John Carter

Mr. CARTER of Texas

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the further consideration of H.R. 5895, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, we understand the gentleman's concerns, and we certainly will keep them in mind during conference. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, this bill includes $387 million for opioid treatment and prevention efforts. We understand the gentleman's concern, and we will keep them in mind during conference. May I say, having been a criminal trial judge for many years, dealing with prescription drug abuse and treating prescription drug abuse is one of the hardest things we have to deal with in criminal law. There is something about the mental attitude towards a prescription that causes people to think it is safe. This abuse that is going on in this country, we have to do something about it, so I commend the gentleman. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I don't intend to oppose this amendment.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, we understand and commend the gentlewoman's concern about safeguarding the homeless programs. Looking at what we have done, we have gotten in this bill $7.4 billion in homeless veterans' treatment services, housing, and job training, and we certainly are going to keep in mind, when we go to conference, what the gentlewoman has presented us here today. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, our bill includes $340 million for the Supportive Services for Veteran Family Program, which is $20 million above the President's budget request. But we understand the gentlewoman's concerns and we will certainly keep them in mind in conference. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, we understand that to allay concerns regarding this proposed rule, the VA is planning to propose a supplemental rule to amend it. But we will monitor the situation. As we move to conference with the Senate, we will keep this in mind and be glad to work the gentleman. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I will not oppose the amendment.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, the FY2018 omnibus included report language asking the Army to look at alternatives for conveying this property. We have yet to receive this report. This amendment has no effect, as the underlying bill does not include any funding for the conveyance of this property. Mr. Chairman, for that reason, I will not oppose the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the gentleman's amendment. I want to reassure my fellow Texans that this subcommittee is committed to protecting the installations in the great State of Texas, and I will be on top of that.

Mr. CARTER of Texas

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition, although I will not oppose the amendment.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, we understand the gentleman's concerns. We will keep them in mind for conference. We will be interested in learning more about this problem that he identifies. I yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition, although I am not opposed.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I will not oppose this amendment because it does not require DOD to fund anything in particular. I would like to point out that the FY 2019 budget submission for Defense Appropriations included $442.9 million for demolition within the facilities sustainment, restoration, and modernization account, double the FY 2018 level. I would like to remind my colleagues that, while there may be a particular interest behind the amendments, these do not direct funding to a particular activity. Our bill does not even fund these activities. For this reason, I will not oppose this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, we understand the gentleman's concerns and will keep them in mind for the conference. We have included report language on the topic in both the 2018 and 2019 reports. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it. The Acting Chair. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. CARTER of Texas

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to be here as the newly appointed chairman of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee. I arrived post-midstream and I have a lot to learn. But I have served on this subcommittee before and I have got a great base to start with. Charlie Dent and Debbie Wasserman Schultz developed such a good bill that it was approved by a 47-0 vote in the full committee. The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill provides generously for our servicemembers, our veterans, their families, and our monuments and cemeteries. Chairman Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Lowey have provided strong support for this bill. I appreciate their leadership, as well as the participation of all of the members of the subcommittee, and I especially want to thank my ranking member, Ms. Wasserman Schultz. The bill contains $96.9 billion in budget authority, an increase of $4.2 billion over last year's level. The funding recommendation includes: $11.3 billion for military construction, which is a $412 million, or 3.8 percent, increase over the fiscal year 2018 level. The bill includes $10.3 billion in base funding and $921 million in overseas contingency operations funding. The level is $131 million below the request. $85.3 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is an increase of nearly $4 billion, or 4.8 percent over the FY18 level, and the same as the budget request. Of the $85.3 billion provided for VA, $71.2 billion is for medical care for 7 million veterans. We make important investments in many VA programs, including: mental health treatment and suicide prevention; development of the VA electronic health record; prevention of opioid abuse; and disability claims processing. And $2 billion is provided as the second year of the budget deal commitment for infrastructure funding for VA facilities. This bill supports our troops with the facilities necessary to maintain readiness and morale at bases here in the United States and around the world. In addition, the bill funds our veterans healthcare and benefits systems to ensure that our promise to care for those who have sacrificed in defense of our Nation is met as those men and women return home. This is a strong bill, and I urge everyone to support it.