Sanford Bishop: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, division A of the MILCON/VA portion provides robust funding for…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, division A of the MILCON/VA portion provides robust funding for military construction and provides adequate funding for both the Active and Reserve components. I was pleased the bill provides $35 million above the FY17 budget request to help speed up the cleanup of former Defense Department sites within the Base Realignment and Closure Account. The bill provides $74.4 billion, $3 billion above the FY16-enacted level in discretionary funding for VA programs. I believe that these resources will have a profound impact on the lives of our Nation's veterans. A couple of VA items that I want to highlight are the $1.5 billion for hepatitis C treatment, which is $840 million above the President's request. In addition, the bill includes $78 million for the Veterans Crisis Line and, overall, $173 million for suicide prevention. Furthermore, language is included that requires certain professional standards for the suicide hotline. This is a topic that many Members on both sides of the aisle were concerned about, and I think that we have taken some important steps for it to function better. Mr. Speaker, the funding provided will help the Department of Veterans Affairs provide better care and better service to our veterans. I believe that the resources provided in the bill will help lead to the elimination of a claims backlog, which is now under $75,000, down from a high of $650,000.…”