[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 168 (Thursday, November 14, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H6003-H6005]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
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ADVOCATING FOR PROGRESSIVE POLICIES FOR OUR VETERANS
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Lesko). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 9, 2023, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Ramirez)
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
General Leave
Mrs. RAMIREZ. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent for all Members
to have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order hour.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mrs. RAMIREZ. Madam Speaker, today, I want to take a moment to remind
us why we are here.
On my first day of Congress, which feels like so, so many years ago
but was about 23 months ago, I made a commitment to represent,
advocate, defend, and fight for the people. I made a promise to
legislate with a vision for a better future for the constituents of my
district. That includes veterans.
As a proud member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, my goal
continues to be the same: Advance policies that improve the lives of
veterans and ensure that they have access to every benefit they have
earned and that has been promised to them.
However, I continue to be disappointed with so much extreme rhetoric
from many of my colleagues to the right of me who choose to put
politics over the lives of veterans, effectively watering down the
protections and stonewalling progress on bills that would assist them.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus and I remain determined to do
what is right for our veterans. That means advocating for better access
to healthcare, fighting for our veterans experiencing or at risk of
experiencing homelessness, and advocating for our women veterans and
their unique needs. Above all, when our veterans come home, we ensure
they can lead a happy, fulfilling life after service.
Madam Speaker, we have delivered. I am proud to say that since
Representative Takano's Honoring our PACT Act was signed into law, the
Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA, has delivered more than $6.8
billion in PACT Act benefits to veterans. Over 5.7 million veterans
have received new toxic exposure screenings. Over 740,000 new veterans
have enrolled in VA healthcare. This means that more veterans are
getting the care and benefits they rightfully earned.
The success of the PACT Act demonstrates what is possible when
Congress prioritizes people over partisan politics, and it shows what
can be done for veterans when Congress and agencies work together to
deliver for our constituents.
Where the Department of Veterans Affairs succeeds also provides us
with a broader vision and useful roadmap for what we can achieve for
all Americans. The VA provides a basic housing allowance, population-
specific healthcare, job assistance and training, and targeted
interventions to prevent and address homelessness.
I believe that Congress can and should replicate the most promising
parts of the VA to ensure the same base level of material and social
support for our everyday working families. I believe we can eradicate
poverty, prevent and end homelessness, and ensure that no person goes
hungry or lives without essential healthcare.
It is actually possible for all Americans to lead a happy, fulfilling
life and to retire with dignity. It starts with legislating with
compassion and a commitment to the flourishing of our neighbors.
Despite Republican efforts to stop progress and turn the clock back
100 or more years, let me just say the Congressional Progressive Caucus
and I will hold the line. We will defend our veterans. We will ensure
they have every single benefit that veterans deserve, and we will honor
their service with action.
I want to talk about the last 23 months and the work that I have done
here in Congress. When I became an elected official, first as a State
representative and now in Congress, I made a commitment. That
commitment was to remain rooted in the community that I was elected to
serve. Since joining the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I have
seen how critical it is for veterans and the families of veterans to
receive the full benefits of our Nation's promise to them and what they
have earned.
I am proud to say that during my freshman year--no longer a freshman
in a couple of months--I have advocated for and introduced pieces of
legislation that expand veteran access to education, healthcare, and
housing.
Last year, I introduced the Student Veteran Benefits Restoration Act,
which would reinstate GI benefits for students who pursued a degree at
a college or university that defrauded them. I am proud to say this
bill was voted on and passed by the House in April.
While the final negotiated bill is more limited in scope than I would
have wanted, I do think it represents an ongoing commitment to work to
ensure that veterans receive full access to the educational benefits
that they have earned. I am committed to building on this momentum and
continuing this fight into the 119th Congress.
This year, I am proud to have introduced the Servicemember Student
Loan Affordability Act, with Senator Durbin leading this effort in the
Senate. What this bill would do is amend the Servicemembers Civil
Relief Act to limit the interest rate on student loans incurred by
servicemembers before they go into military service. It will
consolidate and refinance it during military service.
