Veterans Benefits Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014
Floor Speech
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Here we are again, déja 2 vu all over again. The leadership of the other side of the aisle is again attempting to distract the American people from looking at their cynical shutdown efforts by trying to hold them under the torn and shredded garments of our veterans.
This is a hoax. This is a fraud.
Simply stated, this bill will not provide enough funding to pay for all the programs, where every Member of this House understands that veterans benefits are vital and crucial pieces of our ongoing obligation and commitment to our veterans.
However, we should all be clear and we should understand that in accepting this piecemeal proposal, we are in fact cutting $6.2 billion in funding that this body voted in June, in the bill that we approved 421-4.
This proposed CR does not address, touch, or do anything for the remaining VA discretionary accounts, which are equally important to our veterans and our families:
The Information Technology account, which includes $155 million for the Veterans Benefits Management System and is vital in speeding up the claims process, is not included;
The Office of the Secretary account, which includes the Board of Veterans Appeals which provides decisions on claims appeals, is not included;
The National Cemetery Administration is not included, which means that burials, Madam Speaker, at the national cemeteries will be conducted on a reduced schedule;
The Office of Inspector General account is not included, which means that audits and evaluations, administrative investigations, health care inspections, and the Inspector General hotline will be suspended;
The medical research account is not included;
The construction accounts are not included;
Grants to State veterans home and State cemeteries are not included.
On June 4 we passed a full bill, a complete bill, a bipartisan bill. We provided more resources for veterans in the bipartisan bill we passed in June than are provided in this anemic attempt to hide the cynical Republican efforts to justify a government shutdown underneath the veil of the service and sacrifice of generation after generation of veterans.
This is shameful. Veterans can see through this hypocrisy. The American people can see through this hypocrisy.
We need to end this lifeboat strategy offered by the Senator from Texas, where the only visible functions of government he approves or sanctions will be opened.
Open the entire government. Serve the American people by passing a clean resolution discharging our constitutional responsibilities and voting down this phantom of a funding bill that does a disservice to our Nation's heroes--our veterans.
I reserve the balance of my time.
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