[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9366-9367]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         BIPARTISAN SPORTSMEN'S ACT OF 2014--MOTION TO PROCEED

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I now move to proceed to Calendar No. 384, 
S. 2363, the Hagan sportsmen's legislation.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the motion.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 384, S. 2363, a bill to 
     protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, 
     fishing, and shooting, and for other purposes.


                                Schedule

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, following my remarks and those of the 
Republican leader, the Senate will be in a period of morning business 
until 5:30 p.m.
  At 5:30 p.m. there will be a rollcall vote on the motion to invoke 
cloture on the nomination of Keith Harper to be U.S. Representative to 
the U.N. Human Rights Council.


                          Caring for Veterans

  Our esteemed colleague, the chairman of the Budget Committee, Patty 
Murray, has said, ``Caring for our veterans is the duty of a grateful 
nation.''
  She knows of what she speaks because she led that committee in a very 
vibrant, positive way as chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. I 
have no doubt every Member of this body agrees with the sentiment she 
expressed. There is a big difference between nodding one's head in 
approval and actually doing something to take care of our veterans.
  The chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee today is 
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and he is doing something to help 
our veterans. The junior Senator from Vermont has introduced a bill to 
ensure that American veterans are getting the care they need. This 
legislation allows veterans facing long delays in health care to seek 
outside help, and they can go to private doctors, community health 
centers or military bases. Additionally, this bill authorizes the VA to 
use emergency funding to hire new doctors and nurses, which are badly 
needed.
  Senator Sanders' legislation increases accountability through the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, holding senior officials responsible 
for poor job performance. This is very good legislation. This bill will 
improve the manner in which the United States of America cares for its 
veterans, and I hope all Members will support this. In light of the 
shocking reports of inappropriate practices at the VA, and especially 
their hospitals, every Senator should support this legislation.
  Last week the Veterans Affairs inspector general's office released 
its report detailing many troubling systemic failures which are 
unnecessarily putting our Nation's veterans at risk. They are so wrong, 
and they are putting our Nation's veterans at risk. Instead of 
receiving the proper care they deserve, thousands of combat veterans 
have been languishing on nonexistent waiting lists at a VA hospital in 
Arizona.
  The inspector general's report declared that many of these men and 
women who have been relegated to health care limbo are ``at risk of 
being lost or forgotten.'' The brave veterans of our Nation's Armed 
Services should never be lost or forgotten. These soldiers went to war 
and pledged not to leave their brothers- and sisters-in-arms behind. 
Now, in their moment of need, some of our most vulnerable veterans have 
been left behind. We must never allow any servicemember--past or 
present--to simply fall through the cracks.
  Now that the Senate has returned from its State work period, we 
should pass Senator Sanders' bill as soon as possible, ensuring that 
our veterans get the care they deserve. Yet even as Senate Democrats 
try to improve the reliability of our veterans health care, certain 
Republican Members of Congress are content to scapegoat the VA. Even 
more disappointing is the fact that these same Republicans have, 
through their obstruction, deprived the VA of essential resources it 
needs to help veterans.
  Last February Senate Republicans blocked legislation introduced by 
Senator Sanders which would give the VA the tools needed to meet the 
demands of a changing veteran population. We tried to break that 
filibuster. We couldn't do it. We didn't have 60 votes.
  That bill would help our Nation's veterans by improving health and 
dental care, providing educational and employment opportunities and 
addressing claims backlogs. The legislation that has been introduced 
this week does the same. That legislation was shot down because as the 
junior Senator from Florida said, it had a cost issue, but that junior 
Senator, a Republican Senator from Florida, was correct--taking care of 
our Nation's wounded veterans does cost money, but it is money well 
spent.
  Senator Rubio is not alone. The junior Senator from Alabama, along 
with the rest of his caucus, opposed the same bill because he didn't 
want to ``bust the budget.'' Republicans didn't worry about busting the 
budget when they initially sent our troops by the hundreds of thousands 
to Iraq on a

[[Page 9367]]

credit card, the credit card of the taxpayers of America, running up--
in that war alone--about $1.5 trillion in money that was borrowed.
  Therein lies the problem. Republicans ignore the true cost of 
democracy. The lives and well-being of the brave men and women who 
fight to protect our way of life are part of the cost of our democracy. 
Instead, Republicans focus on the monetary costs only, the dollar 
bills, because any money going to our veterans is $1 less going to 
billionaires, corporations, and unnecessary tax cuts.
  The American people are tired of the doublespeak coming from the 
Republican Party when it comes to caring for our soldiers and our 
veterans. If Republicans support our Nation's soldiers, then help us 
protect our Nation's soldiers and help us support our Nation's 
soldiers. Instead, there is always an excuse, some exception they find 
to justify prevention of them standing with America's veterans and our 
soldiers.
  Let's give American veterans the care and attention they deserve. As 
the Department of Veterans Affairs works to remedy these serious 
shortcomings, we in Congress must do our part to help. We owe America's 
veterans far too much to leave them behind in their hour of need.


                             Eric Shinseki

  I wish to say a few words about the retired Secretary, retired 
general, Eric Shinseki, who resigned in the wake of the Veterans 
Affairs' troubling performance.
  General Shinseki is a very good man, a devoted, disabled combat 
veteran. Under his leadership the VA drastically improved its care of 
veterans suffering from mental illness, and they addressed the issue of 
veterans' homelessness. He oversaw initiatives which decreased 
dependence on pain killers and other drugs, addressing a problem which 
was crippling many combat veterans.
  General Shinseki's work at the VA has also helped cut waiting times 
for GI benefits down to just 1 week, helping countless veterans get 
paid the aid they were promised. As the Secretary has done his best, I 
am sorry his time as head of the VA ended with his resignation, but I 
understand why he felt the need to step aside.
  Eric Shinseki has served this country for decades: on the 
battlefield, as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army, and as Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs. I personally thank him for his service and wish him 
well as he undoubtedly continues his work for America.


                       Reservation of Leader Time

  Would the Chair announce the business of the day.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the 
leadership time is preserved.

                          ____________________