Mark Takano

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu), my good friend and the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel), my good friend and new member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, where she also serves on the Health Subcommittee.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, let me just say that this bill by Ms. Brownley is about providing equal access to contraceptions for our Nation's veterans. To oppose this bill is to advocate for a situation where veterans are made second-class citizens. This bill is about contraception. Nowhere in the bill's text or in the title does the word ``abortion'' even appear. I would ask my colleagues who are in opposition to the bill to read the one-page text very carefully. I think they will see that there is no reference to, in any way, the word ``abortion.'' Madam Speaker, I would also say, I think it was H.L. Mencken who said that consistency is often the hobgoblin of little minds. For those Members who voted against this bill, you know, in fear of the moment, they can reconsider their vote and, I think, get on the right side of the issue in terms of equality for our veterans. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), my colleague and very good friend, the chairwoman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 239.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, this is not the first time I speak in favor of Representative Brownley's bill, H.R. 239, the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act, but I continue to advocate for this bill because it is an essential component of supporting the fastest- growing population of our Nation's heroes, our 2 million women veterans. Last week, this bill was defeated on the suspension calendar when the Family Research Council mobilized efforts with my colleagues in the Freedom Caucus who suggested that the bill pushes a ``harmful ideology.'' Distorting this debate into one about abortion, frankly, does not make any sense at all. I again remind my colleagues that this legislation passed out of our committee with the support of Ranking Member Bost and through the House last Congress with the support of former Ranking Member Dr. Roe. I know that Dr. Roe is a fierce pro-life advocate, but as an OB/GYN, he understood the importance of access to contraception. Let me be clear. This bill brings veterans' contraception coverage on par with care they received while on Active Duty from the Department of Defense and coverage required by private health insurance providers to all women in the United States since 2010--all women except those who seek care from the VA. Now, this bill is about healthcare. This bill is about access. This bill is about equity, especially for our women veterans. I thank Ranking Member Bost and Minority Leader McCarthy for their leadership in support of this bipartisan bill. Simply put, a ``no'' vote today is saying directly to veterans that they deserve less healthcare than all other Americans. To me, the choice is easy. Vote ``yes'' on H.R. 239. We cannot permit veterans to be made second-class citizens. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining?

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley), my good friend from my home State, and the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Health, and also the author of this very important piece of legislation.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 486, I call up the bill (H.R. 239) to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for limitations on copayments for contraception furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the honor and courage with which my counterpart, Ranking Member Bost, has defended and stood up for the truth. And the truth is, H.R. 239 by Chairwoman Brownley is about providing equal access to contraception to America's veterans. A ``no'' vote on this bill--and I will say it again--a ``no'' vote on this bill is a vote to make our veterans second-class citizens. Every other American under every other plan in this country, whether it is in private healthcare, because we passed the Affordable Care Act and said that every American is entitled to preventative services, including contraception, since 2010, or Active Duty servicemembers under the Department of Defense who are able to access contraception without copays--Ms. Brownley's bill simply makes veterans on equal footing with all other Americans. A ``no'' vote on this bill is to make our veterans second-class citizens, and I say of those who make that vote: Shame on them. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green), my good friend and a member of the Financial Services Committee, where he is chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood), my good friend and a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and also a very active member of the Health Subcommittee.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I just want to say that extremism in the defense of nonsense is not conservatism, it is still nonsense. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Mrvan), my good friend, and member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and the chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology and Modernization.