[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 144 (Tuesday, September 17, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5285-H5288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     VETERANS BENEFITS CONTINUITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SUPPLEMENTAL 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024

  Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9468) making supplemental appropriations 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 9468

       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 the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes, namely:

                     DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

                    Veterans Benefits Administration

                       compensation and pensions

       For an additional amount for ``Compensation and Pensions'', 
     $2,285,513,000, to remain available until expended.

                    Veterans Benefits Administration

                         readjustment benefits

       For an additional amount for ``Readjustment Benefits'', 
     $596,969,000, to remain available until expended.

                      GENERAL PROVISIONS--THIS ACT

       Sec. 101.  Each amount appropriated or made available by 
     this Act is in addition to amounts otherwise appropriated for 
     the fiscal year involved.
       Sec. 102.  Unless otherwise provided for by this Act, the 
     additional amounts appropriated by this Act to appropriations 
     accounts shall be available under the authorities and 
     conditions applicable to such appropriations accounts for 
     fiscal year 2024.
       Sec. 103. (a) Budget Formulation and Forecasting.--Not 
     later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the 
     Committees on Appropriations and the Committees on Veterans 
     Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a 
     report detailing corrections the Department will make to 
     improve forecasting, data quality and budget assumptions 
     relating to budget submissions for funds provided under the 
     headings ``Compensations and Pensions'' and ``Readjustment 
     Benefits''.
       (b) Reporting Requirement.--Not later than 60 days after 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and the 
     Committees on Veterans Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives and the Senate a report on status of funds 
     made available under the headings ``Compensations and 
     Pensions'' and ``Readjustment Benefits'' for fiscal years 
     2024, 2025, and 2026 in this or any other Act: Provided, That 
     such report shall be updated and submitted to such Committees 
     every 90 days thereafter until September 30, 2026, and shall 
     include information detailing any changes to estimates or 
     assumptions on obligations and expenditures, including data 
     supporting these changes.
       Sec. 104. (a) The Inspector General of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs shall conduct a review of the circumstances 
     surrounding and the underlying causes of the announced 
     funding shortfall for the Veterans Benefits Administration 
     for fiscal year 2024 described in the letter to Congress from 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on July 19, 2024, and the 
     announced funding shortfall for the Veterans Health 
     Administration in fiscal year 2025 described in the letter to 
     Congress from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on July 31, 
     2024.
       (b) Relating to the shortfall in the funding of the 
     Veterans Benefits Administration in fiscal year 2024 and the 
     expected shortfall in the funding of the Veterans Health 
     Administration in fiscal year 2025, the review shall include, 
     but not be limited to: a comparison of monthly obligations 
     and expenditures in relevant accounts against the spend plan 
     of the Department; the reasons for any significant diversions 
     of obligations or expenditures from the spend plan; an 
     analysis of the accuracy of projections and estimates 
     relevant to such diversions; and any other matter determined 
     relevant by the Inspector General.
       (c) Relating to the expected shortfall in the funding of 
     the Veterans Health Administration in fiscal year 2025, the 
     review also shall include: any changes, abnormalities, or 
     significant events as determined significant by the Inspector 
     General of the Department of Veterans Affairs in the 
     transfer, reallocation, or other movement of funding between 
     or within the Central Office, a Veterans Integrated Service 
     Network, a facility, a program or office, a special purpose 
     fund, the Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation process, or 
     the Medical Center Allocation System.
       (d) Actions the Department of Veterans Affairs can take to 
     improve the accuracy of supporting information submitted 
     under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, with 
     respect to the Department of Veterans Affairs and to prevent 
     funding shortfalls for the Department.
       (e) Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
     this Act, the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and 
     the Committees on Veterans Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives and the Senate a report detailing the conduct 
     and findings of the review.
        This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Benefits 
     Continuity and Accountability Supplemental Appropriations 
     Act, 2024''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr.  Mike Garcia) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. 
Wasserman Schultz) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and 
extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 9468.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, today I stand in support of this very important veterans 
supplemental bill.
  My district, as you know, is home to one of the largest veteran 
populations in the country. From World War II to the global war on 
terror, we take pride in knowing that our sons and daughters have 
answered their Nation's call to duty time and time again without 
hesitation.
  They answered the call not for personal gain and not for personal 
glory but out of a deep love for their country and out of deep 
patriotism and a belief that their government, including the VA, would 
always stand behind them.
  They didn't ask for much, just that their government keep its end of 
the bargain. Right now, that belief, that trust, is being tested.
  Due to the VA's mismanagement of their budget, 7 million veterans 
will lose their benefits beginning on October 4 without congressional 
action.
  They will lose their pension benefits, they will lose their GI Bill 
benefits, their burial benefits, life insurance payments, and survivor 
benefits. This is a cliff that happens on September 20 and will affect 
their payments as of October 1.
  As a combat veteran and a former Naval aviator, I was not comfortable 
allowing these benefits to simply lapse.
  My bill, the Veterans Benefits Continuity and Accountability 
Supplemental Appropriations Act, will step in to fill the VA's $2.88 
billion shortfall as a result of their mismanagement, helping to avoid 
a disastrous funding cliff and stepping in where the VA failed.
  My bill does more than just provide funding. It demands 
accountability, which is desperately needed here. It includes oversight 
measures like an inspector general investigation and a requirement for 
the VA to open its financial records to Congress.
  We need to know exactly how this shortfall occurred and ensure that 
every dollar is spent appropriately. To that end, within 30 days, this 
bill requires a report from the VA on corrections made to the budget 
with assumptions for the President's budget request to avoid this type 
of shortfall next year.
  Within 60 days, this bill requires a report on how the VA spent the 
funds appropriated by this bill and requires this report every 90 days 
through FY26.
  At the 180-day mark, it requires a report from the inspector general 
on the findings of his investigation into the causes of this shortfall.
  We can't afford to leave our vets high and dry without the medical 
care and GI benefits that they have earned, but we also can't afford to 
just give the VA a blank check without figuring out the root cause of 
the issue to be solved.

