Fulfilling Our Commitment to Our Country's Veterans

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, House Republicans are fulfilling our commitment to our country's veterans by fully funding veterans' healthcare programs, veterans' benefits, and Veterans Affairs programs in the fiscal year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

Not only are we fulfilling our promise to those veterans who have served our country, but we are taking our efforts up a notch to go above and beyond what the VA is already doing by increasing funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical and Prosthetic Research Program.

I am a proud supporter of this program, and I requested that the Appropriations Committee fully fund this program to the level included in the bill, which is $938 million. That is a $22 million or 2.5 percent increase as compared to fiscal year 2023 and is in line with the President's budgetary request.

The VA's Prosthetics and Sensory Aids Service is the largest and most comprehensive provider of prosthetic devices and sensory aids in the world. This funding will go a long way in making sure the VA has the necessary funds to research ways to restore veterans' abilities to function within their families, communities, and workplaces.

This increased funding will also help the researchers within the VA research program recover from slowed research because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustained and predictable funding growth for VA research is imperative to help ensure the best return on spending to improve the health of veterans and all Americans.

Although the VA's Medical and Prosthetic Research Program is specifically dedicated to improving the health and well-being of those who have served the United States in uniformed services, it has had a tremendous impact on the care of all Americans.

The research conducted within this program has led the way in many different healthcare fields, including the treatment of digestive diseases. There is no better way to utilize our tax dollars than by contributing to a cause that will help restore veterans' functionality and also lead to advancements in medical care for all Americans.

Additionally, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which has direct ties to my district and constituents, has a proud, longstanding, and multifaceted partnership with the Veterans Administration in Nashville and the mid-South across clinical care, medical training, and research activities. They are proud to join me in supporting increased funding for this medical research program within the VA healthcare system.

Mr. Speaker, the bottom line is that medical research at the VA not only helps those that have put it all on the line in service to this country--some sacrificing pieces of their body that they will never get back--it helps all Americans, as I have already mentioned. This is a great use of taxpayer funds, and I couldn't be prouder to support this initiative to fund this program at the level I have already mentioned.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Members on both sides of the aisle to support this provision in the fiscal year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

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