- 6 weeks ago
In a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs markup meeting before the Congressional recess, Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) spoke about the need to bolster the VA workforce and bring back union organizing rights.
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00:00I now call up H.R. 3951, the Ruled Veterans Improvement Access to Benefits
00:05Act. The clerk shall report the bill. H.R. 3951. The bill was circulated in
00:11advance and pursuant to committee rules and without objection the first reading
00:14is dispensed with and the bill is open to amendment at any point. And I now
00:18recognize myself for five minutes to speak in favor of the legislation. The
00:22bill would extend the license portability authority for contracted
00:27medical professionals conducting compensation and pension examinations
00:32until 2031. The C and P exams are important but they also also extend an
00:40already lengthy process. This problem is made even worse when veterans are forced
00:46to travel far distances for their exams. Congress created the temporary license
00:53of portability to extend examinations authority to a wider variety
00:57of contracted medical professionals who have expertise in performing the C and P
01:03exams. By ensuring more contract medical professionals are able to perform C and
01:09P exams, VA is better able to serve veterans in underserved and rural
01:14communities. We cannot allow this program to sunset. It is a lifeline for our
01:19nation's remote veterans and who often live hundreds of miles away from a VA
01:23facility and near only small number of medical professionals. This would, this bill would also
01:30expand the eligibility specialties of contracted medical professionals
01:35currently covered. Under current law, license portability only applies to
01:42physician assistants, nurse practitioners, audiologists and psychologists. This bill
01:48would expand the authority to include providers who are eligible for employment in
01:53certain healthcare positions in the VHA. This is a necessary expansion
01:59to the C and P exam program. If a medical professional would be eligible for
02:05employment at the VA healthcare facility, they should also be able to serve veterans
02:10closer to their home. This bill would also require VA to submit a report to
02:16Congress on the frequency, timeliness, legal adequacy and associated cost of C and P exams
02:26performed by contractors. I thank Representative Siskamani for his leadership on the
02:34bill and his efforts to increase accessibility to exams for our nation's veterans. Does any other
02:40member wish to comment on the bill? Seeing none, does any member wish to offer an
02:48amendment to HR 3951? Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment. I now recognize
02:53Representative Ramirez to purposes of amendment. You have an amendment at the desk. Thank you,
02:58Chairman. You have an amendment. I have an amendment at the desk. The clerk shall report the amendment.
03:03Ramirez, amendment number one. Pass unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment is dispensed with
03:07without objection so ordered. I now recognize Representative Ramirez for five minutes to speak
03:12in support of the amendment. Thank you, Chairman. My amendment would reverse the illegal and immoral
03:18actions taken by President Trump and Secretary Collins that effectively revoked collective bargaining
03:24rights from thousands of VA employees. As we learned yesterday at my oversight and investigation
03:29subcommittee hearing, the VA needs to do more, not less, to make the agency a place where people want to
03:35work and they want to grow their careers. I'm alarmed, alarmed by the level of attrition we are
03:42seeing at the VA from veteran-facing employees. Let me tell you a little bit more about that. Over 7,500
03:49doctors, nurses, psychologists, claim examiners, and more have left the VA on their own volition since the
03:57beginning of the fiscal year. These are employees who could not partake in the deferred resignation program
04:02or early retirement. I want to be very clear that the employees who are leaving are not employees
04:09subject to the hiring freeze. Let me say that again. The employees who are leaving the VA are not
04:15employees subject to the hiring freeze. They are leaving on their own because under the leadership
04:20of Secretary Collins, the VA has become for them a hostile and toxic environment for its employees. The level
04:28of loss we're documenting is not sustainable if we intend to deliver the benefits and care our veterans
04:33have earned and they deserve. Furthermore, the loss of VA employees will impact the delivery of care and
04:40benefits for veterans and it's already negatively impacting veterans experience regardless of what the
04:46secretary continues to claim. Workplace rights, including the right to collectively bargain, have been
04:52enshrined in the law for decades. Unions make VA a better place to work and a better place for veterans
04:59to receive their care, period. When implementing President Trump's executive order that aimed to abolish
05:05collective bargaining at the VA, Secretary Collins in essence made it clear that he was going after his
05:13and Trump's political enemies. Simply put, some employees at certain facilities would get to keep their
05:19collective bargaining agreements while others who may work at a VA down the street would not. I mean,
05:25how do we decide? Loyalty to the administration? That is completely unacceptable and is just another
05:32way that this administration seeks to suppress resistance and dissent. Trump and his Justice
05:38Secretary Collins are deciding that the unions that dared challenge the president in court were to be
05:44stripped of their worker rights. The rights that I may add were enshrined in legislation by this
05:51Congress. I will not stand by while the rights of VA workers who show up day in and day out to care
05:59for our veterans are trampled on. I'm not going to stand by and watch the continued demonization and
06:04demoralization of the VA workforce. And it's why I'm offering this amendment today to make it clear that
06:11this committee, this committee, demands the reinstatement of collective bargaining rights