[[Page H5286]]

  This isn't just about funding. It is about fixing a broken system and 
ensuring that our veterans aren't left behind simply because of 
bureaucratic failures. They deserve better, and it is on us as Members 
of Congress and as their Representatives to fix this and get it right.
  I thank Chairman Cole and the Appropriations Committee, Chairman Bost 
and the Committee on Veterans Affairs, as well as Chairman Carter of 
the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and 
Related Agencies for their support on this bill and their ongoing 
investigation into the shortfall to get answers for our vets.
  We owe it to them, our veterans, to honor their service and fulfill 
our country's promise to them. We made a commitment to these men and 
women, and we cannot afford to fall short. This bill does exactly that, 
and I strongly encourage my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9468. This bill will alleviate 
a shortfall in the Veterans Benefits Administration by providing $3 
billion, ensuring veterans receive the benefits that they have 
rightfully earned.
  Without this funding, veterans' and survivors' payments to over 
500,000 individuals scheduled to be delivered on October 1 will be at 
risk.
  This shortfall, unlike what the gentleman just referred to, exists 
because the PACT Act is working. Ever since it was signed into law, the 
VA has been hard at work finding veterans in need of care and cutting 
through the bureaucracy to get them the benefits and medical care that 
they deserve.
  There are now a record number of veterans receiving disability or 
compensation benefits, 6.6 million, up from 6.3 million last year.
  The VA is hard at work, processing a record number of claims 
exceeding 2 million, on pace to break last year's record by 30 percent. 
Veterans are also using the GI Bill and job training benefits at record 
rates.
  Funding this shortfall will ensure that the VA continues delivering 
for veterans. However, this bill alone will not address all the 
pressing funding needs at the VA.
  We know that the VA requires more funding to ensure that the PACT Act 
is fully implemented in the next fiscal year.
  There is another $12 billion shortfall for FY 2025 in the Veterans 
Health Administration also due to increasing demands from the PACT Act.
  The smoke and mirrors that is being stirred up by our friends on the 
other side of the aisle is just that. There is massive demand for 
healthcare benefits and the additional PACT Act benefits that, 
thankfully, Democrats provided under President Biden and Vice President 
Harris' leadership.
  You can see the fact that more veterans are enrolling in VA care. 
Over 412,000 have enrolled in the last 365 days, a 27 percent increase 
year over year. The VA has also seen a record number of healthcare 
appointments, on pace for 127 million in 2024, well exceeding the 
previous year's record.
  The VA's targeted and aggressive outreach to veterans ensures that 
they know about the care and benefits the bipartisan PACT Act made 
available and shows that it is working.
  Although this $3 billion for benefits is critical, I urge my 
Republican colleagues to also support the $12 billion that is needed 
for healthcare in FY 2025 in the continuing budget resolution.
  People who are listening to this discussion should know that 
inexplicably, this funding has been excluded by the Republican majority 
in the CR that goes until March that we understand we are likely voting 
on tomorrow.
  Our friends on the other side of the aisle are going to deprive 
veterans of the vital healthcare that the PACT Act requires that they 
receive and continue to cloud the ability for us to be able to get our 
veterans that care.
  I am a show-me person, not a tell-me person, and so we need to show 
the veterans who have earned these benefits that the PACT Act requires 
we provide for them, and we do that by making sure that we address the 
shortfall that is the result of the demand that we knew there was.