I was in my district on Veterans Day with veterans and veteran-
serving organizations, and I heard how much they need for us to invest
in them and address the issues of homelessness. As a matter of fact, I
heard that, in the last year, we have seen another increase in
homelessness among the veteran community.
Madam Speaker, I am proud to announce that I am introducing a new
bill to create permanent housing opportunities for our veterans. The
bill would expand the services that the grant per diem providers give
to include prevention services and also allow for capital grants to be
used to convert units into permanent housing.
I am eager to work with the committee around the bill introduction,
and I am excited to be able to share more details on the bill very
soon.
I voted to advance critical legislation that will bring solutions to
the policy failures that leave our veterans and their families
desperate and frustrated. During every hearing and every markup, I
remain intentional in my efforts to ensure that we fulfill the promises
our Nation has made to our veterans.
That work has to continue next Congress. In my opinion, that is how
we honor service through action.
I want to talk a little bit about healthcare. One of the most
pressing issues our veterans face is access to quality healthcare.
Healthcare is a basic need that we must deliver for our veterans.
Accessible healthcare for veterans shouldn't be considered a privilege
but a right for those who have served their country.
Expanded health services will allow veterans to receive timely
treatments for various medical conditions without having to worry about
financial burdens or lengthy waits for appointments. Improved access to
mental health services is also critical to address issues such as PTSD
and other psychological conditions caused by military service.
Expanding healthcare for veterans will also help reduce the long-term
costs associated with providing care for aging veterans, ensuring they
receive the care they need in later life.
Veterans should be provided access to high-quality medical treatment,
regardless of economic status or geographic location, so that they can
all benefit from high-quality healthcare services without undue
financial burden or delays in treatment.
To show appreciation and respect for their sacrifice and service to
their country, our Nation is responsible for
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providing vital care for veterans. It is why, during the October
recess, I convened veterans. What they have said to me is that the gaps
that they continue to experience are unacceptable, gaps like dental
care and dental coverage, wait times for physical and mental health
appointments, challenges to healthcare enrollment, and a greater need
for outreach to underserved veterans.
It is why I co-led the Expanding Health Care Providers for Veterans
Act with Representative Tlaib, to make it easier for the VA and State
veterans homes to hire employees on H-1B visas when they cannot find a
suitable applicant in the United States. Specifically, the bill
designates the Department of Veterans Affairs and State veterans homes
as cap-exempt institutions for the purposes of the H-1B visa program.
I am also proud to cosponsor numerous bills around veterans
healthcare, including the 9-8-8 Implementation Act. Madam Speaker, 988
is the new nationwide suicide prevention line, and the 9-8-8
Implementation Act would offer more Federal support to the crisis line,
including resources to veteran-specific departments of the crisis line.
Providing quality, accessible healthcare is how we honor our veterans
with action.
To hear a little bit more about this work that many of us are doing
to ensure that our veterans are getting the services they deserve, we
will hear from some of my colleagues very soon.
Madam Speaker, while we do that, I want to talk to you a little bit
more about some of our veterans who currently continue to see so many
challenges.
I want to make sure that I am clear. I am here to represent all
veterans, especially the veterans who are most vulnerable. That means
first-generation veterans. That means women veterans. That means
veterans of color. That also means veterans who, we don't want to
admit, have been deported after having served this country, after
nearly dying for this country and experiencing PTSD. They have lost
their green cards and, today, are separated from their families.
As the evidence has shown, veterans of color have served this country
honorably for decades. Due to intentional segregation and racism, they
were unable to use the benefits promised to them. That is why I commend
my colleague, Congressman Clyburn, for putting forward the VA Housing
Loan Forever Act, to do the right thing and restore equity to veterans
of color.
Similarly, women veterans were locked out of receiving the benefits
they earned due to their service not being properly recognized. That is
why, when I go back to my district and when I sit in those hearings, I
always center the voices of our veterans, particularly those most
impacted. As a member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, ensuring
that our women in uniform are recognized for their contributions and
sacrifices. Having full access to their benefits must be a priority.
