the needs of 
the American people.
  If we fail to tackle runaway spending now, we are compromising the 
well-being of future generations. Is that the legacy we want to leave 
behind? We have an obligation, a moral one, to ensure that we leave 
this country better off than we found it.
  In an appropriations bill that is supposed to be focused on 
supporting our veterans and their families, we are sending $293 
million--taxpayer dollars--abroad to support NATO. That is an increase 
of 33 percent from FY 2023.
  There will be some who argue that the $293 million figure is a 
commitment that the United States made at the June 2022 NATO summit. 
While Congress has largely abdicated its role in foreign affairs to the 
executive branch, it was the intent of our Founding Fathers that this 
institution provide a robust check on the executive. It is why we have 
the power of the purse.
  Ultimately, given Congress' massive spending habits, there needs to 
come a time when we say enough is enough, and that is the purpose for 
offering this amendment today. I am asking all of

[[Page H3993]]

my colleagues if they could spare just a 1 percent cut to NATO's 
Security Investment Program. That is just 1 percent.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, the NATO Security Investment Program 
is NATO's military construction program. The U.S. contribution supports 
projects needed by the alliance and also supports U.S. strategy in the 
region. It does not finance other countries' construction costs, and 
the cost share is favorable to the United States.
  The increase included in the bill this year is needed to reinvest in 
infrastructure in the region to deter Russia's aggression. Literally, 
this program is a concrete investment in deterrence.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I yield 2 
minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I strongly oppose this amendment to cut the NATO Security Investment 
Program. It is hard to imagine a worse time for us to be cutting 
funding from our international obligations when Russia has illegally 
invaded Ukraine and our international obligations and cooperation are 
so essential in order to ensure that Ukraine can maintain its 
sovereignty and ensure that Russia is not allowed to be successful here 
and then repeat the same thing across the globe.
  The program, also known as NSIP, is a core part of America's 
contribution toward shared territorial defense with its allies. 
Moreover, the projects that NSIP funds often are already aligned with 
U.S. European Command needs.
  Our NSIP contributions often closely align with U.S. requirements, 
like projects for safety and runway upgrades at airfields that our 
planes use and fuel and dock improvements at ports that our ships use.
  The program is experiencing a period of growth as the alliance seeks 
to address necessary deferred infrastructure needs. This amendment 
would cut funding for the program below the requested level, 
shortchanging America's commitment to its allies, and instead move it 
to the spending reduction account.
  Military construction programs are already funded at $1.5 billion 
below the enacted level, as I have talked about, and this amendment is 
seeking to cut it further.
  The United States contribution to NSIP, as a percentage of the 
overall program, is much smaller proportionally than the United States 
share of the alliance's gross national income. Simply put, our allies 
are more than paying their fair share in the Security Investment 
Program.
  NSIP funding is necessary for NATO, and it is necessary for American 
national security. We should not jeopardize it with this amendment.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chairman, I have a great deal of respect for my 
colleagues, but let's talk about America's contribution. We have 
already spent roughly $42 billion on equipment and support for Ukraine 
in addition to these moneys.
  When you think about NATO, our allies are supposed to hold up their 
fair share of the bargain, 2 percent. We are meeting our obligations, 
but only seven other countries meet their obligations. Keep in mind, it 
is supposed to be 2 percent. Luxembourg is at 0.62; Canada, 1.29; 
Turkey, 1.37; Norway, 1.57; Germany, 1.49; and France, 1.89.
  Before we start talking about the United States of America doing its 
job and having to defend the rest of the world, how about our allies do 
their job and uphold their obligations? I am asking for only a 1 
percent cut.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. OGLES. Mr. Chair, it is hard to justify sending hard-earned 
taxpayer dollars to NATO when most of our allies don't uphold their end 
of the bargain and when they look to us to be their defender and to 
fund their security.
  Meanwhile, we have a porous border. Every community in this country 
is a border town because of fentanyl overdoses in the streets and 
trafficking run amuck. Yet, we are going to spend more money overseas. 
How about we secure our country and take care of our country, our 
people, our needs, and secure our border?
  Mr. Chair, it is just a 1 percent cut. I encourage all of my 
colleagues to send a message to NATO and our allies to do their fair 
share.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Ogles).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Tennessee 
will be postponed.


            Amendment No. 3 Offered by Ms. Greene of Georgia

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 3 
printed in House Report 118-158.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 9, line 24, strike ``$293,434,000'' and insert 
     ``$220,100,000''.
       Page 92, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $73,334,000)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 614, the gentlewoman 
from Georgia (Ms. Greene) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Georgia.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I rise today to ask the House to 
support my amendment No. 3, which will cut the $73 million increase in 
funding for the NATO Security Investment Program. This is simply 
keeping the NATO funding at the same level as last year's 
appropriations level. I think this is very important.
  The United States overwhelmingly contributes more than our fair share 
to NATO for Europe's defense, and it is time for European countries to 
pay their dues.
  While our own border is overrun by border-crossers and deadly, 
poisonous fentanyl daily, we continue to send hundreds of billions of 
dollars to NATO to defend Ukraine's democracy, even though they aren't 
even a NATO member nation.
  Investing in NATO security is an America-last policy. All increases 
in funding should be investing in the United States of America's 
security and the defense of our own border.
  President Trump was exactly right when he called on European nations 
to put the required minimum of 2 percent of their GDP toward NATO 
defense spending. Most NATO countries still don't meet that 
requirement, and the U.S. ends up paying for 70 percent of the 
alliance's defenses. This is outrageous. The American people do not 
like paying for other countries' defenses when our borders are overrun 
daily.
  The current 2023 defense expenditure for NATO countries has the 
United States at $860 billion. The United States of America's military 
is not meant to be the world's police. As we find ourselves funding a 
war in Ukraine, when the United States' position should be pushing for 
peace, not paying for and not funding war and the death of innocent 
people, we should not increase our spending and increase the amount of 
funding by $73 million more to the NATO Security Investment Program.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, my arguments are the same.
  The NATO Security Investment Program is NATO's military construction 
program. The $73 million increase this year is needed to reinvest in 
infrastructure in the region to deter Russian aggression.

[[Page H3994]]

  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. I yield 2 
minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I rise in opposition to this grossly irresponsible amendment. This 
amendment would take a huge cut, $73 million, from the NATO Security 
Investment Program during a time when increased funding is essential 
for long-deferred projects.
  Cutting funding for the NATO Security Investment Program is not only 
shortsighted from a national security perspective, but it isn't even 
sound long-term fiscal policy. These investments ensure a robust 
American and NATO presence to deter hostile nations and prevent even 
greater costs to American taxpayers down the road.
  One only has to look at the news to understand that we have hostile 
nations that wish to do us and our allies harm. A $73 million cut from 
the NATO Security Investment Program would put us in more jeopardy 
alongside our allies.
  The Russian invasion of Ukraine shows that international cooperation 
and strong alliances are as essential as ever. These projects are not 
America paying other countries' bills. In fact, America pays a 
proportionally small amount to the program compared to the size of our 
economy in relation to the rest of NATO.

                              {time}  1530

  Regardless of your stance on overall defense spending levels of 
various NATO countries, it is simply not true that the United States is 
paying more than its share of this direct contribution program.
  These projects are agreed-upon NATO requirements and oftentimes have 
a direct benefit to supplement existing U.S. requirements. These sites 
include ones directly benefiting U.S. forces through the use of 
upgraded ports, airfields, and communications.
  Our contributions to NATO represent only a small portion of overall 
defense spending, but the strength of the alliance is an outsized and 
irreplaceable part of American national security.
  This amendment would not even reinvest the funding into other 
priorities, it simply cuts funding from the bill, shortchanging the 
military construction portion by over $73 million. It is irresponsible. 
It is dangerous.
  Mr. Chair, I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from Virginia (Mr. Connolly).
  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chair, Americans are not fighting and dying in 
Ukraine, Ukrainians are. All they ask of the great country they admire 
and they want to emulate is that we help with equipment and training.
  Putin benefits from this amendment. Putin, a sociopath, who is 
engaged in the most depraved behavior in our lifetime: killing innocent 
men and women, targeting hospitals, targeting schools, and showing no 
restraint.
  This Congress must stand with Ukraine. This Congress can never be 
seen as Putin's enabler. That is what this amendment does. That is what 
is behind it.
  The author of this amendment has already said she wants to give zero 
to Ukraine, so we know the motivation behind the amendment. Let's 
reject it.
  Let's stand with Ukraine and make sure Putin gets that message loud 
and strong with a forceful voice here on the floor of the House of 
Representatives.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, perhaps my colleagues are confused. 
Ukraine is not a member of NATO. Ukraine has not been accepted into 
NATO. Why are they using defense of Ukraine for their argument for an 
additional $73 million increase for the NATO security investment 
program? That makes absolutely no sense.
  If you want to talk about national security, Mr. Chair, let's talk 
about the American people's national security. My colleague across the 
aisle speaks of hostile nations and how they present a clear danger to 
America's national security. Well, you have to look no further than the 
southern border. The southern border is where hostile nations are 
invading our country every single day with poisonous fentanyl, which is 
murdering over 300 Americans a day.
  If there is going to be an increase in funding for the defense of any 
nation, it should be the United States of America's border in defense 
of American lives.
  Mr. Chair, I would like to add, my position and the position of most 
Americans is peace, not funding the murder and death in continued 
foreign wars, defending other countries' democracies while completely 
ignoring our own.
  Mr. Chair, I ask the House to pass my amendment that keeps the 
spending level at the same level it was this previous appropriations 
bill--the same level. An increase in $73 million is another step 
towards funding world war III.
  It is another step in United States aggression over a country that is 
not even a member of NATO in the name of a NATO security investment 
program. This is absolute madness. It is outrageous.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Duncan). The gentlewoman from Georgia has the 
only time remaining.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. May I inquire how much time I have remaining?
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman has 1 minute remaining.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I will wrap this up. It is very 
simple. We are at $32 trillion in debt. There is no need to increase 
spending over the level that it was last year. Americans are already 
spending $860 billion for NATO for the defense of other nations. There 
is no reason to increase it by $73 million.
  My amendment is very simple: It is asking to keep the appropriations 
level the same as it was this past year.
  Mr. Chair, I ask the House to support my amendment, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Greene).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Georgia 
will be postponed.


           Amendments En Bloc Offered by Mr. Carter of Texas

  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, pursuant to House Resolution 614, I 
offer amendments en bloc.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendments en bloc.
  Amendments en bloc consisting of amendment Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 
11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 
31, 32, and 33, printed in House Report 118-158, offered by Mr. Carter 
of Texas:


          AMENDMENT NO. 4 OFFERED BY MS. PETTERSEN OF COLORADO

       Page 24, line 22, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $25,000,000) (reduced by $25,000,000)''.
       Page 24, line 24, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $25,000,000) (reduced by $25,000,000)''.
       Page 25, line 2, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $25,000,000) (reduced by $25,000,000)''.


           AMENDMENT NO. 5 OFFERED BY MS. CARAVEO OF COLORADO

       Page 33, line 2, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $2,000,000) (decreased by $2,000,000)''.


           AMENDMENT NO. 6 OFFERED BY MR. OGLES OF TENNESSEE

       Page 33, line 2, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $1,000,000) (increased by $1,000,000)''.