  For so many years, veterans were denied access to the care that they 
earned. The clear exposure to toxic substances while they were in 
battle and while they were defending our country resulted in illnesses 
that now the PACT Act allows them to get access to that healthcare and 
ensure that it is covered.
  If we don't fulfill that $12 billion and make sure that those 
resources are available to our veterans, then our friends on the other 
side of the aisle will be responsible for that.
  As I have said, I support this bill before us, but I am disappointed 
that my colleagues across the aisle did not work in a bipartisan manner 
to draft this legislation.
  Let me be clear; it is not perfect. There is a reporting requirement 
that I would have written differently if we were consulted on that 
language, but it is critical that we get this funding to our veterans 
and survivors before funding runs out.
  Therefore, I do urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, to clarify, I appreciate 
the bipartisan support for this stopgap measure, but this isn't smoke 
and mirrors.
  There are more veterans. There are more benefits. These are good 
things. All we are asking for is that the President's budget request 
and the congressional processes reflect the higher demands and thus, 
the higher dollar values, but also hopefully gain more efficiency and, 
frankly, have the dollars go a little bit further through the VA 
processes.
  That is why the reporting language in this bill is very important, 
but I am glad that this does have bipartisan support.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from the great State 
of California (Mr. Valadao), a member of the Subcommittee on Military 
Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies and a hero to the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I rise today in support of the Veterans Benefits Continuity and 
Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act, which addresses the $3 
billion mandatory shortfall for disability and education benefits that 
the VA expects to face in October.
  Our veterans have made incredible sacrifices for our country, and it 
is our responsibility to guarantee they receive the benefits they have 
earned.
  We are debating this legislation today because the VA failed to 
properly manage their budget this year, putting the benefits of 
millions of veterans at risk.
  This is unacceptable. Our veterans should not pay the price for the 
VA's mismanagement. This legislation makes good on our Nation's 
commitment to care for the men and women who have served our country.
  It also requires greater oversight on the budget process moving 
forward to hold the VA accountable so that this does not happen again.
  I look forward to voting ``yes'' on this legislation to ensure our 
veterans can continue to access the benefits that they have earned.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), the distinguished ranking 
member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague, the 
gentlewoman from Florida, for yielding, and I associate myself with all 
of what she has said in the debate so far.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 9468, legislation 
that addresses a critical funding shortfall at the Veterans Benefits 
Administration, which could delay delivery of crucial veterans' 
education and disability benefits.
  Now, when we passed the Honoring our PACT Act into law, we intended 
that the VA move quickly to implement the law.
  This speed was necessary so that veterans who needed care and 
benefits could receive them as quickly as possible. We also gave VA the 
money necessary to do the work and the authority to move more quickly, 
if it could.
  On day one, President Biden accelerated implementation of the law. 
One year later, VA also hit the gas so that more veterans could enroll 
in VA healthcare more quickly. VA set aggressive goals, and what we are 
seeing

[[Page H5287]]

right now is the result of VA exceeding those goals.

