Va Transparency Trust Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support Representative Bost's bipartisan legislation, the ``VA Transparency and Trust Act,'' or H.R. 2911, and for which Representative Pappas, Representative Mann, and I are original co-sponsors. This bill provides additional oversight for the funds Congress made available to VA through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act in 2020, as well as the American Rescue Plan which we passed earlier this year.

The purpose of H.R. 2911 is to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a detailed plan for obligating and expending coronavirus pandemic funding made available to the Department of Veterans Affairs by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES Act, or the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. H.R. 2911 also requires the VA Office of Inspector General to report to Congress semi-annually on VA's actual expenditures and obligations, comparing it to their detailed plan, and on other subjects. Finally, H.R. 2911 requires the Comptroller General of the United States to report to Congress twice--in 2022 and 2024-- on VA's process for developing its funding request, among other subjects.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, Congress has provided over $36 billion dollars in supplemental funding--that is, funds that are in addition to VA's annual budget--to fund various pandemic-related operations and programs at VA.

Specifically, Congress provided to VA:

$60 million in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in March 2020 to support medical services and medical community care;

$19.5695 billion in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act in March 2020 to support medical services, community care, medical facilities, informational technology systems, general administration, and other purposes; and $16.694 billion in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 in January 2021 to support medical care and health needs, supply chain modernization, the VA Office of Inspector General, a COVID-19 veteran rapid retraining assistance program, and other purposes.

With these significant investments in VA operations and programs, legislation is needed to ensure that VA efficiently and effectively obligates and spends these funds to achieve Department goals. The legislation provides ongoing oversight opportunities for relevant Congressional committees until all funds have been expended and provides for the VA Office of Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office to provide intermittent reviews of VA's spending and allocation process, similar to prior reporting.

H.R. 2911 adds to the existing oversight on VA's spending. It will enable greater transparency for Congress and the public to ensure that these funds are spent wisely to support critical VA programs and services as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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