06:16for every VA worker. I urge all my colleagues to vote yes on my amendment and with that chairman,
06:23I yield back. The gentleman and lady yields back. I stand, I recognize myself in opposition to the
06:28amendment. This amendment would reinstate the federal workers collective bargaining agreement with the VA
06:32that was terminated by the president's march executive order. As a union firefighter, I have long
06:37recognized the need for strong labor relations. However, I believe it is inappropriate for Congress to
06:43weigh in on this matter or tie the hands of the secretary during an ongoing litigation. This amendment
06:50is is a poison pill that would risk the passage of this very important underlying bill. I would vote,
06:57I will vote no on this amendment and I urge my colleagues do the same. Does any other member wish to
07:02comment? Ranked member. Yes, Mr. Chairman. And before I begin my comments, I just want to have the record
07:08reflect that the the author of H.R. 3951 is not present at the committee and we're setting a precedent
07:16here whereby we can continue with the business of the markup with that fact. I would just say we hope
07:24that that in the future that there'll be a similar consideration for the minority in in cases like
07:32this. I will keep my comments brief in support of Congresswoman Ramirez's amendment, but I do feel
07:42compelled to to buttress her sentiments. When I was a public school teacher, I was a member of a union,
07:50as you were a member of the firefighters union. I know firsthand the power of unions and the important
07:56role they serve to protect workers rights. VA is losing employees at a record pace, and it isn't
08:03just losing employees to the deferred resignation program or early retirement. Veteran facing, veteran
08:12facing employees. So we're not just talking about, you know, the doctors and nurses who face veterans,
08:20but, you know, it's the doctors, nurses and claims examiners, police officers and social workers.
08:26These are also veteran facing employees, not just the doctors and nurses, but claim examiners,
08:31police officers, social workers. They're leaving in droves due to the working conditions at VA.
08:36A net 7,500 of these mission critical employees have left VA on their own volition in this fiscal year.
08:43I worry that working conditions are leading these employees to choose to leave their jobs at VA.
08:50Without unions to help address the workplace concerns that they have, I fear these employees
08:55are left with few avenues of redress and are stuck choosing between staying in a toxic work environment
09:05and leaving a job they love. The right to collectively bargain, sir, is the law. And it is absolutely
09:14Congress's role to ensure that the president and his appointees are following the law. And to say,
09:22to try to wash our hands of it and say, well, we don't want to interfere with the secretary and all of that.
09:28No, no, no, no, no. It is our job as the oversight committee to ensure that the secretary follows
09:36the law and collective, the right to collectively bargain is the law. And to do last is to, is to,
09:44is to step back and allow the executive to do things outside the law. The right to collectively bargain
09:53is also integral to improving working conditions, to VA's ability, to improve working conditions such
10:06that VA's ability to recruit and retain employees is enhanced. There is simply no denying, denying that
10:14good working conditions are tied to collective bargaining. Veterans deserve a strong VA that is fully
10:23staffed by employees who feel empowered and supported by its leadership. I urge my colleagues to vote
10:30yes on Congresswoman Ramirez's amendment to restore collective bargaining agreements at VA. And with that,
10:35I yield back. Anyone else taking recognition? Ms. Brzezinski. I just want to voice my strong support for
10:43Congresswoman Ramirez's amendment. I too want to just echo what our ranking member said, that collective
10:50bargaining rights are, um, are the law. And it is something that is critically important that we
10:56make sure as a committee is being enforced. We know that, um, collective bargaining and the erosion of it
11:04at the VA is largely contributing to the morale issues that I hear about in my district. Um, the fear,
11:10the toxic environment, um, the direct assault on collective bargaining rights of the workers that are at the
11:16VA, I think is contributing significantly to that environment and leading to a lot of employees
11:23leaving in droves, those, those same employees that we really need to administer the benefits that the
11:29veterans have deserved. And I lastly just want to point out that, you know, a lot of the, a lot of the
11:35workforce within the VA are veterans themselves. And I think that's a really important point that those
11:41veterans deserve the right to have collective bargaining, just like all the other workforce,
11:45um, employees do at the VA, but that this is critically important to maintaining morale
11:51and a good work environment to help provide services to our veterans. So thank you. I yield back.
11:56Anyone else that can recognition? Seeing none, the question now occurs on agreeing to the
12:02Ramirez amendment number one to HR 3951. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say no. No. In the
12:10opinion, Chair, the no's have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Chairman, I request a recorded vote. A recorded
12:16vote being requested is in accordance with the committee rules. Further proceedings on this matter
12:22will be postponed. I would recognize Representative Ramirez for the purpose of offering Ramirez
12:30amendment number two. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. The clerk shall report the amendment.
12:37Ramirez amendment number two. Amendment to HR. I ask unanimous consideration, consent that further
12:43reading of this amendment is dispensed with. And while the objection is so ordered, I now recognize
12:47Representative Ramirez for five minutes to speak on the support of her amendment. Thank you, Chairman.
12:53This amendment specifically would borrow VA from contracting with any company with which a special
12:59government employee, you know, the kind of employee I'm talking about, has a financial interest.