        AMENDMENT NO. 7 OFFERED BY MR. GOTTHEIMER OF NEW JERSEY

       Page 34, line 4, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $1,000,000) (increased by $1,000,000)''.


        AMENDMENT NO. 8 OFFERED BY MR. GOTTHEIMER OF NEW JERSEY

       Page 34, line 4, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $1,000,000) (increased by $1,000,000)''.


   AMENDMENT NO. 9 OFFERED BY MS. NORTON OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

       Page 34, line 4, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $1,000,000) (increased by $1,000,000)''.


         Amendment No. 10 Offered by Ms. Ross of North Carolina

       Page 34, line 4, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $10,000,000) (reduced by $10,000,000)''.

[[Page H3995]]

  



           Amendment No. 11 Offered by Mr. Arrington of Texas

       Page 35, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $10,000,000) (increased by $10,000,000)''.


          Amendment No. 12 Offered by Mrs. Boebert of Colorado

       Page 35, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $2,000,000) (increased by $2,000,000)''.


          Amendment No. 13 Offered by Ms. Caraveo of Colorado

       Page 35, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $10,000,000) (decreased by $10,000,000)''.


         Amendment No. 14 Offered by Mr. Carbajal of California

       Page 35, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $5,000,000) (increased by $5,000,000)''.


          Amendment No. 15 Offered by Ms. Perez of Washington

       Page 35, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $1,000,000) increased by $1,000,000)''.

        AMENDMENT NO. 16 OFFERED BY MR. HUDSON OF NORTH CAROLINA

       Page 35, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $10,000,000) (increased by $10,000,000)''.


          AMENDMENT NO. 17 OFFERED BY MR. MOLINARO OF NEW YORK

       Page 35, line 12, after the first dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by 2,000,000) (increased by 2,000,000)''.


           AMENDMENT NO. 18 OFFERED BY MR. OGLES OF TENNESSEE

       Page 35, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $1,000,000) (increased by $1,000,000)''.


         AMENDMENT NO. 19 OFFERED BY MS. PETTERSEN OF COLORADO

       Page 35, line 12, after the first dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $10,000,000) (increased by $10,000,000)''.


         AMENDMENT NO. 20 OFFERED BY MS. ROSS OF NORTH CAROLINA

       Page 35, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $1,000,000) (reduced by $1,000,000)''.


           AMENDMENT NO. 22 OFFERED BY MR. OGLES OF TENNESSEE

       Page 36, line 22, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $1,000,000) (increased by $1,000,000)''.


        AMENDMENT NO. 30 OFFERED BY MR. GOTTHEIMER OF NEW JERSEY

       Page 39, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $1,000,000) (increased by $1,000,000)''.


           AMENDMENT NO. 31 OFFERED BY MS. TLAIB OF MICHIGAN

       Page 39, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $5,000,000)''.
       Page 47, line 22, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $5,000,000)''.


            AMENDMENT NO. 32 OFFERED BY MR. ZINKE OF MONTANA

       Page 40, line 18, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $5,000,000)''.
       Page 40, line 19, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $5,000,000)''.
       Page 47, line 22, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $5,000,000)''.

          AMENDMENT NO. 33 OFFERED BY MR. MOLINARO OF NEW YORK

       Page 42, line 5, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by 1,000,000) (increased by 1,000,000)''.

          AMENDMENT NO. 23 OFFERED BY MS. PEREZ OF WASHINGTON

       Page 37, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $1,000,000) (increased by $1,000,000)''.


          AMENDMENT NO. 25 OFFERED BY MRS. BOEBERT OF COLORADO

       Page 38, line 18, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $3,000,000)''.
       Page 39, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $5,500,000)''.


          AMENDMENT NO. 26 OFFERED BY MRS. BOEBERT OF COLORADO

       Page 39, line 9, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $2,000,000)''.
       Page 39, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $3,500,000)''.


          AMENDMENT NO. 27 OFFERED BY MRS. BOEBERT OF COLORADO

       Page 39, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $3,500,000)''.
       Page 40, line 5, dollar amount, insert ``(increased by 
     $2,000,000)''.


          AMENDMENT NO. 28 OFFERED BY MRS. BOEBERT OF COLORADO

       Page 39, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $3,500,000)''.
       Page 48, line 5, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $2,000,000)''.


          AMENDMENT NO. 29 OFFERED BY MRS. BOEBERT OF COLORADO

       Page 39, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $3,500,000)''.
       Page 47, line 22, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $2,000,000)''.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 614, the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Carter) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman 
Schultz) each will control 10 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, these are noncontroversial 
amendments and are supported by both sides.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this 
amendment. It includes 28 amendments: 2 bipartisan, 14 for Republicans, 
and 12 for Democrats. I am glad to see that we can at least come 
together around certain aspects of this bill to support our veteran 
servicemembers and their families and the leadership of colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Perez), who is here as an advocate on 
behalf of her constituents serving in the military as well as our 
veterans.
  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the amendments en bloc.
  Following recent meetings with veterans in Lewis County, I am deeply 
concerned about a number of issues impacting constituent veterans who 
receive care through the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System.
  First and foremost, veterans in Lewis County have seen their access 
to care reduced dramatically in recent years.
  The 2021 closure of the Chehalis Community Based Outpatient Clinic 
cut many veterans off from nearby care. Travel times went from about 1 
hour to more than 2 hours to get to a VA Puget Sound facility. Not just 
that, but the wait times are horrific. I am hearing from veterans that 
they are waiting at times over 6 hours on the phone for it to be 
answered.
  In rural communities with sparse specialty and mental health care 
options to begin with, the closure of a full CBOC has put lifesaving 
care out of reach of our veterans.
  I offered two amendments that are included in the amendments en bloc 
that will hold the VA accountable for protecting access to care for 
veterans in rural areas like mine in east Lewis County.
  Amendment No. 15 would require the VA to submit a report to Congress 
on their efforts to ensure access to healthcare for veterans residing 
in geographic proximity to a Department of Veteran Affairs community-
based outpatient clinic subject to closure.
  Amendment No. 23 will require the VA to update Patient Experience 
Compare Data published on their public website to break down data by 
county. This would give our body and Americans valuable insight about 
how the patient experience with a medical center may differ based on 
location within the center's jurisdiction, not just the jurisdiction 
broadly. We can compare whether it is a rural issue or an issue with 
the center itself.
  In return for their service to our country, we have made a promise to 
our veterans that we must uphold. It is our responsibility to ensure 
they have the access to healthcare necessary to lead a full and healthy 
life after their time in the armed services has ended.
  Mr. Chair, I ask for support for these two amendments that will help 
increase transparency and hold the VA accountable for access to care 
for my constituents and other vets in rural areas.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), who is here to 
stand up to make sure that our veterans get access to legal care.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would allow the U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs to provide support to law school 
clinical programs and provide pro bono legal and support services to 
veterans, including assistance with disability claims and appeals and 
foreclosures. The House passed this amendment last year.
  There are already at least 22 law schools that have clinics devoted 
to veterans' legal needs, including William and Mary Law School 
Veterans Benefits Clinic, which serves as a national model for this 
idea and was the first recipient of the ``best practice'' award for the 
VA.

[[Page H3996]]

  There are many other law schools, such as the University of the 
District of Columbia's David A. Clarke School of Law that are 
interested in starting their own VA certified clinics. More needs to be 
done to sustain and increase the number of these programs.
  I was a tenured professor of law and continued to teach a seminar 
after being elected to Congress. I saw the expert attention that 
clinical programs provide their clients.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, a concrete 
measure that would assist our veterans who put their lives on the line 
for this country.

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I support the amendments en 
bloc, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendments en bloc offered 
by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter).
  The en bloc amendments were agreed to.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Chair understands that amendment No. 21 will 
not be offered.


                Amendment No. 24 Offered by Mr. Bergman

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 24 
printed in House Report 118-158.
  Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 38, line 18, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $20,000,000) (increased by $20,000,000)''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 614, the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Bergman) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
  Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute.
  Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of my amendment to H.R. 4366.
  This amendment will ensure the VA conducts large-scale studies into 
the efficacy of drugs with FDA breakthrough therapy status to treat 
post-traumatic stress disorder through medication-assisted therapy 
trials.

                              {time}  1545

  Every day, roughly 20 veterans take their own life. This number has 
stayed high despite our best efforts here in Washington. Fortunately, 
new breakthrough therapies have offered significant help.
  Under the Trump administration, the FDA granted breakthrough therapy 
status for MDMA-assisted therapy to treat PTSD. Since then, privately 
funded research has demonstrated clear, positive results in treating 
previously untreatable PTSD with little or no risk for patients.
  This includes studies in cooperation with the VA, for instance, at 
the Bronx VA hospital.
  Let me be clear. These trials are conducted with full FDA approval, 
under medical supervision, and in safe clinical environments.
  The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield myself an additional 1 minute.
  Additionally, Mr. Chair, because these medications are only ever 
administered directly in-person and in a clinical setting by medical 
professionals, there is no potential for misuse.
  It is now time for the VA to do its part to expand research into 
these lifesaving therapies and refine best practices for our treatment 
for our veterans.
  If psychedelic-assisted therapy can help treat a veteran's PTSD or 
prevent them from taking their own life, then we owe it to them to take 
an active role in researching these potentially lifesaving therapies.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CORREA. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition, although I am 
not opposed.
  The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from California is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CORREA. Mr. Chair, I also rise in strong support of the Bergman-
Correa amendment.
  This amendment will push the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the 
VA, to carry our large-scale studies into drugs like psilocybin, MDMA, 
and others which have been designated as breakthrough therapies by the 
Food and Drug Administration.
  Why? It is because we owe it to our veterans.
  Mr. Chair, what you have to do is listen to veterans' testimonies--
veterans who have the invisible scars from the wounds they brought back 
from the battlefield--and their challenges, psychological challenges. 
Psilocybin promises up to 80 percent success after one treatment of a 
veteran's challenge, and, today, as the law stands, these veterans have 
to go outside the country to get treatment.
  That is no way, Mr. Chair, to treat our veterans.
  Let's take care of business. Let's make sure the VA takes these tests 
and studies and brings back data so that we can create a program that 
takes care of our veterans.
  Veterans have fought for our freedom. It is time that we continue and 
step up to fulfill our moral obligation to take care of them, as well.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to join us in voting ``yes'' on this 
amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague and partner, Representative Correa, 
for his remarks.
  We have both worked long and hard on the commitment to our veterans 
in so many different ways. This is just one more example of Congress 
doing the right thing for our veterans.
  This amendment will unlock potential treatments that have been shown 
to actually cure post-traumatic stress disorder, something current 
medicine and modern psychology have been unable to do; give our 
veterans a chance to live a long, happy life that we all take for 
granted.
  Mr. Chair, I strongly urge all our Members to vote for our men and 
women--our heroes--who have served in uniform and to support the 
Bergman-Correa amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman).
  The amendment was agreed to.