  VA has granted almost 1.2 million PACT Act disability claims. 
Hundreds of thousands of new veterans have been enrolled in healthcare 
at VA. GI Bill and job training benefits are being used at 
unprecedented levels to further veterans' education and careers.
  These are all good things, and I don't think my colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle are arguing that they are bad.
  Their rhetoric regarding VA's financial management belies their true 
motive here, which is to take any and every opportunity to bash the 
Biden-Harris administration, in this case for simply providing care and 
benefits to veterans.
  From what we have heard today, it sounds like Republicans are 
begrudgingly willing to fund VBA, when this is the bare minimum that we 
should be doing.
  While I am glad that we are getting the VBA supplemental completed 
this week, I am very concerned and, frankly, disappointed that we are 
also not taking action on the $12 billion Veterans Health 
Administration shortfall.
  The deadline for the VHA shortfall is not this week, but that does 
not make it any less pressing. The time when VHA will need this funding 
is fast approaching, and this Congress has not shown itself to be 
capable of reliably passing funding bills on time.
  Republicans have even refused to include VHA funding in their 
continuing resolution text that was introduced last week and is up for 
a vote tomorrow.
  I have heard the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee say that 
Congress never fails to fund the VA, and so I am confident that this 
VBA supplemental will pass easily with plenty of support from both 
sides of the aisle, but why the political games with veterans' 
healthcare?
  Why not address it now while we are here working on VBA funding and 
provide veterans and their families and the VA workforce some much-
needed stability? Why not include it in the CR we are voting on 
tomorrow?

                              {time}  1830

  We must get VHA the funding it needs to provide world-class 
healthcare to those who served. Any delay in that care could be 
devastating for veterans. Enough of the brinksmanship. Republicans are 
shorting veterans and their families by not addressing VHA funding now 
along with VBA funding. Democrats are once again charged with being the 
adults in the room and are calling on the majority to do the right 
thing. Pass all of the funding VA needs now and stop any uncertainty 
for veterans. Let's get this done.
  VHA's need for an additional $12 billion is not malfeasance or 
incompetence. More veterans than ever before are accessing VA 
healthcare. We should be celebrating and applauding that fact, not 
denigrating VA and its hardworking staff. When every VA request for 
additional funding is met with suspicion, accusations of mismanagement, 
and derision of VA, what is the true motivation of my colleagues? Is it 
to ensure that VA is able to ensure the necessary care and benefits to 
veterans or is it to extract a pound of political flesh?
  I have no doubt that this bill will pass. It includes added reporting 
requirements that will aid us in our oversight responsibilities, which 
I support. However, let us not assign blame where there is none, and 
let us not denigrate those who wake up daily to do their best to serve 
those who have served our Nation.
  Whatever we do, Mr. Speaker, let us get VA all the resources it needs 
to deliver for our veterans.
  Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, this isn't about getting 
a pound of political flesh or making this about Republicans versus 
Democrats, left versus right. This is about doing what is right for our 
veterans. The fact is, there is a real cliff that hits at the end of 
this week, and tying it to a CR is a disservice. We shouldn't use 
veterans as political pawns within the CR conversation.
  Facts are stubborn things. The executive branch owns the VA. The VA 
is part of the executive branch. Before we discuss the $12 billion 
shortfall in FY25 funding, we should require a root cause analysis to 
