Timothy Walz

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), my good friend and the vice ranking member of the full Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Peters), a friend of all of our veterans and a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am certainly willing to yield some of my time to the gentleman from Tennessee if there are other speakers who would like to speak on this if the gentleman's time runs short. If I could save myself 3 minutes for my closing, I would certainly be willing to do that. I am not certain what the parliamentary procedure is to do so. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, you heard it from a wide range of folks here on the floor. This is the way Congress is supposed to work and this is what is expected of us. This is what my constituents in southern Minnesota expect, and this is what the gentleman from Tennessee's or the gentleman from Florida's constituents expect: look at a problem, assess it, come up with some different solutions, and debate those out. I want to be clear, as I said earlier, these are tough issues. There was debate--heated debate. We may even have raised our voices a few times doing this, but that is the way the world's greatest democracy is supposed to function. Again, three of the most pressing issues, three of the top priorities of this Nation's veterans, all addressed in the first 6 six months of this Congress, all addressed to the satisfaction of a wide, bipartisan VSO community that is grateful for it. I think, in trying to find these challenges and understanding them, people are trying to get at the heart of this. I do think there are great frustrations, and I have said, totally indefensible of the examples given. But when we had this debate before, there were some examples of bad managers inadvertently firing people who were pointing out things that the manager was doing; and the due process considerations got that person their job back, and we got rid of the manager. I think that when we first started debating this, I made the case that this could be a right-to-work bill in disguise. This bill is not that. This bill, as the chairman said, was not the intention. The intention was accountability. The intention of the bill was to streamline the process while protecting those due process rights. I am grateful that the chairman, as always, kept his word. He followed through and he negotiated that. The thing that I would say before closing here, Mr. Speaker, is that I agree with the majority leader. I think the combination of many things that we are doing possesses the potential to see real reforms moving in the right direction. Something that I think hasn't been mentioned here--that the Secretary did with consultation with the chairman, myself, and others--was that he took the action of streamlining the medical record procedure between the DOD, and the VA added to that. There is transformational, generational-type change happening at the VA, but none of this will matter. And the majority leader said he expects to see that. We must ensure that it happens. We must ensure the accountability, we must monitor, we must ask that it is happening, and we must come back at this again. If there is a glitch that was unintended, let's come back at it again in this same manner of reaching an outcome. This is a positive day, Mr. Speaker. I would hope that those folks paying attention to this and watching--certainly the veterans, but everyone--know that Congress can work together; Congress can take on pressing issues; Congress can come up with bipartisan solutions; and Congress can agree that the thing that defines us most is not Republican or Democrat--it is U.S. citizen, it is veteran, and it is care for them. Today I am proud to get this through here. Let's send it on to the President, and let's all celebrate the Administration signing this into law and moving forward. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, continuing to modernize the health care system requires improving the quality and delivery of health care, the backbone of which is our health workforce. I am proud to have the opportunity today to talk about a group of promising students from around the country. This year's United Health Foundation Diverse Scholars Initiative scholarship recipients represent 36 states, and they are some of the brightest individuals preparing to enter the health workforce. They are working hard in their undergraduate, graduate and doctorate programs--whether they are studying to be physicians, nurses, dentists, or mental health providers--to increase the number of skilled professionals entering the health workforce. This is key to the future of our nation's health: we need a robust health care workforce in order to increase access to care in rural areas and across the nation. Beyond their academic achievements, I would also like to recognize their commitment to making the health care system more culturally relevant and their dedication to improving the health outcomes of the individuals they will one day serve. Research shows that when people are treated by health professionals who share their language, culture, or ethnicity, they are more likely to accept and receive medical treatment. That is why these students will be a great asset to our nation's health care system. Next week, these scholars will be joining us in Washington, D.C. to examine some of the nation's most urgent health care issues and potential solutions as part of the Diverse Scholars Forum. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the United Health Foundation's Diverse Scholars Initiative has helped more than 2,000 multicultural students from across the country realize their dreams of pursuing careers in health while meeting the needs of local and underserved communities. This year, these scholars include a group of military spouses pursuing health careers who have received scholarships, and I would like to recognize their commitment to becoming part of the future health workforce and for their sacrifices and service to our nation. To these exceptional scholars, congratulations and best wishes for success in all of your future endeavors. As a teacher, I'm proud to know that we have scholars like you who are ready to lead us into a new era of better and more efficient health care. I know that our nation's health care system will benefit from your hard work and talent. Aviva Aguilar, Fatima Ahmad, Maria Alfaro, Sainfer Aliyu, Cesar Andrade, Austere Apolo, Shantrice Appleby, Janetci Arevalo, Melissa Avila, Kwame Awuku, Kane Banner, Cristina Batarse, Simone Batiste, Shanell Becenti, Asma Begum, Ashleigh Bennett, Michael Bervell, Carlene Black, Ashley Blackwell, Ruth Campos, Girah Caraballo, Suzanne Carvajal-Pinos, Danelle Cooper, Radha Dahal, Ana Maria De Leon, Angelica Duque, Marissa Emadi, Rebecca Espinoza, Gerardo Flores, Clarissa Flores, Itzel Garcia Vasquez, Raffaella Garofanelli, Jeremy Garriga, Jashalynn German, Claudio Gonzalez, Paula-Ann Granston, Katie Haynes, Ray Hill, Shakura Howard, Wesley Hungbui, Ronald Ikech, Jalane Jara, Karianne Jones, Ramanjot Kaur, Leslie Kedelty, Cleo Klopfleisch, Vin Lay, Than Le, Amy Liang, Christine Loftis, Dylan Lopez, Quentin Loyd, Mabel Luo, Andrew Ly, Maria Madrigal, Alexann Masiko-Meyer, Beverley Mateo, Karen Mendez, Justin Mollison, Kimberley Mondestin, Christian Monsalve, Maria Moreno Valencia, Krista Morine, Egypt Muhammad, Marilyn Ndukwe, Ronke Olowojesiku, Chiemeka Onyima, Victoria Ordaz-Garcia, Laura Sofia Ortega Flores, Angelika Pasion, Sylvia Pena, Laura Penalo, Joshua Platero, Anna Quintanilla, Alejandro Rabionet, Grace Ramirez, Caesar Rangel, Kimyetta Robinson, Franklyn Rocha Cabrero, Victoria Rodriguez, Nancy Roque, Giovanni Rosas Escobedo, Leah Ruiz, Valeria Salazar Balli, Kelly Sanchez, Mariah Smith, Alcha Strane, Maylei Suen, Brenda Talamantes, Lisa Tu, Ifeanyi Uche, Best Uchehara, Madelyne Valdez, Jennifer Villalobos, Sebastian Villegas, Joaquin Villegas, Craig Washington, Veronica Williams, Davontae Willis, Bethany Womack, Chaoyan Yu, Ashley Zapata.