Mike Bost

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 2625, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2625) to amend title 38, United States Code, to update certain terminology regarding veteran employment.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 423) to protect regular order for budgeting for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on S. 423.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 423, introduced by my colleague and fellow marine from across the Capitol, Senator Dan Sullivan from Alaska. S. 423 would require the Secretary of the VA to provide quarterly briefings to Congress on the budget execution and any projected budget shortfalls. It also creates new guardrails on the use of critical skills incentive bonuses to make sure they only go to the employees whom they are intended for. Finally, it would codify the Veterans Experience Office to improve the delivery of benefits to veterans and their beneficiaries. These efforts already exist at the VA, and this legislation simply makes these efforts permanent. This bill is a straightforward, commonsense effort that partners with Secretary Collins and the Trump administration to establish greater accountability and oversight of career senior executives at the Department. The need for this legislation comes in the wake of the critical skills incentive payments scheme uncovered by my committee during the last Congress. The days of waste, fraud, and abuse are over. After the OIG identified over $10 million in improper critical skills incentive payments awarded to VA executives, Congress recognized the need for accountability. Let me be clear. I believe the VA employees deserve to be recognized for the extraordinary work they do. Critical skills incentive bonuses are useful tools for the VA to attract talented staff who are dedicated to serving veterans. However, some of these bonuses were as high as $100,000 for D.C. office staff employees, more than double what a single veteran who is 100 percent disabled would receive in an entire year. Additionally, during the investigation, my staff identified employees who received these critical skills bonuses while they were under investigation for misconduct at the VA. Mr. Speaker, it is time to make sure this never happens again. I am proud of the work done by my friend, Secretary Collins, and I believe the PRO Veterans Act will support his mission to build up the VA's workforce and put veterans first. In addition to stopping the glut of critical skills payments from going to executives, this legislation would require the VA to provide in-person budget briefings to Congress every quarter for 3 years, detailing the agency's financial projections and budget management strategy. After the Veterans Benefits Administration's shortfall crisis manufactured by the Biden administration cost the government billions of dollars, increasing the frequency of these conversations will help Congress execute its constitutional oversight and appropriations responsibilities. While leadership in the Biden White House was replaced with the veterans-first Trump administration by the American people, many of the career VA employees who contributed to the crisis remain. Some of these employees have operated far too long without scrutiny and with no consequences for planning failures that total billions of dollars. Without some ways of tying poor performance to outcomes for these employees, what message does the business-as-usual status quo send to rank-and-file employees? When they hear of senior executives filling each other's pockets with improper bonuses, what does that tell the frontline VA police officer, the hospital housekeepers, and the food service staff? It tells them that the efforts they bring to the job really don't matter. It tells them that executives will score a nice bonus despite terrible performance and that they are being held to a different standard. That is the wrong message to send to VA employees and to the veterans who rely on the VA for lifesaving healthcare. Now, I applaud both parties in this Congress and the current administration for taking the right steps and working together to pass this bill and begin the work of restoring that trust. This is commonsense legislation that ensures the VA operates with basic accountability and protects the future of benefits for our veterans who have earned them. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 423, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time, and I will take this time in closing to bring up a few things. One, for the people listening to the rhetoric that came from the other side of the aisle, they need to understand that the VA has 477,000 employees. With that massive amount of employees, over the last several years, many of the jobs were not getting done correctly even though we put out a lot of money and hired a lot of employees. Secretary Collins has said that he will reduce staffing based on attrition--attrition, mind you. We won't lose docs. We won't lose nurses. We won't lose frontline workers. We will be good stewards of the taxpayers' dollars. So as the rhetoric comes from the other side on this administration and the fact that when they were in the majority and it was the Biden administration they didn't push for this legislation shows that it is more about the politics than it is about taking care of our veterans. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of our Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 201) to provide for a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on the prevalence and mortality of cancer among individuals who served as active duty aircrew in the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on S. 201.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 201. The bill was introduced by Senators Kelly and Cotton, and the House version was introduced by my friend and fellow Representative, Mr. Pfluger. The bill would ensure that there is trusted medical research available to pave the way for toxic-exposed military pilots and aircrew to access their VA disability compensation benefits. Colonel Andrew Shurtleff, who testified before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs in March, was one of these veterans. He served our country as an Air Force fighter pilot for 23 years, flying over 1,800 hours. The colonel began his career flying the F-15C Eagle and was chosen as one of the first F-22 Raptor instructors. I am told that one of his proudest achievements was serving as the 325th Operational Support Squadron commander at Tyndall Air Force Base, supporting Operation Northern Watch. Colonel Shurtleff started fighting stage IV cancer in 2019 at just 41 years old and, unfortunately, passed away on May 23 at the age of 48. My prayers are with his wife, Julie, and their family. We are forever grateful for his service to this country and to his community. Military pilots and aircrew like Colonel Shurtleff work in tight spaces and are exposed to chemicals and toxic fumes every time they fly a mission. However, there is not enough medical research available for VA to simply presume that their cancers are related to those exposures. This lack of comprehensive medical research makes it hard for these military pilots and aircrew to access and earn these benefits. Each one of those veterans must prove to VA that chemicals and toxins caused their cancer. Many had to fight the VA system for years before receiving any disability compensation, and many others never received their earned benefits before they passed away. S. 201 would require the National Academies to conduct a study on whether the cancers suffered by military pilots and aircrew are related to their chemical and toxic exposures. VA needs robust medical research to streamline military aircrew veterans' access to disability compensation, and VA needs it fast for today's and tomorrow's veterans. This bill ensures that research gets done and that our military pilots and aircrew get the answers they deserve. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support S. 201, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger), the sponsor of the House side of this legislation.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, understand that we at the committee have hearings and will continue to have hearings on things like this many times. We will take the ranking member's comments under advisement. We will set the agenda and figure out what we will have hearings on and what we won't. I appreciate the request. This is why we have these types of hearings, and that is why we have this legislation here today. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2170) to name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Toms River, New Jersey, the Leonard G. `Bud' Lomell, VA Clinic, and for other purposes.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2170.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2170, a bill to rename the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Toms River, New Jersey, as the Leonard G. ``Bud'' Lomell VA Clinic. Leonard ``Bud'' Lomell was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1920 and enlisted in the Army after the U.S. entered into World War II. Initially serving with an infantry division, Lomell quickly volunteered for the newly formed 2nd Ranger Battalion. There, he became the platoon's first sergeant. During the earliest hours of D-day, First Sergeant Lomell's platoon landed at Pointe du Hoc, Normandy. Their mission was to disable the heavy defense artillery guns set to rain fire on the brave soldiers on Utah Beach. Despite all the fire and obstruction, First Sergeant Lomell and his platoon became the first unit to accomplish their D-day mission. Lomell continued to distinguish himself during the war, receiving a promotion to second lieutenant and being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart, and Silver Star. After his service ended in 1945, Lomell married his wife, Charlotte. Together, they became proud parents of three daughters and continued serving in their community. I am happy to say that Charlotte is still able to see this bill being offered in honor of her husband. Leonard G. ``Bud'' Lomell served as a great example of the Greatest Generation. It is a fitting tribute to name the VA clinic after him to tell the story of his service. I thank the sponsor of this bill, Representative Smith, as well as the entire New Jersey delegation for honoring their fellow New Jerseyan with this tribute. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2170, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the sponsor of this legislation and my good friend.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1969) to amend and reauthorize the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 1969, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1969, as amended. This bill was introduced by the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks), my friend and colleague. The bill is a powerful reminder that mental health and physical health go hand in hand. This bill extends authorization for the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. House Republicans created the Fox grant program to expand the reach of VA's mental health services through community-based organizations where veterans and their families live. The organizations that have qualified for the Fox grant program provide traditional and nontraditional mental health and therapy support services to veterans in need. This ensures VA services are reaching everyone who needs them. We should, without question, continue the Fox grant program. This bill also recognizes that being in the military is a physical task. If our country wants to make veterans whole after their service, it only makes sense that VA should provide the means for physical activity. Representative Miller-Meeks' bill would make adaptive prosthetics a necessary medical service. This would help our veterans to return to the activities they were accustomed to or even explore new opportunities. We must not let our veterans' time in service be what holds them back from living the rest of their lives. Mr. Speaker, I thank our Health Subcommittee chairwoman for her leadership on both issues. This bill is a fantastic idea that will save veterans' lives, and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1969, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, at the end of the fiscal year, the Fox Grant Program expires. This bill will keep the Fox Grant Program going. We have made important improvements to the grant program, the bill that is before us today. I look forward to continuing to work with stakeholders and veterans groups to find ways to make even more improvements to the Fox Grant Program, but I won't let perfect be the enemy of the good. We can't let this lifesaving program that veterans and their families rely on stop. That is what we are here to do. When it comes to the screening tool, it is essential that all grantees use the same protocol to determine the effectiveness of services and programs. The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale is currently a tool used by VA as one component of an eligibility screening and identifies individuals with suicidal thoughts and behavior. If we simply allow grantees to use whatever protocol they choose, this could create differing approaches and confusion. The bill simply requires that grantee servers include this essential screening tool. The code says include, not exclude or only. This bill, as amended, preserves VA's flexibility to ensure the best results for veterans who are seeking mental health services in their most desperate moments. It is common sense to allow those who are already providing mental health services to receive grants for a suicide prevention program. Not only are these applicants subject to the same level of scrutiny as previous years' grantees but they also receive the same amount of funding. The idea that this creates a loophole or expands community care is far from reality. Adding qualified providers to the list of grantees helps keep the door open for veterans seeking mental health services. The reality is this program is set to expire in September, and we cannot allow this to happen. Delay jeopardizes this program. We have big problems to solve. Adding qualified mental health providers will only help. I can appreciate the fact that the Senate has a different perspective. However, I find their approach to be business as usual for Congress and VA. Their bill would simply reauthorize the program for longer and with more money. It would also oblige VA to provide more vague reporting requirements and briefing, in other words, more money and more bureaucracy. If this program had been perfect, maybe this would be a good idea. I think we can do better by ensuring the program continues longer, while giving Congress the opportunity to revisit these programs. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 217) to amend title 38, United States Code, to make permanent the pilot program authorized by the Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 217, as amended.