           Amendment No. 34 Offered by Ms. Greene of Georgia

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 34 
printed in House Report 118-158.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 52, beginning on line 18, strike ``the Office of 
     Resolution Management, Diversity and Inclusion''.
       Page 52, line 20, strike the comma.
       Page 52, beginning on line 24, strike ``$86,481,000 for the 
     Office of Resolution Management, Diversity and Inclusion,''.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 614, the gentlewoman 
from Georgia (Ms. Greene) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, my amendment asks the House to 
support striking the funding for the Office of Resolution Management, 
Diversity and Inclusion.
  The Office of Resolution Management, Diversity and Inclusion in the 
VA is charged with promoting woke DEI initiatives. My amendment would 
strike over $86 million of funding for this woke office which provides 
training for VA employees to teach them about their implicit bias.
  Just for you to understand what implicit bias means, Mr. Chairman, 
because it was something I had to look up myself, implicit bias--this 
is ACORN--implicit bias refers to a person's unconscious attitudes 
about other communities that can affect their behavior to those 
members.
  Unconscious attitudes? We are funding $86 million for people to be 
trained about things they feel that they don't know that they feel?
  This makes absolutely no sense for the care of our great veterans.
  Instead of spending millions of tax dollars on woke ideology, we 
should put that money toward making the VA

[[Page H3997]]

an agency that actually helps our heroes and our great veterans who 
served our military and our country and who desperately need good care.
  When I am at home in my district and I speak to veterans there, that 
is what I hear them talk about to me constantly: is the care that they 
want to receive at the VA, but yet they are failed so many times?
  Sick and injured veterans suffering with PTSD, depression, and mental 
illness and who are on the verge of suicide don't care if VA employees 
serving them have checked their White privilege. They just want to get 
the treatment that they need.
  Just for some examples for the House to hear about the type of 
training that happens in this DEI department that is costing the 
American taxpayers $86 million, a few examples are managing gender 
diversity in the VA, managing implicit bias--remember those are 
feelings you don't know you have--valuing workforce diversity in the 
workplace inclusion; participating effective diversity and inclusion in 
the workplace for managers, supervisors, and team leaders; 
understanding micro behaviors in the VA work environment.
  It is time to put $86 million to taking care of our veterans' 
healthcare needs. That is the right place to spend the money.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition 
to the amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Florida is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The VA strives to fairly represent and support the communities that 
it serves, and all veterans deserve equitable and fair access to the 
healthcare and benefits that they deserve. Diversity and inclusion 
foster a healthy workplace environment and promote equal opportunity 
through smart outreach, retention, and education.
  Our veterans--despite the sponsor's denial of a more greatly diverse 
VA--increasingly are diverse themselves, and they deserve that.
  The bill already rejected the budget request to fund the Office of 
Resolution Management, Diversity and Inclusion at the levels needed to 
support the department in 2024 and instead holds the office flat at the 
same funding level provided in 2023, and now this amendment seeks to 
eliminate the already inadequate funding in the bill entirely.
  What is so threatening about the Office of Resolution Management, 
Diversity and Inclusion?
  This office, among the many things it does, prevents harassment and 
discrimination problems.
  I can't imagine why we wouldn't want to combat that, why we wouldn't 
to make sure that everybody is able to come to work or to be treated at 
the VA in an evenhanded and fair way.
  It heads off costly legal problems for the VA and saves taxpayer 
money in the long term which I thought was something that our friends 
on the other side of the aisle are interested in.
  I believe the real issue is that our friends on the other side of the 
aisle don't like the increasing diversity that is occurring in this 
country, and there is an effort underway as a result across all 
appropriations bills to excise that word and any policy related to it 
and to cut anything related to diversity regardless of the purpose and 
need of the office.
  Mr. Chairman, this is an inherently discriminatory, unfair, and 
bigoted amendment. I urge my colleagues to oppose it, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, the great news for all of us here 
today is that the Constitution declared long ago that all of us are 
created equal. It is time that we started acknowledging that in all of 
our funding, in all of our departments, and all across America, and, as 
well, that our veterans are created equal. We don't have to spend $86 
million on educating everyone on how different they are. It is time to 
start treating everyone equally.
  As far as sexual harassment claims, private businesses all across the 
country are able to handle these without having special diversity, 
equity, and inclusion departments to handle sexual harassment. That is 
usually handled in human resources or among managers who can handle the 
situation.
  Management has always been a problem in the VA. We do not need to 
fund $86 million creating a big, woke department that is actually 
already created. We should spend $86 million, again, toward helping our 
veterans. Our veterans have enough issues they face.
  Not too long ago there was a tragic story in Georgia where one of our 
veterans committed suicide while waiting for the care in the waiting 
office at the VA. This should never ever happen.
  This type of funding, $86 million, again, should not go towards 
educating people about gender and gender bias, educating people about 
their skin color, and educating people about how they think 
unconsciously without knowing how they think. These are the type of 
woke ideologies that divide and separate Americans and that veterans 
could care less about.
  They care about the care that they will receive, they care about 
having their appointments, they care about their medical treatment, and 
they care about one another.
  One of the things veterans care most about is the fact that they 
suffer with PTSD from all the foreign wars that they have been sent to 
and served in.
  It is time we take better care of our veterans and stop dividing 
America with identity politics.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast).
  Mr. MAST. Mr. Chairman, I would say this: There is an attempt to 
divide the military.
  We see each other as brothers and sisters in arms. I come from the 
military, and I can tell you this, Mr. Chairman: We don't care in the 
VA and we didn't care on the battlefield if the person carrying us on 
or the person whom we are carrying off is Black or Brown or White. We 
do have grooming standards, but I would say otherwise we don't care 
about the length of their hair or other things.
  The left fundamentally despises, in my opinion, that the military is 
this last bastion of best man, best woman for the job that exists in 
our country, and they are doing everything that they can in the VA and 
in the military alike to insert themselves and create division that 
otherwise does not exist there.
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Greene).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Georgia 
will be postponed.

                              {time}  1600


                  Amendment No. 35 Offered by Mr. Bost

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 35 
printed in House Report 118-158.
  Mr. BOST. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title) insert the 
     following:
       Sec. 419.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report a 
     determination under section 5502 of title 38, United States 
     Code, and section 3.353 of title 38 of the Code of Federal 
     Regulations, to the Department of Justice National Instant 
     Criminal Background Check System established pursuant to 
     section 103 of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (34 
     U.S.C. 40901).

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 614, the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Bost) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
  Mr. BOST. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment to 
H.R. 4366.
  My amendment would prevent any funds under the act from being used to 
continue a VA current practice of sending a veteran's name to the FBI 
National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or the NICS list.

[[Page H3998]]

  According to the VA rules, if a veteran or beneficiary is appointed a 
fiduciary to help manage their VA benefits, their name is automatically 
sent to the NICS list. VA sends the veteran's name without finding that 
veteran a danger to themselves or others, and this is not done in a 
court of law, not done by a judge, not done by any person with legal 
authority. It is only done by a VA bureaucrat.
  A Federal employee currently has the right to take away a 
constitutional right of our veterans. The same veterans who protected 
our constitutional rights are now losing theirs because they need a bit 
of help managing their finances.
  I have said this once, and I will say it again: Veterans should not 
be treated any differently from any other American citizen.
  The mission of the VA is to care for those who have served. To me, it 
seems this practice is the opposite of caring for our veterans.
  Veterans have told me that this practice is a barrier for them to 
seek healthcare. They are so afraid of losing their constitutional 
rights that they will not go to the VA for their healthcare or their 
benefits.
  There were just under 15,000 individuals reported to NICS last fiscal 
year from the VA. This fiscal year, over 8,000 veterans have already 
been reported to the NICS so far. This practice must stop.
  I am proud to have introduced my amendment that would prohibit the 
unlawful loss of a constitutional right of our veterans.
  Madam Chair, I include in the Record letters of support for my 
amendment from The American Legion, Gun Owners of America, National 
Rifle Association, National Defense Committee, Vets 4 Vet Leadership, 
Veteran Warriors, and Catholic War Veterans.


                                          The American Legion,

                                                    July 20, 2023.
     Hon. Mike Bost,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Representative Bost: On behalf of the more than 1.6 million 
     members of The American Legion, I am pleased to express 
     support for amendment to H.R. 4366, the Military 
     Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies 
     Appropriations Act. It is ironic that veterans, a community 
     in which every member swore to uphold the Constitution of the 
     United States, requires advocacy to maintain their 
     constitutional right to bear arms. The American Legion 
     believes that each veteran, regardless of disability, has the 
     lawful right to possess firearms, unless deemed unfit by a 
     judicial authority with the full benefit of due process. Any 
     constitutional right should be protected with this same 
     expectation of scrutiny.
       The proposed amendment would prohibit the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs (VA) from sending information on veterans 
     who are assisted by a fiduciary to the FBI's National Instant 
     Criminal Background Check System (NICS), without a judicial 
     ruling that they are a danger to themselves or others. As 
     such, this amendment would prevent veterans from losing their 
     Second Amendment right to purchase or own a firearm because 
     they receive help managing their VA benefits.
       Through American Legion Resolution No. 118: Amend Title 38, 
     United States Code, to Clarify the Treatment of a Veteran as 
     Adjudicated Mentally Incompetent for Certain Purposes, The 
     American Legion urges Congress to pass legislation which 
     would prohibit VA ``from transmitting in any form, findings 
     about a veteran's mental status or ability to handle his or 
     her own funds, to other agencies without the order or finding 
     of a judge, magistrate, or other judicial authority of 
     competent jurisdiction.'' The American Legion supports the 
     proposed amendment. The American Legion sincerely appreciates 
     your leadership on this issue and looks forward to working 
     with you to secure the passage of this critical amendment.
           For God & Country,
                                       Vincent J. ``Jim'' Troiola,
     National Commander.
                                  ____



                                        Gun Owners of America,

                                                    July 18, 2023.
     Hon. Mike Bost,
     Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Bost: Gun Owners of America is thankful to 
     the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs for its focus on the 
     lost gun rights of a quarter of a million veterans with its 
     legislative hearing on H.R. 705, the Veterans' 2nd Amendment 
     Protection Act.
       GOA exists to protect the constitutionally recognized right 
     to keep and bear arms of all Americans. Because our veterans 
     have taken up arms to defend this country, we strongly 
     believe that the Department of Veterans Affairs must respect 
     that right. Yet, since the Clinton Administration and the 
     invention of the NICS background check system, the VA has 
     used its ``fiduciary rule'' to disarm veterans as if they had 
     been ``adjudicated as a mental defective'' by a court and 
     were now prohibited from possessing firearms under federal 
     law.
       Veterans who have risked life and limb and now suffer from 
     the psychological consequences related to their service 
     should receive the best mental health care our nation has to 
     offer. But VA gun control measures, such as this ``fiduciary 
     rule'' to arbitrarily report veterans to the NICS database, 
     pose major barriers to care for gun owning veterans who may 
     need life-saving mental health treatment.
       Sadly, veterans are disproportionately ``adjudicated'' as 
     mental defectives by the federal government. As of 3 January 
     2023, 97.8 percent of active 18 U.S.C. Sec. 9221(g)(4) 
     records in the NICS system submitted by the federal 
     government are veterans. Of the 266,804 records submitted to 
     NICS by federal agencies pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 
     Sec. 922(g)(4), 261,168 records were submitted by the VA.
       The procedure of turning a veteran who cannot manage his or 
     her checkbook into a prohibited person begins when a VA 
     bureaucrat requires a fiduciary to administer benefit 
     payments. The VA only notifies the veteran once at the 
     initiation of the fiduciary appointment process. If the VA 
     does not receive a response within 60 days of the issuance of 
     this notification, the VA makes a determination of competency 
     based only on the evidence of record and the veteran's record 
     is submitted to the NICS database. Thus, a veteran may lose 
     the legal right to possess or obtain firearms without 
     committing any crime, without the constitutional due process 
     necessary for the deprivation of a right, and sometimes 
     without the veteran's full knowledge or consent,
       It is essential that Congress immediately pass the Veterans 
     2nd Amendment Protection Act to prohibit the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs (VA) from disarming any more veterans with 
     its unconstitutional ``fiduciary rule'' process. Congress 
     must also restore the Second Amendment rights of the veterans 
     currently prohibited from possessing firearms because the VA 
     has submitted their name to the FBI's background check 
     system.
       GOA fully endorses Chairman Bost's Amendment to H.R. 4366--
     to include the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act to the 
     Military, Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related 
     Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024.
       In Liberty,
                                                   Aidan Johnston,
     Director of Federal Affairs.
                                  ____