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the manager's amendment to H.R. 2288, the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017. This has truly proven to be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform the disability claims process for the benefit of our Nation's veterans. I want to specifically thank Chairman Roe for bringing this bill to the floor today and for ensuring that the entire process that got us here was open, fair, bipartisan, and followed regular order. It is gratefully appreciated, and I think we end up with a good piece of legislation because of his leadership. I also want to recognize the efforts of our colleagues, the chairman of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, Mr. Bost. He has been an incredible addition to the VA committee and dug his heels in on this one and got us this far, so I thank him; and to his counterpart on our side of the aisle, Ranking Member Esty, for exceptional work that they have done together to get this bill to the floor. I would also like to thank our veterans service organizations. This is how I think the American people think legislation should be brought; on issues at hand, experts are brought in, Representatives talk. The expertise that was brought by the VSOs helped us work out some of the kinks. It is not perfect, but the coalition got us to a point where I think many of us are comfortable moving forward. The bill is complicated. To those who still have concerns in the process, let us know. There is still work to be done. It is still working in the Senate, but there is an openness that has been expressed through the entire process. Secretary Shulkin and the VA leadership have been vital in this effort. They helped pull the stakeholders together, providing the technical expertise to help us understand what it takes over the past several years. I want to recognize our former colleague on the committee, Dina Titus. She is going to be speaking a little bit later, but I think what is so important on veterans issues, members come and go from the committee, but their commitment to getting this right stays. And her tenaciousness in the 114th Congress laid the groundwork for this. So in short, Mr. Speaker, as you heard the chairman say, there are 470,000 veterans. Each one of them is an individual. Each one of them is someone's friend, father, mother, sister, brother. It is time we peel back the layers of the complicated rules governing the process, modernize it with new technology, and get the benefits delivered in a timely manner to those who have earned them. I support the manager's amendment to H.R. 2288 and encourage all my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. Esty), my good friend, ranking member of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), my friend and the vice ranking member of the full Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa), my good friend and, more importantly, a friend to all veterans, a new member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus), a good friend and former ranking member of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, and someone who has worked on this almost longer than anyone in the House.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Again, I applaud all the work that was done on behalf of our veterans and those that are waiting. I thank the professional staff on both sides of the aisle for doing that. Mr. Speaker, I thank this House for proving to the American people that we can work together for a common good. We can make improvements and we can move things along as they are meant to be. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I associate myself with the comments of Chairman Roe and I support H.R. 467. I also thank the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski) for crafting this. She was, and still remains, a staunch supporter of veterans, always advocating for them. She taught me much, including, I think, the definition of Hoosier. I am still a little confused on that one, but we are working on it. By holding the VA leadership accountable, we can ensure that the VA is accessible to all veterans. While the VA has made progress to shorten wait times, we cannot rest on our laurels. If one veteran's health is compromised because she or he was unable to receive timely care, then the VA has failed in its mission. Mr. Speaker, for that reason, I ask my colleagues to stand in support of Mrs. Walorski's bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for her passion and for the chairman to bring this commonsense accountability piece to the floor. I encourage my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of Congressman Zeldin's bill, H.R. 1005. This legislation is a timely solution to a problem that affects many of our aging veteran populations. Nursing homes are often a family's last resort, and I believe that is the way it should remain. By allowing veterans to receive daily care and assistance at a nursing home and then return to their homes at night, veterans will receive the care, medical support, and attention they need without sacrificing the community family support and independence they want. For that reason, I ask my colleagues to support this really smart piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 1005, and I yield back the balance of my time. General Leave

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1162. With all of the things that you heard the chairman talk about and substance abuse disorder on the rise, the VA should continue to explore the benefits of alternative treatments and how best to provide care to our veterans. Medical providers must think outside of the box and find effective ways to treat the symptoms a veteran is experiencing, and do so in a way that does not compromise a veteran's health, relationships, and progress towards a successful transition home. Mr. Speaker, for this reason, I would ask my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation and start moving in a direction that serves our veterans with the best treatment for them. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Knight) for his innovative approach in trying to get services to our veterans. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join us in passing H.R. 1162. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.