[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4030]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1230
                          CARING FOR OUR VETS

  (Mr. ARRINGTON asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud and so excited and so 
honored to be able to serve in the United States House of 
Representatives and to serve on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. I did 
not serve in the military, but now I have the amazing blessing of 
serving those who did serve to protect our freedom to keep us safe.
  I am filing my first piece of legislation today, and it is the 
Veterans, Employees and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2017. In my first 
hearing as chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, I heard 
with great concern, and even outrage, that some employees at the VA 
spend 100 percent of their time on union activity. Even physicians and 
nurses and folks who are hired to provide health care to our veterans, 
100 percent of their time on union activity.
  The law says their activity and time on union activities should be 
reasonable and in the best interest of the public. I don't believe in 
west Texas, or any area around the country, that it is reasonable and 
in the best interest of the public to spend 100 percent of your time on 
union activity and not fulfilling the mission. And, in this case, it is 
protecting and serving and caring for our vets.

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