Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My amendment requires the VA to conduct an outreach campaign to veterans to make them aware of the full range of fertility treatments, procedures, and services covered under the VA's medical benefits package. I emphasize that this amendment was included in the fiscal year 2022 House-passed NDAA as part of an en bloc package and received overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle. Our veterans, who served our country honorably, deserve every opportunity to begin the family of their dreams. A study released last year on reproductive-aged veteran women found that the rate of infertility among veterans is more than 50 percent higher than among the general female population. For years, the VA has provided a range of fertility treatments and services to veterans. Many veterans have brought to my attention the issue that because they are unaware of the fertility services covered by the VA, they instead seek out expensive private care to help them begin a family. This amendment is simple. We provide critical funding to the VA to offer comprehensive medical care to our veterans. The VA should be doing outreach to all veterans to ensure that they are fully aware of the critical healthcare services covered by the VA. Those who have served our country honorably and now struggle with infertility as a result of their service deserve assistance in trying to build a family. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”