                                        National Rifle Association


                                                   of America,

                                    Washington, DC, July 19, 2023.
       Dear Chairman Bost: The National Rifle Association (NRA) 
     applauds your amendment to H.R. 4366, to prevent the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from stripping veterans' 
     Second Amendment rights without due process.
       For decades, VA has been using an entitlement program as a 
     pretext to revoke a fundamental constitutional right from 
     those it vows to serve. Under the current scheme, appointment 
     of a fiduciary--a bureaucratic decision assessing a 
     beneficiary's ability to handle personal finances--is treated 
     as an ``adjudication'' of ``mental defectiveness.'' This 
     results in the reporting of these veterans to the FBI's 
     National Instant Criminal Background Check System as 
     disqualified from firearm ownership and acquisition, even 
     though that finding does not involve a judge or a hearing to 
     establish whether the individuals are dangerous to themselves 
     or others.
       No government bureaucrat should have the unilateral and 
     arbitrary power to strip any American of their gun rights. 
     Therefore, on behalf of millions of NRA members across the 
     country--many of whom have served this great nation in 
     uniform--the NRA fully supports this amendment as well as 
     your companion legislation, H.R. 705, the Veterans' Second 
     Amendment Protection Act.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Randy Kozuch,
     Executive Director, NRA-ILA.
                                  ____

                                                    July 26, 2023.
     Hon. Kevin McCarthy,
     Speaker of the House.
     Hon. Steve Scalise,
     Majority Leader of the House.
     Hon. Jim McGovern,
     Ranking Member, House Committee on Rules.
     Hon. Hakeem Jeffries,
     Minority Leader of the House.
     Hon. Tom Cole,
     Chair, House Committee on Rules.
       Dear Speaker McCarthy, Leaders Jeffries and Scalise, Chair 
     Cole, and Representative McGovern: We, the undersigned 
     veteran and military serving organizations, endorse the 
     inclusion in the House Committee on Rules' reported Rule on 
     H.R. 4366, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and 
     Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024, of the Rules 
     Committee Amendment 23, Version 2--sponsored by 
     Representative Bost of Illinois--to prohibit ``the VA from 
     using funds to submit a beneficiary's name to the NICS list 
     based on VA's appointment of a fiduciary.'' We also endorse 
     the amendment's adoption by the House into the final House-
     passed version of the bill.
       The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA's) Fiduciary program 
     is a testament to the threat the unchecked regulatory powers 
     of the Executive Branch can pose to the inalienable rights of 
     the People, in this case, to the rights of disabled veterans 
     to due

[[Page H3999]]

     process under the law, and to keep and bear arms. From the 
     Fiduciary program's placing the burden of proof on the 
     veteran to prove they are competent (and not on the VA to 
     prove the veteran is incompetent), to the lack of judicial 
     oversight to the process (as is provided in similar 
     incompetency determinations by the Social Security 
     Administration), to the then Orwellian process by which the 
     VA tattles to the Department of Justice that the veteran has 
     problems balancing their checkbook, and therefore now somehow 
     qualifies as a ``mental defective'' under the Brady Handgun 
     Violence Prevention Act of 1993 and loses their right to keep 
     and bear arms, all without any judicial action, this program 
     is rife with threats to the liberty and property of the very 
     men and women who sacrificed their physical well being in the 
     defense of this country.
       Furthermore, the National Academies of Science, 
     Engineering, and Medicine found 55 percent of those Iraq and 
     Afghanistan veterans needing mental health services did not 
     seek VA care. The National Academies further stated a 
     significant reason these veterans are not seeking these 
     mental health care services is because of the fear they will 
     lose their firearms, or other legal or administrative actions 
     will be taken against them for seeking mental health care 
     such as loss of security clearance, loss of child custody, 
     and with 35 percent of those interviewed by the National 
     Academy saying ``the potential of having their personal 
     firearms taken away as an obstacle to use VA mental health 
     services.'' And given the rate of increase in veteran 
     suicides over the last 20 years is almost 240 percent higher 
     for those veterans not in the VA's mental health care 
     programs than those in it, such disincentives to seek VA 
     mental health care, such as the Fiduciary Rule, appear to be 
     increasing veteran suicide, not decreasing it.
       While we believe the entire VA Fiduciary program must be 
     fundamentally reformed to address the significant civil and 
     legal right abuses the Fiduciary program itself represents 
     for America's veterans, given the legislative process that 
     will require, we believe the Fiscal Year 2024 Military 
     Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act should 
     contain this prohibition on any funds being expended by the 
     VA to involuntarily place any veteran into the Fiduciary 
     program.
           Very Respectfully,
     National Defense Committee.
     Vets 4 Vet Leadership.
     Veteran Warriors.
     Catholic War Veterans.

  Mr. BOST. Madam Chair, I thank Representatives Rosendale, Hudson, 
DesJarlais, Self, Cammack, Higgins, Ogles, Miller, Boebert, Van Orden, 
and Kiggans for joining me on this amendment.
  Madam Chair, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this 
amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition to 
the amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR (Mrs. Miller of West Virginia). The gentlewoman from 
Florida is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, during the process of applying 
for disability benefits, VA determines whether or not a beneficiary can 
manage their own financial affairs. If not, VA will assign them a 
fiduciary to protect the veteran.
  VA will only determine an individual to be unable to manage his or 
her financial affairs after receipt of medical documentation or if a 
court of competent jurisdiction has already made that determination.
  In assigning a fiduciary, VA must also report the beneficiary to the 
National Instant Criminal Background Check System, the NICS system, as, 
under the law, they are adjudicated as mentally defective. This 
reporting prevents the beneficiary under Federal law from purchasing a 
firearm.
  The program has a full due process system, and veterans can file an 
appeal. This is an example of generating a controversy where there is 
none.
  The process of applying for disability benefits is entirely separate 
from the processes by which veterans receive VA healthcare. The 
Veterans Health Administration, which handles disability benefits, does 
not take away veterans' firearms.
  However, by implying that VA bureaucrats are going to take guns away 
from veterans, this amendment not only does nothing to increase access 
to care but its very introduction seeks to dissuade veterans from even 
seeking healthcare that they have earned in the first place.
  Moreover, this amendment deals with an authorizing issue and should 
not be debated on an appropriations bill. This is policy, not funding.
  Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOST. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I am glad that was brought up, the claim that the bureaucrats do not 
do this. It is only the bureaucrats that recommend to the NICS list, 
and then the Department of Justice does this. They take away a right of 
a veteran where any other citizen in this United States would have to 
go before a court of law where they would be found to be a danger to 
themselves or others.
  Yet, our VA, under the interpretation that they have made of an 
existing law, has decided that they will have a bureaucrat, without due 
process, take away the rights of our veterans. It is as simple as that.
  When I came here to this House, I found this out. As a veteran, I was 
appalled. What bothers me more than anything is the number of veterans 
across the central part of this United States who choose not to seek VA 
help for the fear that they would lose that Second Amendment right. 
They fought for that right and every other right under this 
Constitution.
  This needs to be straightened out. It is not gun control. It is not 
any issue like that. This is a veterans rights issue.
  Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), the distinguished ranking 
member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Chair, VA is required by law to transmit the names 
of the VA beneficiaries to the National Instant Criminal Background 
Check System, which prevents them from buying a firearm, but let me 
make one thing abundantly clear. Under no circumstances has VA ever 
confiscated anyone's firearms.
  Seeking mental health care from the Veterans Health Administration 
will not result in a veteran's firearms being taken away. VA does not 
have legal authority to do so. Only under a discrete set of 
circumstances for a very discrete population does the Veterans Health 
Administration report veterans to NICS.
  Madam Chair, the stigma around seeking mental health care at VA is a 
real one. It is also a multifaceted problem we are trying to tackle. 
Partisan stunts like this amendment make that fight more difficult 
because it leads to misinformation about the fiduciary program, a 
program meant to protect vulnerable veterans and beneficiaries.
  We had a legislative hearing on Representative Bost's bill on this 
topic, and it was abundantly clear that there were problems with that 
bill. My colleagues are attempting to go this route, through the 
appropriations process, which is harmful because it strips money from 
VA for political purposes.
  Madam Chair, when we discussed this bill last week in the House 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, we also learned of a great deal of 
concern about due process, but let me be clear on this point. There are 
already six avenues for review and relief that beneficiaries can use to 
challenge VA's determinations and remove their names from the NICS 
list. However, those avenues are not widely used.
  In fact, I would challenge the chairman to show me where there is any 
veteran with standing that would even take this case to the Federal 
court to challenge the whole process at VA.
  There are six avenues of review and relief. There is due process. 
What is the problem that this amendment is really trying to address?
  As I said in committee, Madam Chair, no one on our side of the aisle 
asserts that the fiduciary program is infallible. No policy or program 
is. However, any change to a program or policy must be evidence based 
and data driven.
  In the case of VA's fiduciary program, a program designed to protect 
the most vulnerable veterans from both financial and physical harm, we 
must be especially careful not to put more veterans at risk.

  Democrats are more than willing to have a debate on the merits of 
this program under those parameters, but this amendment is purely a 
political exercise that only seeks to put more veterans at risk by 
perpetuating stigma around mental health care, and it undermines the 
VA's efforts at suicide prevention.
  Mr. BOST. Madam Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time.

