Sanford Bishop: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I want to thank Chairman Miller of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Ranking…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I want to thank Chairman Miller of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Ranking Member Brown, and, of course, Chairman Dent, who chairs the Appropriations MILCON-VA Subcommittee, where I serve as ranking member. Today, this body is debating text within the highway bill to address the Department of Veterans Affairs' $3 billion budget shortfall for veterans' health care in FY 2015. Without this legislation, the VA could run out of money by September. Costs have exploded by more than 10 percent in the last year as a result of higher demand, while the budget increased by only 2.8 percent. Additionally, costs for treatments have increased. For example, due to the new lifesaving hepatitis C medicine costing as much as $1,000 for a single pill, the VA's $700 million FY 2015 budget for hepatitis C has already been exceeded with more than 2 months left in the fiscal year. This situation is a prime example of how the sequester caps imposed by the Budget Control Act and locked in by the Republican budget constrain our ability to deal with issues responsibly and in a timely manner. It is well past time that we come to the table to break the cycle of irresponsible funding levels that are shortchanging our veterans' health care.…”