Mike Bost

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BOST. By the definition that the Consumer Price Index is defined as the average change, over time, in prices paid by urban customers, not by all customers, which would include the people I was talking about, urban only.

Mr. BOST. It is my understanding, by the definition, that would be the case, that everyone should be considered. By this definition, it is not everyone that is considered, only urban.

Mr. BOST. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BOST. Madam Chair, yes, because the definition itself describes that it is only urban and, therefore, not considering the issues, because I can guarantee you that the price and the situation that occurs in people's lives and the cost of living is completely different from one area to the other. We are just saying that this should be taken into consideration, as well.

Mr. BOST. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index is defined as ``the average change over time in the prices paid by urban customers.'' Now, let me say that again: Urban customers. What about the 46 million Americans who live in rural areas or the 2.6 million workers that are working on a farm or the 1.3 million in the military? They are crushed by inflation, as well. Illinois' 12th District is one of the largest agricultural districts in the region. It is also home of Scott Air Force Base. But all too often, these hardworking, God-fearing patriots are ignored by the D.C. swamp. The President can't ignore their needs simply because they don't live in liberal cities like New York, L.A., and Chicago, so my amendment is simple. Since the spending patterns of military personnel, individuals in rural areas, and farm households are not included in the CPI, they must be taken into account separately in this report. These are the individuals who produce the food on our kitchen tables, the ones who raise their right hand and swear to defend our Nation. They deserve to be represented, to be heard. My amendment ensures that they are. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, back in September, President Biden said the pandemic is over. In early January, he extended his public health emergency for COVID for the twelfth time. Now he says the public health emergency will end May 11. The emergency's been ended, then extended, then expired, when all of us know that it hasn't existed for months. I guess we can say now that COVID will magically disappear in May because he says so. Who knows? We might even get new guidance tomorrow. I guess the Americans should watch out. The American people--regardless of what was said on the other side of the aisle--are tired of this. They want to get back to business as usual. The American people are fed up with shutdowns that killed our jobs and restricted our rights. We are going to end this madness now; we need to, that is why I am a cosponsor of the bill.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 200th anniversary of Marion County, Illinois. Known as the ``Gateway of Little Egypt,'' Marion County was organized January 24, 1823, and was named in honor of Revolutionary War General Francis Marion. General Marion pioneered the use of irregular warfare against the British during the American Revolution, with his tactics forming a part of the modern-day military doctrine of the U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment. Marion County is closely tied to the livelihood and commerce of agriculture, the development and expansion of railroads, and the discovery of natural resources including coal and oil. Today, 95 percent of the more than 1,000 farms in Marion County are proudly family-owned, and they grow some of the best soybeans, corn, and wheat in the nation. I congratulate the residents, churches, community leaders, farmers, families, and factory workers on their contributions to their county and country and commend the generations of dedicated Marion County leaders who made the last 200 years so productive. I look forward to the many achievements to come.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 4949. S. 4949 would improve VA's burial benefits for veterans and their families. First, the bill would ensure that VA can reimburse a Tribal organization for the cost of burying a veteran in a VA grant-funded Tribal cemetery. This would close a gap that existed before the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriation Act of 2022. Previously, a State could receive a plot allowance from VA, but some Tribal organizations did not have the same eligibility. Furthermore, S. 4949 would permit the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Interior to transfer lands under their possession to VA for establishing or expanding national cemeteries. I believe this will help VA further its goal of providing veterans with reasonable access to a national cemetery. Lastly, the bill would help preserve the reputation of our national cemeteries as a hallowed final resting place. Under present law, VA cannot bury an individual who has fled to avoid prosecution of a capital crime. Currently, in these cases, VA must provide the family due process before denying the benefit. Additionally, someone who commits a Federal tier 3 sex offense but flees to avoid prosecution is barred from burial in a national cemetery. However, there is a loophole that prevents VA from denying this benefit if the State charges the individual with the same crime. A tier 3 sex offense is the most serious classification. These offenses include sex crimes against children and aggravated sexual abuse. No veteran or their family should have to worry about seeing their attacker being honored in a VA cemetery. We must close this loophole. I thank Senator Tester and Senator Rounds for leading this effort. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to support S. 4949. I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garcia), who has worked so hard on this and other pieces of legislation, but this one in particular.