It is why I was proud to offer and have passed an amendment to the
Jax Act out of subcommittee. What does this amendment do? It directs
the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit a report regarding gender
disparities and covered claims for traumatic brain injuries and post-
traumatic stress disorder, particularly among those who have engaged in
combat since 1990.
I also want to shed light on an issue that I hold close to my heart,
and that is our veterans who are seeking legal pathways to citizenship.
You heard me a few moments ago talk about those who have been deported
and are now separated from their families after having served their
country. To me, it is unimaginable that they are at risk of deportation
or have been deported because, despite their service and sacrifice, too
many undocumented veterans have faced deportation due to a failed
immigration system that does not honor who we say we are as a nation.
Now, you ask, how are they serving if they are not a U.S. citizen?
You don't have to be a U.S. citizen to die for this Nation. You will
get a green card, and you will be able to do that. If you come back to
the country you love, the country you call home, and something happens,
if there is a fight at a bar, if you are dealing with PTSD and there is
something that happens to you, you can immediately lose your green card
and be deported.
Let me say this to you: As we celebrate our veterans, we must
remember those who today find themselves living in exile, separated
from their families and often struggling to access the benefits and
support they earn through their service.
Madam Speaker, it is time to return these veterans home and deliver
justice and support. It is why I am proud to cosponsor Representative
Takano's Veteran Service Recognition Act, which would allow noncitizen
servicemembers to apply for naturalization during basic training,
establishing a review process for those who are in removal proceedings,
and provide an opportunity for a noncitizen veteran who has been
removed or ordered removed and who has not been convicted of a serious
crime to obtain legal permanent resident status.
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Today, I call my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, who say that
they care about our veterans to stand with us and to cosponsor this
incredibly important piece of legislation because that is how we honor
every veterans' service with action for: Sergio Andrade, Jiji Thomas
Kurian, Elsworth Alexander Smith, Mark Osmond Isaacs, Gerardo Emiterio
Lopez Flores. The time to act is today.
In a moment, I will yield to one of my colleagues who every day
fights like hell for our veterans, so you can hear directly from them
on the work that they are doing.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Chris
Deluzio.
Mr. DELUZIO. Madam Speaker, it is, of course, an honor for all of us
to serve here, but, of course, maybe no greater honor than to stand up
for our fellow veterans.
I think this country has a sacred obligation to care for all who
served. I am proud of my time in uniform, and I often talk about a
simple lesson I learned in the Navy: ship, shipmate, self. You put the
mission and the country first. You put others before yourself. I think
that is fundamentally at the heart of the ethos of service.
I come from western Pennsylvania where so many homes and families
have a picture of someone who has worn the uniform, someone who has
served or shares the values of hard work and patriotism and sacrifice.
It is pretty common but becoming a little rarer for us maybe to talk
about it as we should.
Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for convening us for this
important fight for veterans. It is so central to our work here in the
House and certainly in this Congress.
This work should be bipartisan in so many ways, and I think it often
is, not always, but it often is. I introduced a bill with colleagues
from both sides of the aisle, Saving Our Veterans Lives Act, which is
about us putting together a coalition to tackle the crisis, the problem
of veteran suicide. It has got a coalition that I think tells you it
can succeed, from gun safety groups to the National Shooting Sports
Foundation, and Veterans Service Organizations. That is a coalition
that is broad, that tells you this is a serious effort.
What this bill would do is authorize a VA program to give free
firearm lockboxes to veterans who want them. This is something that we
know can save veterans' lives. We have seen that if you limit the ease
by which someone at risk, someone in crisis can get to their gun, you
prevent suicide deaths. We know that firearms are the most common means
used by my fellow veterans to die by suicide. We should take some
action like this.
Madam Speaker, 73 percent of male veteran suicide deaths and more
than half, 52 percent of female, are with firearms. Those rates greatly
exceed those for nonveterans.
A little bit more than half of veterans report owning one or more
guns themselves. Of those, more than half report storing it loaded or
unsecured.
I think this intervention can be one that can save veterans' lives
and earn support on both sides of the aisle.