[[Page H4000]]

  Madam Chair, I will answer two quick questions.
  The fact is that, no, the VA employee does not take the Second 
Amendment right and possess the guns. The Department of Justice does. 
They give the name to the Department of Justice.
  Two, when the statement was made that I have a bill to try to deal 
with this, the ranking member was totally correct. I do because I am 
going to do everything I can to make sure that the rights of our 
veterans are not taken away.
  It is time for us to stand up for our veterans and protect the 
constitutional rights that they fought to protect. No veteran should 
lose their Second Amendment right without due process of law.
  Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this 
amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, may I inquire as to how much time 
is remaining.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Florida has 1 minute 
remaining.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, let me make clear that the 
Department of Veterans Affairs has robust due process policies and 
regulations in place for incompetency determinations and remind our 
colleagues that one of the three ways in which someone is denied an 
opportunity to possess a firearm is when they have been declared 
mentally incompetent.
  There are very robust provisions in the processes at the VA to ensure 
that there is due process in place. On top of that, the VA has the 
ability to grant relief from disability in the event that clear and 
convincing evidence is presented that affirmatively, substantially, and 
specifically shows that the beneficiary is not likely to act in a 
manner dangerous to the public and that granting relief will not be 
contrary to the public interest.
  That is the kind of safety measure that we want, to make sure that 
when a veteran has been declared mentally incompetent, Madam Chair, 
that they are not able to get access to a firearm.
  Due process is important. Protecting the public and the individual is 
important, as well.
  Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Illinois 
will be postponed.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Madam Chair, I rise as the designee of the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger).
  Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Madam Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from 
Colorado (Mrs. Boebert).
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Madam Chair, I rise in favor of the en bloc amendment 
package, which includes six of my amendments that redirect funds from 
Biden's bloated bureaucracy to actually help our Nation's veterans.
  Our men and women in uniform and our Nation's veterans put everything 
on the line to defend this great country and our freedoms. They deserve 
the best care that America has to offer.
  Caring for our veterans should be a priority in our annual funding 
bills. That is why I drafted these amendments that transfer dollars 
from the Federal bureaucracy to provide additional resources for 
veterans, including veteran mental health programs, medical and 
prosthetic research, the Board of Veterans' Appeals to help reduce its 
backlog and process veterans claims more quickly, gravesites for 
veterans in areas where a veteran cannot be buried in a VA national 
cemetery, construction of State extended care facilities, the Staff 
Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, and 
veterans telehealth and rural health.
  Don't believe the lies on the other side of the aisle. The Republican 
majority is committed to fully funding our veterans healthcare programs 
and funding veterans benefits and VA programs.
  Earlier this year, they falsely claimed that the Limit, Save, Grow 
Act would cut veterans benefits, even though it didn't even mention 
veterans in the bill.
  The White House and the leftists falsely tried to claim that this 
bill cut veterans benefits before it was even released. We didn't even 
have the text yet.
  Let me say this again: This bill fully funds our veterans and even 
provides an increase of $1.5 billion above the discretionary funding 
level contained in the fiscal year 2023 bill drafted by Democrats.
  The only thing this bill cuts is wasteful spending, and it ensures 
the Department can no longer be politicized by putting veterans and 
their needs above a rainbow flag or pronouns.
  My support for our servicemembers does not end when their service is 
complete. I am committed to ensuring that our Nation's most precious 
resource, its sons and daughters and mothers and fathers who answered 
the call to serve in uniform receive the essential healthcare and 
benefits they have earned.
  I applaud the committee for taking on this difficult task of 
prioritizing limited resources for our veterans.
  Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of my amendments, 
as well as the underlying bill, which fully funds our veterans.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.

                              {time}  1615


                  Amendment No. 36 Offered by Mr. Mast

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 36 
printed in House Report 118-158.
  Mr. MAST. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title) insert the 
     following:
       Sec. 419.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available to the Department of Veterans Affairs in this Act 
     may be used to enforce Veterans Health Directive 1315 as it 
     relates to--
       (1) the policy stating that ``VHA providers are prohibited 
     from completing forms or registering Veterans for 
     participation in a State-approved marijuana program'';
       (2) the directive for the ``Deputy Under Secretary for 
     Health for Operations and Management'' to ensure that 
     ``medical facility Directors are aware that it is VHA policy 
     for providers to assess Veteran use of marijuana but 
     providers are prohibited from recommending, making referrals 
     to or completing paperwork for Veteran participation in State 
     marijuana programs''; and
       (3) the directive for the ``VA Medical Facility Director'' 
     to ensure that ``VA facility staff are aware of the 
     following'' ``[t]he prohibition on recommending, making 
     referrals to or completing forms and registering Veterans for 
     participation in State-approved marijuana programs''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 614, the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Mast) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. MAST. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of a bipartisan amendment to do something 
simple: give veterans access to every possible tool when it comes to 
the wounds of war, of which I am innately familiar.
  The amendment is quite simple. It allows VA doctors in States with 
legal medical cannabis programs to discuss cannabis as a treatment 
option with their patients. I say this as clearly as I can: I have 
friends who are Rangers, Green Berets, and SEALs. I have seen pilots 
and every other job in the military sometimes find relief from the 
drugs, the narcotics that they have been prescribed in the VA or in the 
hospital. They find relief from both mental and physical wounds that 
they face.
  However, what they face as well is a Department of Veterans Affairs 
that does not allow their primary care physicians, their post-
deployment clinics to discuss the medical treatment options and work 
with them through the paperwork for those medical treatment options 
that are actually available in their States. If they are not working 
with their doctors to do that, then you have to ask yourself, who is it 
that they would be working with to do that for medical treatment that 
is legal in their State?

[[Page H4001]]

  This amendment, again, would change that and make it the case that 
the Department of Veterans Affairs can assist those veterans for whom 
it is appropriate and recommended by their doctors that medical 
cannabis be a treatment option.
  Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Madam Chair, I understand the intent and that 
some States permit the use of marijuana. However, the VA doctors are 
required to comply with Federal law. This amendment does not address 
that. I don't want to put them in legal jeopardy. I believe this should 
be handled by the authorizing committee.
  Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MAST. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon 
(Mr. Blumenauer).
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Chair, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy 
and his leadership.
  I am proud to lead this amendment with the gentleman from Florida 
(Mr. Mast), the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Joyce), and the gentlewoman 
from California (Ms. Lee) to inject some sanity into our medical 
marijuana approach.
  Veterans in Oregon and across the country have shared powerful 
stories with me about how medical cannabis has saved their lives and 
given them relief from wounds of war seen and unseen. These veterans 
have also shared their fear about what would happen if they worked with 
the VA doctors to incorporate their cannabis use into their treatment 
plans.
  The VA denies veterans access to this care option by preventing 
providers from completing forms in compliance with State medical 
marijuana programs. This is a shameful disservice to the men and women 
who put their lives on the line. The VA is forcing veterans to seek 
care outside the VA or self-medicate.
  Our veterans are paying the price for Congress' failure to act. That 
is why I am proud to join Representative Mast in leading the Veterans 
Equal Access Act and why I call on my colleagues to support this 
amendment. Simple justice for our veterans.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Madam Chair, I yield such time as she may 
consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I think it is important to make 
clear that this debate is not about whether veterans in a State where 
it is legal can get access to marijuana. It is not even about whether 
doctors at the VA can communicate about those options with their 
patients because they can. VA already does that. We allowed that 
several years ago.
  What it does do and what this debate is about is to ensure that 
because marijuana is still an illegal substance under Federal law, if 
we allow this amendment to pass, it would potentially put VA employees, 
healthcare providers and other VA employees at risk of DEA enforcement 
actions. That is not something that we can change with this amendment, 
no matter how much you might want to have this amendment move forward.
  While some States might have legalized marijuana for medical purposes 
and allow physicians to prescribe it to patients, VA providers are 
still subject to Federal enforcement actions through the Drug 
Enforcement Administration. The VA has policies in place prohibiting 
physicians from completing forms, not from communicating with their 
patients, and they can't register veterans in a State medical marijuana 
program themselves. However, veterans certainly can register themselves 
to do that.

  There is a concern that if legislation forced the VA to change or 
stop enforcing its policies, as this amendment is proposing, in the 
absence of systemic changes to Federal drug policy outside the VA that 
providers could be at risk of penalties or other legal action.
  The proper place for this discussion, Madam Chair, is in the 
authorizing committee, which my colleague, the sponsor of the amendment 
serves on. Have a discussion and a debate over policy to change the 
Federal enforcement action risk that we would be placing VA employees 
in if this amendment moved forward. Move it to the Commerce, Justice, 
Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee and prohibit 
DEA enforcement action.
  This debate is happening in the wrong bill on the wrong topic. I 
oppose the amendment for that reason, while separately not opposing the 
idea that there are legal ways that veterans are able to get access to 
cannabis and marijuana. However, we do have to make sure we can 
continue to allow VA employees to be protected from prosecution as a 
result of the potential impact that this amendment would have.
  Mr. MAST. Madam Chair, may I inquire how much time I have remaining?
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman has 2 minutes remaining.
  Mr. MAST. Madam Chair, I yield myself 1 minute, just to point out 
that my colleague from Florida from the other side is quite literally 
wrong.
  VHA Directive 1315 says this plainly: VHA providers are prohibited 
from completing forms or registering veterans for participation in 
State-approved marijuana programs. It says it very literally.
  My colleague is saying that, no, doctors can talk to them about this, 
and they can deal with it. No, if a doctor can't help them with the 
forms and help them with registering and help them with the dosages and 
the amounts and everything that goes on with a very specific medical 
policy, then that is a pretty confusing conversation for somebody to 
have if they can't take it to that level.
  Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Joyce).
  Mr. JOYCE of Ohio. Madam Chair, I am proud to join my colleagues in 
leading this commonsense effort to help our country's veterans access 
medical treatment.
  Research has shown that medical cannabis can be a safe and effective 
treatment in targeted pain management for PTSD which, unfortunately, 
impacts many of our veterans. Despite their efficiency, bureaucratic 
red tape continues to deny veterans these life-altering treatments. In 
States like Ohio and 37 others where it is legal, the Federal 
Government should not prevent a VA doctor from recommending medical 
cannabis as a viable treatment option if they believe it will help 
their patient.
  As the son of a WWII veteran who was wounded and left for dead on the 
battlefield, I have seen firsthand the many challenges our Nation's 
heroes face when they return home. We should all resolve to help expand 
access to treatments for the medical challenges, both mental and 
physical, our veterans experience.
  That is why I ask my colleagues to support this amendment to help 
eliminate barriers for alternative treatments and provide our veterans 
with the care they need to overcome the wounds of war.
  Mr. MAST. Madam Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time to 
close.
  Again, I point out the merits of this: It is fact in the VA right now 
the cannabis policy is extremely confusing. It does very literally say 
VHA providers are prohibited from completing forms or registering 
veterans for participation in State-approved marijuana programs.
  Those are conversations that you need to have with your primary care 
physician, nurse practitioners, and others. This is the reason that 
that policy needs to be changed. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. LEE of California. Madam Chair, as Co-chair of the Congressional 
Cannabis Caucus, I rise in strong support of this bipartisan amendment 
No. 36, to the Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans 
Affairs, and Related Agencies bill. This amendment would help veterans 
participate in a legal state medical cannabis program, ensure services 
are not denied, or limit health care providers' ability to make 
appropriate recommendations of this treatment option for veterans.
  Currently, VA physicians aren't allowed to complete medical forms 
relating to their patients' cannabis usage nor can they assist their 
patients in enrolling in medical cannabis programs.
  This amendment would authorize VA physicians and other health care 
providers to provide recommendations and opinions regarding

[[Page H4002]]

the use of medical cannabis to veterans who live in states with 
existing medical programs.
  Millions of American veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress and 
depression. Moreover, of the nearly one million veterans who receive 
opioids to treat painful conditions, more than half continue to consume 
beyond 90 days.
  Time after time, data has revealed that the mortality rate from 
opiate overdoses among VA patients is nearly double the national 
average. In states where patients can legally access medical cannabis 
to treat painful conditions, often as a less addictive alternative, the 
hands of VA physicians should not be tied.
  Cannabis is currently legal in most states and territories for 
medicinal or adult use and the VA health system must keep up. I am 
proud to co-lead this amendment and want to give a special thanks to my 
Cannabis Caucus Co-chairs, Representatives Mast, Blumenauer and Joyce, 
for their partnership on enacting comprehensive cannabis reform.
  I urge my colleagues to vote and support this bipartisan, common-
sense amendment that would benefit our armed service members.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast).
  The amendment was agreed to.