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

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7939, as amended, the Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022. I am supportive of the entire package, but I am especially pleased that five Republican proposals have been included. This bill includes Congressman Joyce's language that would extend full post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to servicemembers who have been discharged under DOD's sole survivor rules. This issue directly impacted Congressman Joyce's constituents, the Weninger family. Their son, Marine Sergeant Weninger, tragically passed away in 2020. I am happy to honor Sergeant Weninger for his service and provide this education benefit to his brother. I thank his family, Congressman Joyce, and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors for bringing this important issue to our attention. This package also includes the text of Congressman Moore's bill that would improve the way schools are approved for the GI Bill. Recently, there has been a rise in schools abusing this benefit. This proposal would help prevent GI Bill fraud and protect taxpayers' investments in the benefits. This bill would make it much harder for a bad school to be approved for GI Bill benefits before they can potentially harm veterans. I thank the VA Office of Inspector General for their hard work to protect veterans and for helping us draft this text. Another proposal in this bill would amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to make it easier for military spouses to transfer employment licenses across State lines. This bipartisan proposal would allow spouses to transfer their State-based medical and professional licenses when they move due to their spouse's military orders. This is an important change, introduced by Congressman Mike Garcia, that would help reduce unemployment among military spouses. This bill includes the text of H.R. 4702, originally introduced by Congressman Cawthorn, that would help clarify which State a military spouse can file taxes in when their family is deployed to a new State. Finally, I am happy to see that H.R. 3304, the AUTO for Veterans Act, is included in the bill today. This addition would help disabled veterans purchase and adapt a vehicle 10 years after the purchase of their first vehicle. This proposal is very similar to H.R. 1361, the bill sponsored by Congressman Meuser, who has been working on improving the adaptive auto purchasing process for several Congresses. I thank the PVA and the DAV for their continued advocacy for this proposal. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 7939, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 5016, a bill to designate the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs located in Anchorage, Alaska, as the Colonel Mary Louise Rasmuson Campus of the Alaska VA Healthcare System. Mary Louise Rasmuson was born, as was said earlier, in April 1911 in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During World War II, she answered the Nation's call and enlisted in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps as a private. She became one of the first women to serve in that role. Having quickly risen through the ranks, President Eisenhower appointed Colonel Rasmuson as the Director of the Women's Army Corps. Colonel Rasmuson was instrumental in the integration of Black women into the Women's Army Corps and was awarded the Legion of Merit for leadership. At her direction, she also expanded opportunities for women to serve in assignments previously reserved only for men. She also advocated for new avenues for women to advance their military careers. After serving for over 20 years in the Army, she retired in July of 1962 and moved to Alaska, where she continued to serve her community as a veteran. Colonel Rasmuson engaged in several efforts to preserve the veterans' stories in museums and memorials around the country until she passed away in 2012 at the age of 101. Now, her story of service will be told for generations. Colonel Rasmuson not only paved the way for successful integration of women into what is now our U.S. Army, she also was a role model of character and outstanding service to our Nation. Naming the VA facility in Alaska in her honor is a fitting tribute. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, as everyone has spoken about how this needs to be, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, in closing, there are several things I will say about this bill. One of the most important things to realize is that these employees have something that other medical employees around this Nation don't have. They have the Committee on Veterans' Affairs to argue on their behalf, if problems occur; that we would give oversight and give guidance and direction to our Secretary. Now, there are far too many questions that remain unanswered about H.R. 1948: We can't say for certain this bill won't jeopardize veterans' care-- the primary mission of the VA. We can't say the Secretary is abusing his authority because the Democrats did not have an oversight hearing on this issue. We can't say that the bill will really do what my colleagues say it will do. If Congress can't answer those questions, we are not doing our job. We can't in good faith pass H.R. 1948 without knowing these answers. We owe our veterans and taxpayers that much. Madam Speaker, I encourage all my colleagues to oppose H.R. 1948, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, in response, as we have talked about the concerns we have heard from the employees, how do we really know the bill is needed? Because the Democrats have never, in nearly 2 years of working on this bill, they did not hold one oversight hearing. Not one. They did not call the Secretary and answer the allegations that the group pushing for this legislation is asking for. They didn't conduct public investigations into those allegations. They simply passed a bill out of committee, on a party-line vote, over a year ago. Madam Speaker, it is our committee's job to hold the Secretary accountable, and all of the administration, over these employees. I would have gladly worked with the Democrats to do that. Sadly, that is not what happened. Now, we are coming out here on the 11th hour of our last week or two of being here, and we are jamming through an 11th-hour bill with no clear idea that it does what my colleague says it does. How can we support legislation like this in the last hour? That is why they call this lameduck. It is because we try to shove things through right at the last. This has not been vetted. It did not have more hearings. We did not do our job when it came to what our job is on oversight. We could have handled this a different way. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1948 and the VA Employee Fairness Act. First, I really think that we need to take a moment to clear up some very confusing things on what this bill does. Some have said that the VA medical staff are not allowed to unionize. That is not true. That is not true. Today, VA doctors, nurses, and dentists are allowed to collective bargain. Hundreds of thousands of medical staff are unionized. But they are not specifically allowed to use union grievances procedures for matters of, and I will quote the law, direct patient care, clinical competence, peer review, and pay. These very specific exceptions were made for a reason. The Secretary is responsible for ensuring veterans receive high- quality and timely healthcare. To do that, he or she must have the authority to make difficult decisions to keep hospitals running safely and to put veterans first. That is the Secretary's first mission, and he or she must continue to provide care even in the worst of times. However, H.R. 1948 will tie the Secretary's hands, and I worry enactment of this legislation would put patients at risk. Let me say that again. Put patients at risk. The main goal of the VA is to take care of our veterans. Now, for example, the Secretary may remove a provider from direct patient care because the care they are performing is substandard. I fear this bill would allow a third-party arbitrator to second guess--to second guess from a position that they are not trained in the field that they are trying to second guess--the Secretary's decision to remove that provider from direct patient care. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle will argue that this is not going to happen, yet not one of them can say with 100 percent confidence that that is not the case. In fact, it may happen. Unfortunately, bad actors and subpar providers do exist, and when they harm veterans or pose a risk, they need to be removed from patient care quickly. It is also not hard to believe that the expanded grievance process envisioned by this bill could paralyze hospitals over the issue of patient care, clinical competence, and pay. In that scenario, care would be delayed; wait times would increase; critical illnesses would go undiagnosed; costs would go up; most importantly, veterans would suffer. And the Secretary would fail to carry out the VA's first mission and responsibility to our veterans. This is exactly why medical staff at major healthcare systems like Mayo Clinic, Kaiser, Intermountain Healthcare, and the Cleveland Clinic are generally not unionized and do not allow arbitration to be used over patient care. Neither should VA. The care of my fellow veterans must come before everything else. Now, I am going to tell you this because you need to know. I, myself, was a union firefighter, and I come from a union family, so I believe in our unions, and my concerns about H.R. 1948 do not mean I am blind to issues raised by unions at the VA. Allegations that the Secretary is abusing his authority are something that I take very seriously. It is the job of this committee to conduct aggressive oversight to ensure veterans get the care that they need, and the VA workforce is treated fairly. Unfortunately, my friends on the other side of the aisle did not take a critical look at the Secretary's use of his authority; there was no oversight hearing, there were no public investigations, no work to address the allegations made by the unions. Instead, my colleagues have moved forward to pass sweeping legislation to turn over Congress' responsibility to arbitrators. I can't support that. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to put veterans first and oppose this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the VA's PACT Act Week of Action. Since 9/11, nearly 3.5 million Americans have been exposed to burn pits and other dangerous substances during their time in military service. It is critically important that they receive the care that they need before it is too late. This week, we are raising awareness about the health benefits available to them as a result of the PACT Act being signed into law. Southern Illinois veterans and their families can attend an event with the Marion VA tomorrow, Thursday, December 15, to learn about the care and benefits available to them, including toxic exposure screening, healthcare, enrollment benefits, and claims assistance. It will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Central Time, at John A. Logan College in Carterville. Similar events will be hosted all over the region and all over the country, as well. Now, the veterans need to know you can find out more information at VA.gov/PACT or by calling 1-800-698-2411. Mr. Speaker, I encourage any and all of our veterans who would be eligible for this care to be proactive in getting the help that they need. Recognizing Maria Tripplaar

