Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for bringing this bill to the House. Madam Speaker, I rise as well to speak in favor of S. 785. This comprehensive package of legislation complements the other VA bills we considered yesterday and today. I want to highlight two pieces of this bill, in particular. This bill aims to improve the mental health medical workforce at the VA. The vast majority of veterans who get their care at the VA love their experience, and that is because of the dedicated VA workforce. However, we do need to address head-on the issue of staffing shortages. According to the most recent VA report, there are roughly 50,000 vacant positions at the VA at any given time, many of which are slots for healthcare providers. This bill would require the VA to create a plan to address the staffing of mental healthcare providers at its facilities, and ensure that each medical center, like the one in Coatesville in my district, is staffed with a suicide prevention coordinator. This bill also includes the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, which would push funding for suicide prevention services out to vetted community organizations. This is a similar one that was proposed in the Improve Act, which I was proud to help lead with my colleague across the aisle, General Bergman.…”