               Amendment No. 37 Offered by Mr. Rosendale

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 37 
printed in House Report 118-158.
  Mr. ROSENDALE. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Add at the end of the bill (before the spending reduction 
     account) the following new section:

       Sec. ___.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used to enforce any COVID-19 mask mandates.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 614, the gentleman 
from Montana (Mr. Rosendale) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Montana.
  Mr. ROSENDALE. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment, 
amendment No. 37, which would prohibit the use of funds made available 
by this act from being used to enforce any COVID-19 mask mandates.
  Our country sends young men and women overseas for long periods of 
time, away from their family and friends at great risk to their 
physical safety. When they come home and become veterans, sometimes the 
VA refuses them the care that they have earned and that they deserve. 
This is unacceptable.
  I have heard from numerous veterans in my district who have been 
denied care over their unwillingness to wear a mask to protect them 
from a pandemic that has long been declared over, using a method that 
has long since been refuted.
  Denying a veteran medical care over a personal decision is 
outrageous. We owe it to care for our Nation's heroes and to provide 
them with the best possible care, not stigmatize them over masking 
decisions.
  The COVID-19 mask mandates are also unfair to the employees of the 
VA. Most employees want to provide veterans with world-class 
healthcare, not enforce arbitrary, unscientific rules. The VA did 
loosen its COVID-19 mask requirements recently. However, they left too 
much discretion to unelected bureaucrats. Again, the pandemic has long 
been over, and it is time to end all of the COVID-19 mandates.
  Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition to 
the gentleman's amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Florida is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, this amendment would prohibit the 
enforcement of any COVID-19 mask mandates. However, the VA has already 
relaxed mask mandates except in high-risk areas where patients could be 
put in danger by someone who has a respiratory infection.
  For example, the VA continues to require masks near chemotherapy 
units, transplant units, and emergency rooms. In other words, this 
amendment would override safety precautions put in place for the VA's 
most at-risk patients.
  It would block masking requirements near chemotherapy patients, whose 
immune systems have been brutally weakened by treatments to fight 
cancer. It would block masking requirements in the vicinity of surgery 
patients, where a dangerous respiratory virus could be deadly. It would 
block masking requirements near intensive care units filled with 
patients with severe, life-threatening illnesses.
  This amendment is reckless, and it would endanger the lives of our 
most vulnerable patients at the VA. This amendment is not about a mask 
mandate at the office, it is not about a mask mandate at the grocery 
store. This amendment would block mask requirements at VA hospitals and 
healthcare facilities. How ludicrous could anything be?

                              {time}  1630

  It is astonishing that the gentleman would suggest that, in a 
hospital setting, around vulnerable individuals, particularly those 
that are extremely vulnerable, that we would be prohibiting a hospital 
from requiring people to wear masks so that people don't die of an 
illness contracted as a result of being exposed to someone who might be 
carrying germs that they are not aware of.
  Our veterans have sacrificed so much for this country. It is our 
responsibility to protect their health, not to risk their lives for a 
political stunt.
  Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROSENDALE. Madam Chair, unfortunately the Representative is 
either mistaken or intentionally spreading false information. Any parts 
or portions of the facility that previously had mask mandates for 
immune deficiencies or any other reasons would not be impacted by this 
mandate. Only mandates that are a direct result of COVID-19 are 
prohibited.
  Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas, (Mr. 
Self).
  Mr. SELF. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of Mr. Rosendale's 
amendment to remove mask mandates from our Veterans Affairs facilities.
  Last April, President Joe Biden signed the Pandemic Is Over Act into 
law to decisively end the COVID-19 national emergency. Accordingly, 
hospitals and clinics across the country have rescinded their policies 
requiring visitors and patients to wear a mask.
  However, VA clinics continue to enforce the so-called sensitive areas 
policy where patients must wear a mask while sitting in a meeting room 
waiting on his or her doctor. There is no reason for the VA to continue 
with this frivolous charade. Enough of the drama.
  I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROSENDALE. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Chair, the medical center leadership, the leadership, will 
determine when it is appropriate to transition from standard to 
enhanced safety practices. This is the problem.
  Bureaucrats are continuing to make decisions, not about sensitive 
areas, not about areas where we are prone to have immune deficiencies, 
but simply sensitive areas, and recommended national response by a team 
of subject matter experts due to future COVID-19 variants that threaten 
veteran staff and safety. This is not acceptable.
  Again, COVID-19 is over. These mask mandates as a result of COVID-19 
need to be eliminated.
  Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I am prepared to close. I reserve 
the balance my time.
  Mr. ROSENDALE. Madam Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Madam Chair, this amendment simply eliminates use of funds by the VA 
for the implementation of any COVID-19 mandates and is long overdue. I 
ask my colleagues to support this amendment and restore the proper 
treatment of our veterans.
  Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Extreme MAGA Republicans are once again trying to prevent people--
trying to make sure that we have more people get sick rather than 
fewer.

[[Page H4003]]

  In a hospital setting, with medical experts, neither of whom have 
spoken on this amendment today, it is imperative that we listen to 
medical experts.
  When you are in an intensive care unit, when you are receiving 
chemotherapy, when you are in a medically risky situation, ensuring 
that the people around you that come in from the outside don't get you 
sick and potentially risk you severe illness and death, that is a 
responsible medical policy.
  What Republicans are proposing is to make sure that the VA can't keep 
its patients safe. That is irresponsible, in the name of the extreme 
MAGA opposition to doing anything to ensure that people don't get 
COVID. The stunning irresponsibility is surprising, even for them.
  Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Montana (Mr. Rosendale).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Montana will 
be postponed.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Madam Chair, as the designee of the gentlewoman 
from Texas (Ms. Granger), I move to strike the last word.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Madam Chair, I yield to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Molinaro).
  Mr. MOLINARO. Madam Chair, I will speak briefly to two amendments 
that were included in the MILCON appropriations bill.
  Specifically, one, amendment 24 ensures the funding for Veterans 
Health Administration, it ensures that we are dedicated to assisting 
veterans with disabilities and those with mental health and substance 
abuse challenges. Of course, as a Nation, we owe a great deal of 
gratitude to these men and women, and regardless of whether these are 
emotional or physical scars, this amendment ensures that we continue to 
provide appropriate access.
  Additionally, amendment 25 ensures funding for the VA electronic 
health records which, of course, is critically important to our 
veterans, that we continue to modernize the system to help 
transitioning veterans access and receive top-quality care at VA 
facilities.
  At the same time, we need to ensure the safety and effectiveness of 
updating this program. The VA and Congress must work in lockstep to 
create a system that better serves our veterans and taxpayers.
  Madam Chair, I thank my colleagues for consideration of these 
amendments.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my 
time.


                  Amendment No. 38 Offered by Mr. Roy

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 38 
printed in of House Report 118-158.
  Mr. ROY. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title) insert the 
     following:
       Sec. 419.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used to carry out VHA Directive 1193.01, ``Coronavirus 
     Disease 2019 Vaccination Program for Veterans Health 
     Administration Health Care Personnel''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 614, the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Roy) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. ROY. Madam Chair, this amendment that I am offering prohibits any 
of the funding in the MILCON-VA appropriations bill from being used to 
carry out what I believe are unnecessary and unscientific COVID-19 
vaccine mandates at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  Now, there has been some confusion about this. Some people have said, 
oh, well, that is not really still going on. Well, I just got an email 
from the VA today saying, yes, it is.
  There still are vaccine mandates that are being carried out at the VA 
and, to the best of my knowledge, it is the last remaining Federal 
vaccine mandate, and it needs to end.
  Most Federal vaccine mandates ended in May of 2023, with the end of 
the public health emergency. The VA, though, was one of the few 
agencies to leave the mandate in place.
  VHA Directive 1193.01, COVID-19 Vaccination Program for VHA 
Healthcare Personnel, outlines the policy and guidance for mandatory 
COVID-19 vaccination for Veterans Health Administration healthcare 
personnel is still in effect.
  The mandate applies to EMS personnel, nurses, nursing assistants, 
physicians, technicians, therapists, phlebotomists, pharmacists, health 
professions trainees, clerical, dietary, environmental services, 
laundry, security, maintenance, engineering and facilities management, 
administrative, billing, and even volunteers.
  If you want to volunteer at the VA, you better get a jab.
  The COVID vax mandate is unnecessary. It hurts healthcare workers. I 
believe it hurts healthcare being provided to our veterans.
  As of July 15, 2022, the VA had disciplined some 74 workers that we 
know of, some of whom were fired.
  I do not believe the mandate is necessary to keep our veterans or the 
VA staff safe. The former CDC director has said that the vaccines can't 
do anything to prevent transmission.
  This amendment is about ending COVID madness once and for all at the 
VA and making sure that anyone who wants to provide medical care to our 
great veterans can do so.
  Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the 
gentleman's amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Florida is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I really can't believe I have to 
say this out loud, but vaccines have been essential in reducing the 
severity of COVID.
  I would note that VA's vaccine requirement currently applies 
specifically to healthcare personnel, who are the people most in danger 
of not only contracting, but spreading this disease, especially to the 
vulnerable patients that VA serves, many of whom are at high risk for 
the long-term effects of COVID.
  Additionally, at its highest point during the pandemic, VA had over 
15,000 staff unable to work due to either infection or exposure, with 
over 9,000 of those clinical staff. That has a significant impact on 
patient care, and I think we should all agree that no veteran should be 
turned away from care because there wasn't a provider available to 
treat them.
  VA took extremely reasonable steps to protect its patients and its 
workforce, and we shouldn't be tying VA's hands when it comes to 
managing their workforce and pursuing workplace safety and protecting 
its patients.
  It was a responsible decision to limit the vaccine requirement to 
care providers in clinical settings, and this amendment, if it passes, 
will ensure that more VA employees get sick, more of their patients 
will get sick, and there is a certainty that more people will die if we 
don't ensure that VA employees who treat patients are vaccinated. That 
is just common sense and should be understood based on the experience 
of the time we all spent battling the pandemic.
  Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROY. Madam Chair, I would only respond to the gentlewoman from 
Florida when she said it only applies to healthcare personnel. I just 
rattled off an entire list of virtually every known possible human 
being and job that could apply at the VA, and a whole lot of them 
aren't, in fact, healthcare personnel.
  I went through an entire list, including laundry, security, 
maintenance, engineering and facilities management, administrative, 
billing, even volunteers.
  Instead, some of my colleagues have said, this doesn't apply to the 
VA. Like I said, we reached out to the VA and, sure enough, they 
replied today, yes, the vaccine mandate still applies.

