Ann Kirkpatrick: “This is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill…”

“This is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended. As we witnessed last year during the VA's patient access crisis, the VA does not have the resources it needs to care for our Nation's veterans. Last year, I worked tirelessly with my colleagues to pass the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, which established the VA Choice Program, allowing our veterans to seek care outside the VA when they live too far from a VA medical facility or cannot receive timely care. While some improvements in the VA patient access have been made, I know from listening to the veterans in my district and from veterans service organizations that veterans are still struggling to access care. This bill, in its current form, underfunds the VA by over a billion dollars--a billion dollars. The Arizona Department of Veterans' Services and the Arizona VFW and veterans groups all over Arizona and this country are opposed to these cuts. This motion to recommit will provide an additional $15 million for vital medical services, long-term care, mental health treatment, assistance to homeless veterans, substance abuse treatment, and caregiver support. $15 million toward these essential services for our veterans is tiny in comparison to the drastic cuts to the VA's budget in this bill.…”