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank my true friend from the State of Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), who chairs the LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus, for his work. I want to say that Pride is always a very special time of year. It is a time of protest, a time of celebration, a time that we remember the struggles, honor the trailblazers, and appreciate the progress that we have made in the fight toward equality. Throughout our history, LGBTQ people have been denied their basic rights. To this day, LGBTQ Americans across the country still face discrimination in key areas of life, from housing to healthcare. While the Supreme Court has ruled to expand nondiscrimination protections in employment and made marriage equality the law of the land, in 29 states LGBTQ people aren't fully protected from discrimination. That is why we are working hard to get the Equality Act signed into law. Discrimination in this country has also been enshrined into policies at every level, including in the military. Despite this, thousands of brave LGBTQ Americans have still stepped up to serve our country in uniform. For decades, LGBTQ members of the U.S. military and veterans have faced discrimination stemming from official military policies, including Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the Trans Military Ban. Before Don't Ask, Don't Tell became an official military policy, servicemembers who were LGBTQ had to hide their identities, and those who were suspected of being LGBTQ were targeted by horrendous and traumatizing so-called witch hunts, which stripped them of their dignity and mistreated them based on a suspicion that had nothing to do with their service. It is estimated that approximately 114,000 servicemembers were discharged on the basis of their sexual orientation between World War II and 2011, while an estimated 870,000 LGBTQ veterans have been impacted by ``hostility, harassment, assaultive behavior, and law enforcement targeting'' by discriminatory military policies. Many LGBTQ veterans who were discharged on discriminatory grounds are unable to access their VA benefits, and those still serving face inconsistent protections that make them vulnerable to harassment and put their careers at risk. But the true extent of the harm by discriminatory anti-LGBTQ policies in the military and at the VA is not known or well understood. To remedy the harm that has been done, we must reckon with the truth of what happened and understand the disparate effects of discriminatory military policies on LGBTQ people. That is why I have introduced the Commission to Study the Stigmatization, Criminalization, and Ongoing Exclusion and Inequity for LGBTQ Servicemembers and Veterans Act, otherwise known as the Commission on LGBTQ Servicemembers and Veterans Act. This legislation would launch a comprehensive study on the effects of discriminatory military policies on affected servicemembers, their families, and their units to help America learn the full extent of the harm caused by these policies and the status of protections for LGBTQ servicemembers today. There are currently 250,000 Active Duty LGBTQ servicemembers and more than 1.5 million LGBTQ veterans receiving healthcare from the VA. But there continues to be a pervasive lack of data collection on LGBTQ servicemembers and veteran populations and an absence of education for both members of the military and the general public about members of the LGBTQ community who serve in uniform. This legislation seeks to address that. It is essential for the American people to hear stories of LGBTQ servicemembers and veterans to understand the stigmatization they endured while serving our country and to know that, despite this, they are still immensely proud of their service. This month, I have been sharing powerful stories of LGBTQ veterans on my social media. Every video testimonial reveals stories of bravery and profound love for country. It ends with veterans sharing the same message: LGBTQ people want and deserve to serve, just like everyone else. We have, of course, made a lot of progress as a country, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to make the military and VA more inclusive. It is my mission as co-chair of the Equality Caucus and chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs to ensure that we honor the service of every American who has served, regardless of their identity. This past weekend, we saw action that steers us toward that goal. The Biden administration announced that the VA will begin the first steps to expand care to include gender confirmation surgery for transgender veterans. This is truly a first and incredibly significant step that the VA is taking, and I applaud the VA's decision. Veterans in need of gender confirmation surgery should not have to seek healthcare outside of the VA healthcare system or navigate complicated processes to get the care they need. This announcement will be life-changing for many, and it is the result of years of hard work and advocacy on behalf of trans veterans and allies. So in honor of Pride Month, we must keep up the momentum, honor all those who have served our country in uniform, and commit ourselves to creating a truly equal nation.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I say mahalo to my colleague, Representative Case, for yielding and for organizing this Special Order hour to commemorate the release of an historic stamp that honors the bravery and service of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the Go for Broke Japanese American Soldiers of World War II Forever Stamp. I am a proud Japanese American, the son of a mother and father who were young children when executive order 9066 was signed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which forced them and the rest of my family out of our homes and into internment camps on American soil. Executive order 9066 labeled Japanese Americans as enemy aliens. It scapegoated an entire community of Americans and questioned their loyalty. It was misguided, it was based on lies, and it was rooted in racism and fear. During this time, 120,000 Japanese Americans were unjustly imprisoned, mass-blamed for atrocities they did not commit. Their rights were trampled, their freedoms were curtailed, and their humanity was ignored. While our own government was carrying out the unthinkable against its own people, while fighting for the ideals of liberty and freedom abroad, young Japanese-American men stepped up to serve under our flag, even when our country did not want them to. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese-American men of draft age were excluded from military service. They were considered enemy aliens, unfit to serve and unfit to fight for their very own country. Yet, in spite of this, a highly motivated group of Japanese Americans eager to prove their allegiance and patriotism petitioned the U.S. Government for their right to serve. President Roosevelt relented, allowing these men to form the 442nd Regimental Combat Team of the United States Army, a legendary, segregated Japanese-American fighting unit that was sent to the front lines of World War II, even as their families were in internment camps back home. Among these men were three of my great-uncles, including my great- uncle Manzo ``Mon'' Takahasi, who is pictured right beside me. My great-uncle Mon gave his life for our country in Italy just a few weeks before D-day. He was 26 years old. Recently, I rewatched the testimony of his brother, my other great- uncle Nobi, who recounted the story of the day that he learned that his brother had died in battle, in what he called the final push of the war. Mon and so many other nisei soldiers never had the opportunity to relish the victory that they helped secure, but their valor helped move our world closer to peace. My great-uncle Nobi also shared what it was like to serve in the rescue of the Lost Battalion as a member of the 442nd. The rescue of the Lost Battalion took place in the Vosges Mountains of France in October of 1944. Eight hundred men in the 442nd lost their lives in combat to rescue 211 men in the 141st Texas Regiment. He told a story of bloodshed and of the carnage that he witnessed there. He described the nauseating, terrible feeling after seeing dead bodies of American and German soldiers and helmets all around him. The nisei fighters believed in the promise of America. These men were betting on America, and they bet that America could be a more perfect, free, and more equal Union. In the case of my great-uncle Mon, he bet his life. I just want to say that the motto of this unit was Go for Broke, which means to go all in, to bet everything. This group of men bet not on the reality of America--the reality then was an America that let Japanese Americans down, that stripped them of their rights and interned them without reason. These men were in a humiliating place to have to prove their patriotism. They had something to prove, and they did prove it. So I tell the story of my great-uncles and the 442nd with great pride and a strong belief that, if it wasn't for them, I would not be a Member of Congress today. Did they win their bet? I stand as evidence that they did.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 290, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the eligibility for veterans to transfer their earned educational benefits is limited based on service time and commitments to additional service time. Recently, there have been a number of cases where DOD erroneously calculated servicemembers' time in service, allowing the servicemember to transfer a benefit when they should not have, as in the case of Russell Dotson. In Mr. Dotson's case, he was told by the Navy that he was able to transfer his benefit to his daughter. Unfortunately, the Navy was 6 days off in its calculation. That led to his daughter's GI Bill-covered tuition at DePaul University being cut off. Now, she and her father, a veteran who served 22 years and was honored for saving two lives in Afghanistan, are left having to repay more than $20,000. As a result of these errors, the veteran and their dependent are saddled with a huge bill, that is overpayment, for the cost of erroneously billed educational costs. The debt levied on the dependent is costly and can ruin their credit before they enter the labor force, which could impact their housing and job opportunities. H.R. 290, as amended, limits liabilities to ensure that there aren't surprise debts created by errors in paperwork. This legislation has been supported by VSOs such as the VFW, American Legion, and the Student Veterans of America. Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Bost for his work on this issue. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 290, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 293, the VA Hospitals Establishing Leadership Performance Act, introduced by our committee's ranking member, Mr. Bost. This bill would require VA to establish qualifications and performance metrics for human resources positions within the Veterans Health Administration. This legislation follows a 2017 Government Accountability Office report that found human capital process deficiencies, such as a lack of performance metrics for certain positions. GAO concluded that these deficiencies negatively affected VA's ability to serve veterans. The legislation does not specify what metrics VA must use, but leaves that determination up to VA. Instituting these human resource management improvements at VA is a commonsense, good-government step. H.R. 293 was favorably reported by the committee, and I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the VA Hospitals Establishing Leadership Performance Act. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I have no further questions, and I am prepared to close. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 293, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 2545 to amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify the role of doctors of podiatric medicine in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. H.R. 2545 is offered by former Veterans' Affairs Committee member, Dr. Brad Wenstrup. This legislation seeks to clarify a technical error affecting the Director of Podiatric Services which developed following the inclusion of Dr. Wenstrup's VA Provider Equity Act in the MISSION Act. The renaming of the position to Podiatric Medical Director will create equity by allowing this position holder to be paid on par with their peers rather than below, which is currently the case. If VA is to recruit top talent, we must ensure VA is able to offer competitive salaries whenever possible, that is why I support this legislation and I hope my colleagues will too. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2545) to amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify the role of doctors of podiatric medicine in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I would like to close by saying I urge all of my colleagues to support the VA FOIA Reform Act of 2021. We need to make sure that our veterans and their families get information that they have requested from the VA in a timely manner. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.