[[Page H4004]]

  Nevertheless, we get rid of the Medicaid. We get rid of the Medicare 
mandates. The private sector is out there. They can do what they want 
to do. The vaccine mandate has come and gone in terms of something that 
the American people believe we should tolerate.
  They want to be able to move about without having the fear of losing 
their job, and we have people at the VA losing their job.
  We have nurses that have given up their ability to practice. We have 
got it throughout our entire--we have members of our military that have 
been held up from being promoted and being able to advance. We have 
people at the VA. I have met with people who worked at the VA, some of 
whom who were facing losing their job. This should end. This madness 
should end.
  That is what this amendment would do. It would ensure that no funding 
goes to continuing and perpetuating that mandate.
  Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I think it is important to point 
out that it is not just healthcare providers that work in VA healthcare 
facilities. Maintenance workers work in VA healthcare facilities and 
interact with patients and they move back and forth throughout the 
facility.
  Cafeteria workers, other people who are not healthcare professionals 
work in VA facilities in and around the most sensitive patients being 
provided with care in the most intense healthcare environments. They 
can infect people with COVID. They can infect healthcare providers who 
work at the VA who interact with patients even more closely, and they 
can infect patients directly.
  It is a responsible policy to ensure that where there is a severely 
ill patient or someone who is extremely vulnerable and has their 
immunity lowered--as a breast cancer survivor, I can tell you that when 
you go through chemotherapy, which I did not, but I have obviously 
spent a lot of time on understanding what breast cancer patients and 
people who go through chemotherapy experience, your immunity is knocked 
out.
  So we are going to prohibit people who work in VA healthcare 
facilities from wearing masks to ensure that someone who has had their 
immunity system knocked out from being protected from an individual who 
might have COVID, while they are at work? That is grossly 
irresponsible, and it would result, potentially, in people getting sick 
and dying from something other than what they are being treated for at 
the VA.

                              {time}  1645

  That is the height of irresponsibility, and I can't believe that our 
friends on the other side of the aisle would be willing to risk the 
life and health of VA patients with this irresponsible policy.
  We have to make sure in a healthcare setting that people who interact 
with patients in any way are protecting the patients from getting sick, 
and that is why this amendment should be defeated.
  Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas will 
be postponed.


                  Amendment No. 39 Offered by Mr. Roy

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 39 
printed in House Report 118-158.
  Mr. ROY. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:
       At the end of the bill (before the short title) insert the 
     following:

       Sec. 419.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used to modify or remove any display of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs that bears the mission statement ``To 
     fulfill President Lincoln's promise `to care for him who 
     shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his 
     orphan' by serving and honoring the men and women who are 
     America's veterans.' ''
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 614, the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Roy) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. ROY. Madam Chair, I have an amendment that prohibits any of the 
MILCON-VA funding appropriated from being used to modify or remove any 
VA display of the original mission statement.
  Now, just a quick second before I go there. I didn't reserve my time 
because I thought we were trying to move things along. I am going to 
say, as a cancer survivor, as someone who did have chemo, and as 
someone who was on Neulasta to deal with a weakened immune system, I 
was in a hospital, and I wasn't being forced to wear masks and wasn't 
being forced to take any shots. If I wanted to take the flu shot, I 
could.
  We have a CDC Director who said that this vaccine doesn't do anything 
to help the spread from other people to you. That is the whole point.
  We should get rid of the vaccine mandates, but on another note of 
craziness from this administration, on March 16, 2023, earlier this 
year, the VA announced it updated the 1959 mission statement from: ``To 
fulfill President Lincoln's promise: `To care for him who shall have 
borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan' by serving and 
honoring the men and women who are America's veterans.''
  Now, it is a gender-neutral version: ``To fulfill President Lincoln's 
promise to care for those who have served in our Nation's military and 
for their families, caregivers, and survivors.''
  That is, it upends the quote that is directly from President Lincoln.
  The original mission statement is posted in roughly 50 percent of the 
VA's facilities. The VA has been working through replacing them over 
the last couple of months by a directive. It is unclear how many 
displays are left.
  The Trump administration resisted calls to change the motto and put 
an additional 140 plaques at national cemeteries bearing Lincoln's 
quote because it is a good quote. It is a historic quote.
  The fact is, we should not use taxpayer dollars to allow this 
administration to unilaterally change the VA's historic motto and erase 
the words of President Lincoln in order to appease the radical left in 
advancing yet another one of their cultural revisionist efforts.
  The VA's mission statement, established in 1959, appropriately used 
the words of President Lincoln in his Second Inaugural Address 
delivered on March 4, 1865: ``With malice toward none; with charity for 
all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let 
us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the Nation's 
wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his 
widow, and his orphan.''
  That quote obviously came from the timeframe in which we were 
concluding the Civil War, and it came a mere month, from my 
recollection of history, from when Abraham Lincoln was, in fact, 
assassinated.
  The speech was in part the basis of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs' creation and declared mission.
  The Department wants to continue to waste hard-earned taxpayer 
dollars to erase history and expunge Lincoln's words by replacing the 
VA's mission statement, all in an attempt to earn woke brownie points.
  I am thankful, of course, for the millions of men and women who have 
served valiantly in our Armed Forces, but changing the VA motto is just 
virtue signaling. We should be focused on providing the quality care 
and benefits veterans have earned in a timely manner.
  The average wait time for new primary care appointments within the 13 
South Texas Veterans Health System facilities was 50 days; veterans 
seeking their first appointment locally at the new Pecan Valley clinic, 
an average of 98 days; the VA clinic in the district I represent, 
Kerrville, 23 days, and that is the shortest.
  This amendment, like my other amendments, is about restoring VA 
focus, not advancing a political agenda out of step with the majority 
of Americans.

[[Page H4005]]

  Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition to 
the amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Florida is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, in March of this year, VA 
announced it is updating its 1959 mission statement: ``To fulfill 
President Lincoln's promise to care for those who have served in our 
Nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors,'' 
and that was a way to make VA a more inclusive and inviting place.
  VA's previous mission statement read: ``To fulfill President 
Lincoln's promise: `To care for him who shall have borne the battle, 
and for his widow, and his orphan.' ''
  The VA is a place where all veterans should feel welcomed, included, 
and cared for, and the previous mission statement did not adequately 
reflect the true veteran population. Only men were really reflected in 
the statement.
  Today, women are the fastest growing group of veterans, and it is 
about time that we are reflected in VA's mission statement.
  I am pleased the VA made this important and monumental change, 
honoring the past by making sure that we continue to make reference to 
President Lincoln's words and honoring the spirit of President 
Lincoln's intent, but also making sure that we truly honor all of our 
Nation's veterans, not just the men who have served our country.
  Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment because 
this is exclusionary, and we want to make sure that the VA continues to 
be a more inclusive place and recognizes all veterans who serve, not 
just those who are men.
  Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROY. Madam Chair, I will reiterate the extent to which this motto 
came directly from a quote from President Lincoln at his Second 
Inaugural Address at a particularly important and historic moment in 
our Nation's history. That was the point.

  The literal culmination of the Civil War had occurred almost around 
that exact date or was occurring shortly thereafter and shortly before 
the President was to be assassinated, I believe in April, a month after 
this speech. To go back and edit this and then go around changing the 
VA to pull out a quote directly from Lincoln just, again, shows a lack 
of focus on what the VA should be focused on.
  That is the point of the amendment. Can we just get back to trying to 
figure out how to provide care and do what we said we are going to do 
for millions of veterans who are tired of waiting and having 
technological systems that aren't working properly so they have trouble 
getting in and out of care and being able to use care in the private 
sector? There are lots of things we need to be fixing at the VA, and 
this is certainly not one of them.
  Madam Chair, I think that I have made the point. I think the 
amendment should be supported. I think we should get the VA focused on 
what the people of this country want us to focus on, supporting the 
care for veterans.
  Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I think it is important to point 
out that the new motto still is reflective of President Lincoln's 
beliefs, and his promise is one that was developed after surveying 
veterans who receive care from the VA and their employees.
  Perhaps we should listen to the veterans who are served by the VA and 
the people who work with them every single day about the need for a 
more inclusive motto. The more inclusive motto says, ``To fulfill 
President Lincoln's promise to care for those who have served in our 
Nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors,'' 
making sure that the motto of the VA ensures that all patients who are 
served there, all employees who work there, all the surviving families 
who interact with the VA every single day understand that the motto 
applies to them and the more outdated motto that dates back to 
President Lincoln's time is no longer reflective of who is served at 
the VA.
  This is 2023. It is hard to imagine that we are actually debating a 
motto on the floor of the House of Representatives and have a Member of 
Congress suggesting that that motto should remain exclusive of women 
instead of ensuring, as the motto voted on as a result of the surveys 
of VA employees and VA patients, is more reflective of who the VA 
treats today.
  Madam Chair, I urge opposition to the gentleman's amendment, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas will 
be postponed.


                  Amendment No. 40 Offered by Mr. Roy

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 40 
printed in House Report 118-158.
  Mr. ROY. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:
       At the end of the bill (before the short title) insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __.  None of the funds appropriated by this Act may be 
     used to implement any of the following executive orders:
       (1) Executive Order 13990, relating to Protecting Public 
     Health and the Environment and Restoring Science To Tackle 
     the Climate Crisis.
       (2) Executive Order 14008, relating to Tackling the Climate 
     Crisis at Home and Abroad.
       (3) Section 6 of Executive Order 14013, relating to 
     Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs To Resettle Refugees and 
     Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration.
       (4) Executive Order 14030, relating to Climate-Related 
     Financial Risk.
       (5) Executive Order 14057, relating to Catalyzing Clean 
     Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability.
       (6) Executive Order 14082, relating to Implementation of 
     the Energy and Infrastructure Provisions of the Inflation 
     Reduction Act of 2022.
       (7) Executive Order 14096, relating to Revitalizing Our 
     Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 614, the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Roy) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. ROY. Madam Chair, this amendment prohibits any of the funding in 
the MILCON-VA appropriations bill from being used to carry out 
President Biden's executive orders on climate change.
  I was gratified to have offered a similar amendment and to see it 
adopted on the floor of the House with respect to the National Defense 
Authorization Act, the NDAA. We believe that the United States military 
should have a singular focus, and that is also true for the Veterans 
Administration. It should have a singular focus--ensuring our veterans 
have the care they need, not advancing the climate fetish that is 
making us beholden to China for our energy needs, undermining our 
national security, and undermining the very reason veterans put their 
lives on the line to defend this country.
  In August 2021, the VA put forward a ``climate action plan,'' which 
includes indoctrinating VA employees with so-called climate literacy, 
pushing renewable energy consumption, sustainable buildings, and 
greenhouse gas emissions at VA facilities.
  Now, VA is transitioning its fleet of over 22,000 vehicles to zero-
emission vehicles. Mind you, our American public, who want to go about 
carrying out their jobs and their livelihoods, can't even afford 
vehicles anymore because we are clamping down on the ability of them to 
go purchase vehicles because we are limiting the production of the 
internal combustion engine so we can have battery-powered automobiles 
that are being produced with lithium and cobalt and things being mined 
in Africa while children are being exploited and the Chinese Communist 
Party is being empowered, all while China, by the way, has 1,100 coal-
fired plants compared to our 250. They are building two a week while we 
are basically doing nothing to advance anything with respect to 
reliable energy.

