[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 132 (Thursday, July 31, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5050-S5052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 3212. Mr. MARSHALL submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle D of title XXVIII, add the
following:
[[Page S5052]]
SEC. 2850. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS TO REDUCE CAPABILITIES
OR STAFFING OF MILITARY MEDICAL TREATMENT
FACILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE LOCATED
INSIDE THE UNITED STATES.
(a) In General.--None of the funds authorized to be
appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for
fiscal year 2026 for the Department of Defense may be used to
reduce the mission capabilities or staffing at a military
medical treatment facility under the jurisdiction of the
Secretary of Defense located inside the United States until
the date on which the Secretary submits to the Committees on
Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives
and the Comptroller General of the United States a cost-
benefit analysis that includes, with respect to the military
medical treatment facility--
(1) an identification of the average daily patient load;
(2) an estimate of the savings to the United States that
would arise from a reduction in mission capabilities or
staffing;
(3) an estimate of the cost to the United States--
(A) to transfer the functions of the military medical
treatment facility--
(i) to a medical facility under the jurisdiction of the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or
(ii) to private health care facilities to furnish health
care to eligible beneficiaries under the TRICARE program (as
defined in section 1072 of title 10, United States Code); and
(B) to maintain infrastructure used by the military medical
treatment facility as of the date of the enactment of this
Act that the Secretary of Defense intends to--
(i) close;
(ii) convert to an outpatient health care facility; or
(iii) use for a non-medical purpose;
(4) an estimate of the increase to transportation costs
with respect to health care for individuals who receive
health care at the military medical treatment facility that
would arise from a reduction in mission capabilities or
staffing;
(5) a list of non-Department of Defense medical facilities
located within 20 miles of the military medical treatment
facility that provide medical care that is substantially
similar to the medical care provided by the military medical
treatment facility;
(6) a plan for the disposition of medical equipment and
other assets owned by the Department of Defense pursuant to a
reduction in mission capabilities or staffing; and
(7) an assessment of the effects of such a reduction on
military readiness.
(b) Comptroller General Report.--Not later than 30 days
after the date on which the Secretary of Defense submits any
cost-benefit analysis under subsection (a), the Comptroller
General shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of
the Senate and the House of Representatives a report
containing an independent assessment of the cost-benefit
analysis.
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