[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 40 (Monday, March 3, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H924-H925]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
               ENSURING VETERANS RECEIVE CARE THEY EARNED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
Mexico (Mr. Vasquez) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. VASQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of the men 
and women who have served this Nation and defended our freedoms. They 
now face unnecessary obstacles in accessing the care and support that 
they have earned.

[[Page H925]]

  New Mexico is home to a strong and proud veteran community with a 
deep military tradition, spanning from Holloman Air Force Base to White 
Sands Missile Range and from Kirtland Air Force Base to Cannon Air 
Force Base.
  We owe it to those who have served to ensure that they can access 
healthcare, reliable transportation, and opportunities to succeed in 
civilian life.
  That is why I am introducing a package of bills focused on real 
solutions: expanding healthcare access, improving transportation, and 
easing financial burdens for veterans pursuing an education.
  No one understands these challenges better than my guest for the 
joint address, Master Sergeant Roland L. Cooper. Roland, known to many 
back home as ``Coopdawg,'' has spent years fighting for veterans in New 
Mexico.
  As chairman of the Lincoln/Otero County Veterans Leadership Council, 
he has seen firsthand the barriers that rural veterans face: long 
travel times for medical care, unreliable transportation, and a system 
that too often overlooks them.
  His advocacy directly shaped my New Mexico Rural Veteran Health Care 
Access Act, which will redraw the Veterans Integrated Service Network 
lines. This change will allow veterans in Otero County and Eddy County 
to receive care at a closer VA facility in El Paso rather than have to 
travel 4 hours to Albuquerque.
  Access to care means little if veterans can't get there. That is why 
I am also introducing the Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act, 
which expands transportation options for rural veterans so that no one 
has to miss an appointment simply because they can't afford the trip.
  In rural communities across New Mexico and beyond, lack of 
transportation remains one of the greatest barriers to accessing 
healthcare. We also need to support veterans transitioning into 
civilian life. Education is a key part of that transition for many, but 
rising costs are making it harder.
  The GI Bill book and supply stipend has remained at $1,000 since 
2008, even as the cost of textbooks has skyrocketed. My Veteran 
Education Assistance Adjustment Act will increase that stipend to 
$1,400, ensuring that no veteran is forced to choose between buying 
books or paying their utilities or rent.
  These bills were written with input from veterans who have lived 
these challenges. Even as we work to strengthen these resources, recent 
job cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs are making access even 
harder.
  Already, 2,400 VA employees have been dismissed. Another 1,400 were 
fired after them. These cuts include doctors, mental health 
professionals, and benefits processors. These are critical roles that 
veterans rely on. Behind these numbers are real people, real 
consequences, and real veterans waiting longer for care.
  VA employees have come forward anonymously, warning that these job 
cuts are affecting veterans' care and leading to many errors. Some of 
the people let go were even working on the veterans suicide crisis 
hotline.
  VA services are already stretched thin. These job losses are making 
it worse. That is why I am proud to introduce these crucial bills and 
to host Roland ``Coopdawg'' Cooper today.
  This is about the veterans in Otero County and Eddy County and all 
rural veterans who shouldn't have to choose between buying textbooks 
and paying rent or spending half a day on the road just to see a doctor 
for 20 minutes. It is about every veteran who has served this Nation 
with honor and deserves a government that stands with them, not one 
that makes them fight for the benefits that they have already earned.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support these bills. Let's 
ensure that veterans in my district and other rural districts across 
the Nation receive the care, benefits, and opportunities that they have 
earned because it should mean something when we say: ``Thank you for 
your service.'' It is our duty to back that up here in Congress.

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