Debbie Wasserman Schultz Rips Into GOP Appropriations Package That 'Hurdles Us Towards VA Privatization'

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During debate on the House floor, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) tore into HR 3944 the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026.

Transcript

00:00Missouri Reserves. The gentlewoman from Florida is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield

00:06myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Foreman is recognized. Thank you. And I unfortunately

00:11could not possibly disagree with my friend, Mr. Alford from Missouri more on the description

00:19of this bill, which is why I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3944, the fiscal year 2026

00:26military construction, veterans affairs and related agencies bill. While I unfortunately

00:30cannot support the bill on the floor today, I will say in Chairman Carter's absence that I am

00:37thankful and appreciative of the work that we've been able to accomplish together over the years

00:40on this subcommittee. I know he and I both prioritize quality of life for our service members and their

00:45families and caring for our veterans. Unfortunately, this bill hurdles us towards VA privatization,

00:51a top Project 2025 priority that undercuts what veterans consistently ask us for here in Congress.

00:58They want high-quality medical care at VA, not privatized care that takes longer to receive.

01:04By transferring record funding from VA medical services to community care, which is a 67 percent

01:10increase of $14 billion, this bill pushes veterans into private care, even though veteran polls and

01:17studies show that when given the option, veterans prefer to receive their medical care at the VA.

01:22In 2024, veteran trust in VA health care rose to a record 92 percent, and we should build on this

01:29success, not kick veterans to an already crowded private market. Now, I understand that there is a need

01:35for community care, especially for veterans in rural areas and specialty care when necessary and when

01:41appointments at the VA are scarce. However, countless studies show that when veterans see care at private

01:47hospitals and clinics, they wait longer to see providers and they get worse care. They know VA

01:53medical professionals choose this work due to their mission to care for our veterans, and that's

01:57something the private sector simply cannot replicate. We should invest more in VA provider recruitment and

02:03retention incentives, increase benefits counselors and adjudicators, not ignore veterans' wishes and speed

02:09recklessly into privatization. On the military construction side, this bill under-funds military

02:15construction by $904 million compared to the President's budget request and fails to fund some

02:23specific needs like installation resilience and NATO infrastructure commitments. As Russia continues to

02:29wage an illegal war in Ukraine and threaten Europe, we should be sending a clear sign that we stand with

02:34our NATO allies, allies who stood by us for decades. And we are talking about infrastructure for our troops

02:42that are over there as well as our allies' troops. We all know that global warming temperatures are having a

02:48devastating impact on our military installations, including sea level rise, recurrent flooding, hurricanes,

02:53and extreme weather, as well as extreme heat and drought. Yet this bill includes zero dedicated funding to

03:01mitigate this extreme weather damage to our installations and force readiness. We've seen time and again what

03:06devastating extreme weather can do to installations. In 2018, Hurricane Michael mauled Tyndall Air Force

03:14Base in Florida, my home state, and cost the airports $4.9 billion to rebuild. And when Typhoon Marwar ran

03:22through Guam and devastated the island, this Congress provided almost $1.8 billion to begin recovering from the

03:29damage. Unfortunately, we know that future need from Typhoon Marwar will cost many billions more.

03:35Finally, this bill includes a plethora of harmful poison pill riders. It once again prohibits the

03:41VA from implementing its interim final rule to protect a woman's right to an abortion and counseling.

03:47The message sent on that is clear. Republicans want to further limit women's access to health care.

03:52Never mind if an abortion is in the best medical interest of a veteran between her and her doctor.

03:58Disturbingly, Republicans think you should only have access to abortion if you're dying. So this bill

04:03has the government making personal medical decisions for veterans, not their doctor or the veteran

04:09themselves. It's a cruel and ironic way to treat those who fight for our freedoms by taking them away.

04:15This bill also undermines VA's ability to keep at-risk veterans safe by preventing VA from reporting a

04:21beneficiary to the national instant criminal background check system. This rider prohibits VA from

04:27following federal law to keep guns out of the hands of people who federal law says should not have them

04:32because they are a danger to themselves or others. My subcommittee receives notifications every time

04:38there's a suicide on VA property. Over the last year, Mr. Chairman, we received suicide notices from

04:44Asheville, Los Angeles, McAllen, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, South Texas, Puget Sound, and many,

04:52many more. Every single veteran committed suicide with a firearm. Every single one. With all of these

05:01serious concerns, I cannot in good conscience support this bill. I urge my colleagues to oppose it,

05:06and I reserve the balance of my time.

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