Mikie Sherrill

Ms. SHERRILL

Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to add that I hope that the VA will do outreach with groups like Welcome Home Vets of New Jersey. I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I have the amendment at the desk made in order by the rule.

Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer the 19th amendment to the Veterans' Access to Child Care Act. The pilot program Congress authorized in 2010 to provide childcare at VA medical centers and clinics around the country is incredibly popular with the veteran community. It provides a safe, reliable option for parents who need to access VA healthcare. This bill will expand the program so that all caretakers, including parents and grandparents, can access this service. The amendment I am introducing this morning ensures that caretakers have a safe and secure environment for their children at a VA center. It bars employment of individuals convicted of a sex crime, an offense involving a child victim, a violent crime, a drug felony, or other offense the Secretary of Veterans Affairs deems appropriate. It also ensures that the bill will not weaken State or local laws that enforce rigorous hiring guidelines. As a working mom, I know all too well how important it is to know that your children have a safe and healthy environment while away from home. Mr. Chair, ensuring our veterans have access to childcare at VA facilities is the least we can do for the men and women who have stood up to serve our country. Over 6 million veteran households have children. In my own community, I have heard from the new generation of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, many with young families, on the need for VA to modernize services in line with their needs. This includes local veterans I have spoken to at our American Legion in Woodland Park, who are working parents with small children. They have remarked that the extension of this program could be a significant benefit to the veteran community in New Jersey. This bill means less stress for our veterans who would need to otherwise arrange for childcare to make an appointment. They have also told me that this bill will help veterans make and attend appointments because they wouldn't have to worry about arranging childcare. This acknowledges both the needs of our veterans and creates a support network for them. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano).

Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I have no other speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment to the Veterans' Access to Child Care Act, which will specifically include military sexual trauma counseling and care services in the definition of services eligible for childcare at a VA center clinic. We ask our servicemembers to risk their lives and their health on behalf of our country. They take care of us, and it is our duty to take care of them, especially after they leave the military. Over the summer, I spoke to veterans in my district in New Jersey about the inadequacies they see in VA services for this generation of returning servicemembers. I heard from female servicemembers about the need for better counseling services for victims of military sexual trauma, or MST. Several of the female veterans at a roundtable I held this summer remarked on the fact that their voices were not heard in either the planning of services or implementation of services. Many of their fellow veterans did not make important appointments due to lack of access to childcare. Certainly, as a mother, I would not feel comfortable attending counseling and relating a story of sexual assault to a counselor in front of my children. This amendment is just one step in what must be an ongoing effort in this Congress to address military sexual assault trauma. The Department of Defense estimates that in 2016, 14,900 Active Duty servicemembers, men and women, experience a sexual assault. While this number is much lower than the 34,000 Active Duty servicemembers who are believed to have experienced a sexual assault in 2006, the armed services still has a long way to go to address military sexual assault in the ranks. The female veterans in my community have remarked that because of the trauma of military sexual trauma, women often do not report it, and, therefore, the number of veterans who have been sexually assaulted is woefully underreported. These are the invisible wounds of war--invisible trauma that we cannot see as our servicemembers return home. I am particularly concerned that victims of sexual trauma, which is prevalent in military and civilian populations, are not getting the services that they need. This amendment will ensure survivors are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve when trying to access care at the VA without worrying about the cost or availability of childcare. I take this opportunity to thank some of the veteran service groups in our district, like Welcome Home Vets and SOS Stakeholders, who support our veterans, give feedback to the VA on the needs of our servicemembers, and work tirelessly to connect service providers with veterans. I also thank Congresswoman Kuster and Congresswoman Moore for cosponsoring this amendment and their tireless advocacy for our veterans. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano).

Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SHERRILL

Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 267, and I urge my colleagues to come together to reopen a vital part of our government and to support this straightforward, bipartisan bill. It is a downpayment on reducing our nationwide, dangerous infrastructure problems. It provides $650 million for Amtrak's Northeast corridor, the most heavily used passenger rail line in the Nation; $2.8 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration; and $800 million in new transit infrastructure grants. This is the least we can do to begin to get our government open and Americans back to work. Congress is 4 months behind on paying our transportation bills. We cannot move forward on our larger infrastructure investment needs, like Gateway, without this first step. Gateway is the most vital infrastructure project in our Nation. The century-old Hudson River rail tunnel connects 200,000 commuters every day from New Jersey to New York. Amtrak uses it to connect 20 train routes across the country. This tunnel is the Achilles heel of the Northeast rail corridor and was severely damaged during Superstorm Sandy. A collapse of the tunnel could injure thousands and cost our economy an estimated $100 million a day. But just as important to my constituents, every delay, every deferred decision on Gateway means a hardworking parent not making it home to see his or her family. The proposal for Gateway was submitted to the DOT over a year ago. Secretary Chao needs to put the funds already approved by Congress to work. New transit trains and tunnels are exactly the type of infrastructure projects our country needs to build a strong future. Mr. Speaker, I thank the subcommittee chair for being so focused on America's transportation priorities and for allowing the voice of the people of the 11th District of New Jersey to be heard today.