On the recordMay 23, 2023
Mr. Speaker, as we stare down a completely manufactured economic crisis, I sure hope we can come together to avoid a default, but the proposal from the far-right wing of the GOP, one that holds our economy hostage to enact extreme budget cuts, would hurt veterans most of all--veterans in my district, across Pennsylvania, and across the United States. Pennsylvania has the fourth highest veteran population, so I am not talking hypotheticals when it comes to how VHA cuts would impact our veterans. If they get their way, more than 272,000 Pennsylvania veterans' medical care and outpatient visits would be at risk due to slashed Veterans Health Administration funding. The 29 percent of Pennsylvania veterans who live with disabilities will face more red tape and longer wait times, undermining their much-needed medical care. This is not what keeping our promises to those who served us, who protected us, looks like. Our veterans and the American people deserve better. ____________________