[[Page H4006]]

  Instead, we are putting all of our eggs in the unreliable energy 
basket, which makes us beholden to China, the Chinese Communist Party, 
and our enemies around the globe rather than exporting liquefied 
natural gas and making us stronger.
  Again, the Veterans Administration ought to reflect the American 
people and our strength by focusing on its core mission--providing 
healthcare and benefits that are necessary for those who have served to 
defend our country.

                              {time}  1700

  My Democratic colleagues apparently think you can power a VA hospital 
on wind and solar alone. Of course, you cannot. It is not possible.
  Anybody who looks at it looks at the data and sees on a windless, 
cloudy day, how are you powering a VA hospital? You are powering it 
with fossil fuels. You are powering it with what little nuclear power 
we have, given that we have been unable to build a nuclear plant, by 
far the most reliable non-CO2-producing energy in the world. 
We haven't been able to do it since the 1970s because of the regulatory 
infrastructure in this country. It is absurd.
  My colleagues on the other side of the aisle go around ballyhooing 
about carbon dioxide, and the one reliable energy that you can do has 
been prevented by regulatory morass through the better part of my 
lifetime of 50 years.
  Instead, they go around producing wind and solar, which as more 
information comes out about how horrific it has been for the planet, 
how horrific it is for children throughout this world mining those 
minerals, how empowering it is for our enemies, and here we are trying 
to turn the VA into essentially a promotion of the climate agenda for 
the radical left.
  Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Florida is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the 
gentleman's amendment.
  Despite the wildfires, smoke-covered skies, life-threatening heat 
waves, and extreme weather we now face nearly every day in the United 
States, this amendment would hamstring our ability to address the 
accelerating threat of climate change.
  The scientific consensus is clear, and we need to get serious about 
preventing further damage by transitioning to clean energy sources 
while also working to mitigate the costs we already bear today.
  The Department of Defense has repeatedly recognized that climate 
change is a direct threat to the U.S. military's readiness, mission 
effectiveness, and resilience. From rising sea levels that can flood 
coastal installations to more frequent extreme weather events that can 
damage our military infrastructure, these climate-related effects put 
our security at risk.
  Don't take my word for it. Just look at the news. Just yesterday, the 
news reported that the ocean temperature in south Florida was more than 
100 degrees yesterday, 101.1 degrees to be specific, in Everglades 
National Park in Manatee Bay.
  Do you know what happens at temperatures like that? At temperatures 
like that, we start seeing massive coral bleaching. Coral bleaching, 
high temperatures, sea level rise are not someday things in Florida. 
They are right now things.
  In 2018, a Category 5 hurricane devastated Tyndall Air Force Base in 
Florida, necessitating billions of dollars to repair and rebuild. We 
can only mitigate against those costly scenarios if we can acknowledge 
that the changing climate and increasing extremes we must adapt to are 
real.
  Further, climate change directly impacts the health of our most 
vulnerable veterans. Increases in extreme heat, extreme weather events, 
and disease pose a threat to those who have served, particularly those 
who are older or who have preexisting conditions and those who have 
respiratory conditions, which often older veterans do.
  The policies targeted in this amendment provide a path to help us 
future-proof our military, incorporate climate risk analysis into 
military planning, enhance our energy security, address the health 
effects of climate change, and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
  The gentleman from Texas might want to wish away or amend away global 
warming and climate change and its effects, but that simply isn't 
possible. This amendment would result in leaving our military woefully 
unprepared and our Nation on a path toward climate catastrophe in 
decades to come.
  Madam Chair, I urge opposition to the amendment, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. ROY. Madam Chair, I just reiterate the extent to which we are 
turning over our national security to our enemies. Eighty percent of 
the solar panels installed in the United States come from Chinese 
firms. Seven of the top 10 wind technology turbine manufacturers are 
Chinese firms. China controls 77 percent of EV battery manufacturing.
  The fact is, our national security is dependent upon our ability to 
produce and export liquefied natural gas and being able to use the God-
given minerals that we have in this country, oil and gas, to be able to 
power the world.
  There are almost a billion people on this planet who really have no 
access to electricity, some 3 billion who don't have access to reliable 
electricity and energy, and all we are doing is constraining the 
ability of the world to produce the energy necessary for human 
flourishing.
  We are all committed to trying to help improve the environment. 
Governor DeSantis in Florida has made enormous strides in improving the 
Everglades in Florida and received notoriety for doing so.
  In Texas, we have the most wind production of any State in the 
country, but you have to beg the question as to whether that is a good 
thing or a bad thing if you don't have enough fossil fuels to back up 
the wind and the solar.
  My colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to live in unicorn 
land and pretend that you don't need energy to power up the buildings 
in which we live in order to make us able to exist on this planet and 
actually have human flourishing in the face of weather and the 
conditions that we have to live through.
  Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, it is astonishing to me that our 
friends on the other side of the aisle are fossil fuel warriors. I 
mean, that is what this is all about. This is about Big Oil and fossil 
fuel supporters and making sure that the coffers continue to be filled.
  It is absolutely irresponsible. It is essential that we make sure 
that we are preparing and aggressively pursuing and making sure that we 
can stave off and mitigate the effects of global warming and climate 
change. These are not risks that are somewhere in the distant future. 
They are happening right now.
  Madam Chair, in my own district, in neighborhoods in south Florida, 
during the king tides in particular, you have sunny day flooding 
because the sea level rise is nearly unstoppable at this point. That is 
costing us precious resources that we should be spending on other 
quality-of-life issues. Yet, the gentleman's amendment would further 
prevent us from being able to mitigate the effects of global warming 
and climate change. It is dangerous.
  In particular, as it relates to our military, it puts our national 
security at risk and the health of our servicemembers at risk. We need 
to make sure that we can continue to aggressively pursue protecting our 
national security interests, which is why, on both sides, no matter who 
is in charge of the Department of Defense, the Department continues to 
pursue policies that will ensure that we can mitigate against global 
warming and climate change. They understand the risk to our 
servicemembers and to our safety.
  Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

[[Page H4007]]

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas will 
be postponed.


                 Amendment No. 41 Offered by Mr. Zinke

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 41 
printed in House Report 118-158.
  Mr. ZINKE. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:
       At the end of the bill (before the spending reduction 
     account), insert the following:
       Sec. ___.  None of the funds made available by this Act may 
     be used to administer, implement, or enforce Executive Order 
     14057 (dated December 8, 2021).
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 614, the gentleman 
from Montana (Mr. Zinke) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Montana.
  Mr. ZINKE. Madam Chair, I rise today to ask my colleagues to support 
my amendment to ensure the Department of Defense has the flexibility 
and authority to supply adequate power to defend this country and win 
in battle.
  It is ironic that we are here today, and I can't believe we are 
talking about it, but we are. The latest rule by the Biden 
administration to force the DOD to only use electricity for power and 
heating without backup, without any regard to situation, terrain, 
technology, or supply chain, is absurd.
  Let's talk about energy security and what it looks like. The first 2 
years of the Trump administration, we went from 8.7 million barrels a 
day to 12.5 million barrels a day. We went from being energy vulnerable 
and dependent upon our allies and potential adversaries to being energy 
independent and, in some places, dominant.
  By the way, we lowered emissions. Do you know why? Because America 
does energy better, cleaner, and more efficient than any other country 
on the face of this planet.
  Let's talk about the Biden administration and what this does. It puts 
our national security at risk.
  First, let's talk about supply chains. In the EV world, where are the 
minerals mined? Who controls the minerals, the processing, the 
manufacturing? Who controls the solar cells, the components that make 
up the EV world? China.
  It is ironic that the moment we become energy independent, we are now 
moving to more dependency on our allies and what could be our 
adversaries.
  Secondly, let's look at the cost. How much does it cost in the world 
we live in? We are looking at budgets and savings and the future. What 
this does is it raises the cost of construction, and there is no answer 
to the supply chain. Just on mining critical minerals alone, it would 
take a 2,000 percent increase for 20 years to meet the energy demands 
of batteries today. Yet, this administration puts this rule in, and by 
the way, good luck mining in the United States. The only thing this 
administration is approving is gravel pits.
  Let's talk about the environment and disposal. Where do 90 percent of 
the solar cells go today? To landfills across this great Nation. How 
about the turbine blades? How about the batteries? Where are the 
batteries going? How do we remove the toxins? Do you know what? There 
is no answer. There is no answer for the supply chain in the processing 
and manufacturing, and there is no answer for the disposal.
  Madam Chair, I agree with the gentlewoman from Florida that our 
oceans are precious, absolutely precious. Ninety percent of the 
plastics in the ocean come from four rivers in China. I can go over a 
list of the environmental atrocities in China.
  Madam Chair, I ask my colleagues to vote for America, vote for 
American energy, and stop this absurdity that is going to cost lives 
because we won't be able to power this country.
  Do you think we are having problems now? Ask the United States Navy, 
which had to pull the fleet out of San Diego. Do you know why? They 
don't have shore power because the grid is not set up for it. We are 
dangerously moving toward vulnerability.
  Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition to 
this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Florida is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, this executive order is a whole-
of-government approach for addressing climate change by reducing 
greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to clean energy and 
sustainable technologies. It ensures that we set responsible targets 
for how we invest our Federal dollars to incentivize the private sector 
to expand on these technologies, and it creates unionized jobs.
  We cannot turn a blind eye to the extreme heat, flooding, and 
wildfires across this Nation. We are seeing the impacts of climate 
change in real time.
  In south Florida, like I mentioned earlier, yesterday, we had a 
101.1-degree registered temperature in the ocean around south Florida.
  From California to Vermont and across Republican and Democratic 
districts, if we want to leave our planet better for our children and 
our grandchildren, then we must strategically invest in products that 
improve energy and water efficiency, reduce emissions, and generate 
clean energy.
  We need a coordinated, governmentwide approach to ensure that there 
is no duplication of effort or unnecessary red tape that 
disincentivizes public-private partnerships. This amendment prevents 
that.
  The focus on elevating fossil fuels and thwarting the advancement of 
clean energy will not help this Nation build a strong economy for the 
future.
  Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to defeat the amendment, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman has the only time remaining.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, at the appropriate time, I will 
offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House 
rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important 
amendment to this bill.
  My amendment strikes section 258, which prohibits funding for 
abortions and the implementation of the VA's interim final rule on 
access to reproductive healthcare. My Republican colleagues want to 
make abortion illegal nationwide.

                              {time}  1715

  Section 258 of this bill furthers that mission, putting women at risk 
and making it harder for veterans to access healthcare. Let's ensure 
that doesn't happen.
  Madam Chair, I include in the Record the text of my amendment.
       Ms. Wasserman Schultz of Florida moves to recommit the bill 
     H.R. 4366 to the Committee on Appropriations with the 
     following amendment:
       Strike section 258.

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I hope my colleagues will join me 
in voting for the motion to recommit, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Montana (Mr. Zinke).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Montana will 
be postponed.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Madam Chair, I move that the Committee do now 
rise.
  The motion was agreed to.
  Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. 
Zinke) having assumed the chair, Mrs. Miller of West Virginia, Acting 
Chair of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, 
reported that that Committee, having had under consideration the bill 
(H.R. 4366) making appropriations for military construction, the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal 
year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes, had come to no 
resolution thereon.

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