[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13059]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   SUPPORTING DRAFT LEGISLATION CONCERNING THE VA BUDGET AND CHOICE 
                                FUNDING

  (Ms. BROWN of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I participated in 
laying a wreath at the Arlington Cemetery to honor our fallen veterans 
and military members.
  Today, we need to do more than a ceremony. We need to honor our 
veterans now by passing the VA budget legislation.
  I support this draft legislation because it addresses the $3 billion 
shortfall for fiscal year 2015 that veterans had, and it keeps hospital 
and medical facilities open for our veterans through the end of the 
fiscal year.
  This legislation allows the VA to use the dollars for health care 
provided to veterans and family members under the program provided by 
the non-VA provision. This bill allows VA to access this money. In 
addition, $500 million may be used for pharmaceutical expenses related 
to the treatment of hepatitis C at the VA.
  This is a cure many of the veterans need, especially those who served 
in Vietnam; and I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation before we 
go home.
  As the Army says, this is one team, one fight; and we need to look 
out for the VA and veterans.

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