be done on why we have a shortfall this year itself. From there we will 
move forward.
  You have our commitment as a Republican majority that we will never 
let the benefits of our veterans lapse as a result of anything, much 
less, frankly, lack of oversight by the executive branch.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Mrs. 
Bice), a member of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and 
Related Agencies Subcommittee.
  Mrs. BICE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 9468, which 
addresses the VA's budget shortfall.
  The Biden administration shared news of this impending budget gap 
days before we left in July with very little information on why there 
was a shortfall. In fact, following several inquiries from my office, 
the administration still has not been able to fully substantiate why 
the budget projections were so off.
  I thank my friend and colleague,  Mike Garcia, for his strong 
leadership in authoring this bill. Ensuring the men and women who 
honorably served our Nation are provided the medical care and benefits 
that they have earned is my top priority. I am also pleased the bill 
includes new reporting and accountability requirements to ensure this 
type of budget mismanagement does not occur again in the future.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to support H.R. 9468 to 
preserve the benefits of our veterans.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
distinguished gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the ranking 
member of the Appropriations Committee.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz 
for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation, which would 
provide our Nation's veterans with the benefits that they have duly 
earned in their selfless service and sacrifice to our Nation.
  Veterans Affairs is imminently facing a shortfall. Why? Don't listen 
to mismanagement and other things. Why? It is because of successful 
efforts of the administration to identify and reach veterans across the 
country who are entitled to these benefits.
  We signed something called the PACT Act, which says that 
servicepeople in all wars were going to be able to get medical services 
if they were exposed to toxic chemicals and to burn pits. That opened 
up a wide gulf of individuals who were going to take advantage of these 
medical services.
  This is a success story. We should applaud the Biden-Harris 
administration for ensuring America is holding up its promises to our 
brave veterans. We shouldn't come kicking and screaming to it. We 
should applaud doing what we are doing.
  Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed that the majority did not work across 
the aisle on this bill to ensure we are meeting all of our veterans' 
needs. While I support this bill, it falls short of what is needed to 
ensure that veterans exposed to toxic substances receive the care they 
deserve and require.
  Two summers ago, again, we enacted that PACT Act. We promised our 
veterans that they would see the benefits of medical care that they 
require after exposure to toxic substances with dedicated funding. We 
need to provide the additional $12 billion. It is not there. This is 
$12 billion for medical services which they have not included. Medical 
services for our veterans.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Yakym). The time of the gentlewoman has 
expired.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to 
the gentlewoman from Connecticut.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, we need to provide the additional $12 
billion to ensure there is no interruption for our veterans' 
healthcare, which the majority failed to include in this bill and in 
their half-year continuing resolution that they are going to bring to 
the floor tomorrow.
  One thing that is unbelievable in that bill coming up tomorrow is 
they tell the Veterans Administration to spend faster on the medical 
services, except they put no money in for medical services, so spend 
faster on zero dollars. It is laughable, but it is very, very serious 
and detrimental to our veterans.