Madam Speaker, I was proud to introduce the Save Our Veterans Lives
Act. It is a simple, straightforward, bipartisan idea, a commonsense
one, to save lives and to fight back against veteran suicide. Something
that I think we all share as a priority.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois for her
leadership on these issues.
Mrs. RAMIREZ. Madam Speaker, as we talk about the faces of our
veterans and the impact and challenges that they are going through at
this moment, I am also reminded of so many of them who come back home
and continue to provide public service, who continue to show up for
their community and for their neighbors and families.
As we recommit to fighting for every single veteran, I will take the
time to recognize a servicemember in my district, someone who is using
her platform to advocate for the care and benefits of those who came
before her.
Madam Speaker, today, I will honor my constituent, U.S. Army Major
Karen Hernandez, who serves our country and our community with
dedication and courage.
The daughter of Mexican immigrants and a proud first-generation
college graduate, Major Hernandez embodies, like the daughters and sons
of immigrants, the values of resilience, of integrity, and an enduring
commitment to community and to service.
Since enlisting in 2008 as a medical service officer for the 108th
Multifunctional Medical Battalion, Karen has commanded field hospitals
and played a vital role in Illinois' COVID-19 response.
In our communities, as the executive director of Chicago Veterans,
she helps servicemembers transition back to civilian life. She
advocates for them to receive the promised benefits that they earned.
Whether it is supporting humanitarian efforts or empowering veterans,
Hernandez leads with selflessness and Hernandez leads with courage.
On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, I commend Karen
Hernandez for her remarkable service and for her leadership, both in
and beyond the military. ``Thank you, Karen.'' ``Gracias, Karen.''
As I wrap up, I thank all of my colleagues who are continuously
working and looking past the partisan politics. I especially thank the
Progressive Caucus and the Special Order hour because what the American
people continue to ask of us is to stop talking at them. What the
American people continue to say is, stop promising things. What the
American people are saying is, we are tired of your darn fights online
because you want to go viral. What the American people are saying is,
we need you to move from words to action.
Madam Speaker, I will end with this: The future that we seek is
possible. Accessible, affordable healthcare is possible. Every person
having a safe, clean home is possible. A country where no one goes
hungry can be possible. Quality education and jobs that provide living
wages, a humane, assured, legal pathway to citizenship, all of this is
what our veterans deserve and all of it is what our veterans have
earned.
It is also what every person who has contributed to this country
deserves, and that includes my friends, our neighbors, who for years
have served our communities and our economies with the reassurance of
permanent protections. I am talking about our Dreamers.
Right now, there are 530,000 DACA recipients, approximately 500,000
people eligible for DACA barred from applying, and 80,000 unprocessed
applicants who, for years, have lived in a legal limbo, many of them
here since the age of 2.
These Dreamers are not children anymore. Wesdin Hernandez, my
brother-in-law, is not a child. He is actually 40 years old. They work,
they provide for their families, and they invest in our economies,
contributing at least $2.1 billion to Social Security and Medicare
every single year.
Today, we must be courageous and exhaust every avenue possible to
keep the 11.3 million Americans in DACA-impacted families together and
provide a pathway to citizenship and security for Dreamers. Whether
through passing the American Dream and Promise Act or through bold
executive action, we must honor with action all who have put their
lives in service to our Nation and our communities, and those are
Dreamers and those are veterans, full stop.
As we near the end of the year, I am reminded why I stand on the
House floor today. I stand here to amplify the voices of the people in
my community who sent me here, to be the only Latina in the room
representing veterans who look like they could be my family members, to
be the person who lifts as she climbs, to be the person who never
forgets where she comes from, to be the person who says proudly, it
doesn't matter if one person is impacted or a million, it is the one
that I am here fighting for.
Our veterans deserve better, and they demand urgency. Our country
deserves better, and I refuse to stand down in the face of injustice
and hate because I, ``the Congresswoman,'' ``la congresista'' of
Illinois' Third Congressional District, I choose to fight for the
future we deserve. I choose to fight for a future that is possible. I
choose to fight so that our veterans are honored through service and
action.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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