Mark Takano: “I thank the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota, for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 544.…”

“I thank the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota, for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 544. This legislation ensures that the approximately $1 billion left in Choice funding is spent on the critical mission of providing veterans timely access to care. It would be an abdication of our responsibility to veterans if we allowed this money to go back to the Treasury instead of going to those who need and deserve our support. I appreciate the efforts from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for advancing this legislation. The Choice Act was designed as a rapid response to the veteran wait time crisis, but its framework and implementation has been deeply flawed. Objective analyses found that it is not meaningfully reducing veterans' wait times, and its arbitrary standards have added a layer of confusion for both patients and providers. There is bipartisan consensus that these concerns must be addressed when the Choice Act sunsets and the funding expires. We can and must do a better job of prioritizing and streamlining veterans' access to care in the community. We can and must do better than the existing Choice Act. Now, the Choice Act was a temporary emergency measure to address an unacceptable crisis. Unfortunately, it contained language that undermined protections against workplace discrimination for Federal contractors. The next iteration of this law cannot subvert the rights of those who treat and serve our veterans.…”