[[Page H5288]]

  Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote in 
favor of it.
  Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I just want to reiterate 
again, facts are stubborn things. The VA is part of the executive 
branch. We have a higher demand. We know the PACT Act exists. Let's 
have the President ask for a commensurate level of money before going 
to Congress. The PBR, President's budget request, should reflect this 
higher demand.
  This is one of the issues with root cause. That is what we are asking 
for, not just giving the money to the VA, but getting to the root 
cause.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Bost), the chairman of the Veterans Affairs' 
Committee.
  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 9468, offered 
by my friend and fellow veteran--let me say that again, friend and 
fellow veteran--because when our side over here is talking, we are 
talking as veterans who understand the issues. Representative  Mike 
Garcia of California is carrying this bill. I thank him for his 
service. I am a veteran.
  Today, we are carrying out our responsibility to protect our veterans 
and taxpayers. This bill would appropriate $2.88 billion to make sure 
that veterans' disability compensation and education payments will 
continue without delay.
  We also expect the Department of Veterans Affairs to handle the 
taxpayers' money responsibly. That is why the bill would also force VA 
to improve their budget and provide more information on how they handle 
the benefits funding because, Mr. Speaker, the Biden-Harris 
administration should never have put VA in this position in the first 
place. The VA shortfall is yet another prime example of critical 
mismanagement by the current administration.
  This bill would also direct the inspector general to do a top-to-
bottom audit of the reasons for the healthcare and benefits shortfall. 
I have been getting half answers from executives at VA for 2 months 
about this shortfall.
  The Biden-Harris administration has asked Congress to hand over 
another $12 billion right now based on eight pages of old numbers that 
don't add up. That is not what our constituents sent us here to do. 
They expect me, as the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and 
as a Member of Congress, to ask very important questions and get to the 
bottom of the reality of what is happening, and that is what I intend 
to do.
  This legislation is a step in the right direction, and it upholds the 
House Republicans' commitment to always care for men and women who have 
served our military. I am proud to support it. Whenever the statement 
is made about the fact that Republicans aren't doing that, yes, we are, 
but we are doing it with the responsibility of exactly what we are 
supposed to be doing, and that is giving oversight. Somehow the other 
side of the aisle forgets that we have to do that, and for some reason 
the administration doesn't want to answer the questions we are asking.
  Mr. Speaker, our responsibility is to look over the budget and make 
sure it is being spent wisely. Remember, the VA was not created for the 
VA; it was created for the veterans, and that is what this language 
does.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I don't have any additional 
speakers. I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
  Mr. Speaker, do you know what is a stubborn thing? Math. Math is a 
stubborn thing. As I have mentioned earlier, this bill falls short of 
supporting the full funding needs for the VA. It is very simple.
  The VA has told us that by March of 2025, which is only a few months 
away, they will need an additional $12 billion for veterans' 
healthcare. There is nothing mysterious about this.
  I am not that good at math, but the VA has reported that they are 
delivering more appointments to veterans than ever before, and that has 
something directly to do with why they need the additional resources. 
In fact, there have been 91 million appointments thus far in 2024, 
outpacing last year's total. The VA expects to see 127 million 
appointments by the end of this month.
  The VA has also reported that costs for drugs and prosthetic devices 
are higher due to market pressures. Additionally, community care costs 
will need to grow by 16.5 percent next year in order to deliver 
anticipated community care needs for veterans.
  Math is a difficult thing, apparently, for our friends on the other 
side of the aisle. Despite these warnings, my colleagues across the 
aisle have decided to ignore the VA, to obfuscate, to create smoke and 
mirrors.
  Mr. Speaker, I spent the morning with over 100 of my veterans who 
served in World War II, the Korean conflict, and the Vietnam war, and I 
promised them I was coming back here to make sure that we addressed 
this $3 billion shortfall and that we would ensure that we fully 
implemented the PACT Act and ensured that veterans who were exposed to 
toxic substances would have their care covered. The PACT Act presumes, 
Mr. Speaker, that that exposure is what caused their illnesses, caused 
the disease that so many had to struggle with getting the ability to 
have that healthcare paid for until the PACT Act became law.
  Despite these warnings, my colleagues across the aisle have decided 
to ignore the VA. In their continuing resolution, which would end on 
March 28, and which we expect to vote on tomorrow, they purposefully 
excluded any additional funding for veterans.
  I will remind you, Mr. Speaker, and my colleagues, that when we 
committed that we would make sure that the PACT Act funds were 
guaranteed, that we had guaranteed funding so that we wouldn't leave 
the funding for veterans' healthcare to the whims of the appropriations 
process, as we do every year, our friends on the other side of the 
aisle decided to put a bill together that denied that guaranteed 
funding.
  They denied that guaranteed funding repeatedly until they were 
finally shamed into living up to our commitment to our veterans. This 
funding is needed to hire more medical professionals, deal with the 
growing cost of community care, relieve cost growth issues for pharmacy 
and prosthetics. We have to make sure that we are there for them.
  The bottom line is that this bill that is here before us is a good 
first step in addressing the funding pressures the VA is experiencing 
due to the administration's successful implementation of the PACT Act, 
but it fails to address the additional funding needs in healthcare.
  I encourage my colleagues across the aisle to include the funding in 
a CR that is necessary for the VA to ensure that our veterans receive 
the quality care that we promised them, that the law requires, and that 
they deserve.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1845

  Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the 
balance of my time.
  Just a reminder, there is $140 billion cash on hand by the VA in 
discretionary dollars for FY 2025. This bill works to close the gap for 
FY 2024 to the tune of $2.88 billion.
  This is an opportunity for every single Member of Congress to show 
their support for our veterans across the Nation, 7 million of them.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support for H.R. 9468, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Fulcher). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr.  Mike Garcia) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 9468.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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