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I also rise today to celebrate the service of one of my staffers on the VA committee. Mrs. Maria Tripplaar has been my staff director, counsel, and friend for the last 5 years as we have worked to deliver on the promises that we have made to our veterans. Through her counsel and leadership, we have achieved landmark legislative wins for veterans, their families, and their survivors, particularly the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, the Isakson and Roe Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act, the PACT Act, and so many other notable and worthwhile laws. All the while, she was raising two young children and helping us do all of that. Maria, thank you for your dedication to America's veterans and the success of our committee. We wish you well as you move to the next chapter of your life.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from California for yielding the time for me to speak today. I rise in opposition to this legislation. This bill is unnecessary and creates additional carve-outs to an already broken immigration system. Right now, DHS can't even do their job of securing the southern border and enforcing current immigration law. Just last month, we saw the highest number of got-aways ever at the southern border. That is 73,000 individuals that evaded Border Patrol. DHS agents and staff are overwhelmed and overworked. We should not be adding more to their plate when they already struggle to secure the border. Now, as a veteran, I greatly appreciate those who are willing to raise their right hand and swear to protect our Nation and our Constitution, and I served with many of them. Even though an individual is a veteran, that shouldn't excuse or create an excuse for poor judgment or criminal activity, and I fear that this bill may encourage just that. We already have a pathway for individuals who are serving our country in uniform to stay here in the U.S. and become citizens. Instead of this bill that we are debating today, we should improve the information provided to our servicemembers during the Transition Assistance Program on how to upgrade their immigration status. Making improvements to the TAP has been and will continue to be a top priority of mine. During that time, we could explain to them, once again, how important it is to follow the laws and the Constitution, which they fought to uphold. Next Congress, I plan to be working on the TAP to ensure a smooth transition to civilian life for all of our servicemembers, but on this bill, I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. BOST

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

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with the chairman as we move forward to try to cure that problem that we were just talking about. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Higgins), a great Member, who has worked hard on this bill.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage all my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.