13:05Over the past several months, we have witnessed the rampant corruption of individuals,
13:11including indulge. These individuals were given access to sensitive information. They made reckless
13:19decisions across the agency, and they put thousands of people at risk. This kind of rogue behavior is
13:26appalling, and it should concern every American taxpayer and certainly every single member in this committee.
13:33I'm sorry. Did I, did I get ahead of myself because I want to protect the people?
13:40I think you're on the wrong amendment, yeah. I'll have to re-stack my response.
13:48Wait a minute. I wasn't ready for that one, right? Sorry. They were together.
14:01Okay. How about, how about, how about you recognize for this amendment?
14:08So the question is, can you restore me back to five? I appreciate that grace. Thank you.
14:13All right. So do, do we need a chairman? I have an amendment at the desk.
14:18Okay. The clerk will clarify, re-recognize. Yes. We'll designate the amendment.
14:24Ramirez Amendment 2, Amendment to H.R. 3951. I ask unanimous consent for the reading of the
14:30amendment. As dispensed with, without objection, so ordered. I now recognize the representative
14:35Ramirez for five minutes to speak on this amendment. Thank you. I might even go under five,
14:40just as a thank you here. Thank you, Chairman. More than once, I've called this committee to recognize
14:45the diversity, the beautiful diversity of our veterans. And the diverse veterans in the communities
14:50that we represent need access to the full benefits that they have earned and deserve.
14:55This amendment specifically addresses equity and access to benefits for all of our veterans.
15:01In the past six months, the administration has waged a war on equity, trying to make the word taboo
15:07and to roll back the progress we've made to ensure equal access to federal programs and services.
15:14The administration has made excuses when veterans who have worn the uniform have put their lives
15:18on the line go without access to benefits and services that they were promised.
15:24Who am I talking about? You may be asking yourself. Well, I'm talking about people of color. I'm talking
15:29about women. I'm talking about immigrants. Yes, because there are veterans who've been deported,
15:35LGBTQ plus folks, the elderly, individuals that live in rural communities, and all the other veterans who
15:43served and earned their veterans. Too often in this committee, my colleagues talk about how important
15:49data is to effectively and comprehensively address the problems that the department is addressing.
15:54Yet, this administration has eliminated many of the offices and positions focused on collecting
16:01and analyzing data to address where gaps may exist in the VA care and benefits for veterans,
16:06especially for diverse veterans. One of the offices Secretary Collins has chosen to shutter
16:11is the Office of Equity Assurance. We call it the OEA. This office was established following a 2023 GAO
16:19report that found that black veterans' benefit approval rates had a persistent bias in disability
16:25compensation. Since the OEA was established, it has made efforts to address data gaps for veterans,
16:31conducted outreach in rural communities, and forged partnerships with academic affiliates to
16:37increase the VA's capacity to reach these areas. However, following President Trump's executive order
16:44targeting diversity, targeting equity, and targeting inclusion across the federal government,
16:50this office was actually closed. OEA's employees have been placed in administrative leave by Secretary
16:57Collins. This decision to close the office has not resulted in cost savings or liberation from radical
17:04ideology, as they call it, but instead it condemns us to ignorance by ensuring we have even less
17:11insight into where the gaps for VA care and benefits are. But perhaps that's the point. What this amendment
17:19does, it calls for the immediate reinstatement of the Office of Equity Assurance and its employees. With my amendment,
17:28I am also calling for the Office of Equity Assurance to resume the critical work it has done to address
17:35disparities in benefits, disparities in outreach, and other services that the VA provides. Ensuring each
17:42and every single veteran gets what they have earned should not, and friends, it cannot be political. I urge all of
17:50my colleagues to join me in supporting this work to reach veterans who I know reside in each and one of our
17:55districts. And with that, Chairman, I yield back. Gentlemen, gentlelady yields back. I recognize myself in
18:02opposition to the amendment. This amendment would direct the Secretary to permanently reinstate the VBA
18:08Office of Equity Assurance and require biannual congressional briefings. I support efforts to ensure that VA
18:17provides the highest quality service to all veterans. But veterans is a veteran is a veteran. We all proudly
18:27fought for the same flag and fought to protect the same freedoms. When veterans return to civilian life,
18:33it is the VA's responsibility to meet veterans where they are. I do not support forcing the Secretary to
18:41reinstate an office that would divide veterans. Equity is not equality. As a Marine, I know a rising tide lifts
18:51all ships. Veterans deserve a VA that champions the equality they fought for. I trust Secretary Collins' view
19:02that this office hinders our mission of serving our nation's diverse veterans and survivors. I will vote no,
19:11on the amendment. And I urge my colleagues to do the same. Who else? Does anyone else seek recognition?
19:16Ranking member. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So in May, I hosted a roundtable that discussed
19:26many of the topics impacting minority veterans. One of which was the closure of the Office of Equity
19:32Assurance, or OEA. It was extremely apparent from this gathering of 12 organizations and several
19:39former VA employees that OEA was doing incredibly valuable work to reach not only veterans of color,
19:44but women veterans, those in rural communities, and in many cases, veterans who are not connected
19:51to VA care or services. It is absolutely imperative that the Office of Equity Assurance and its employees
19:59are reinstated and are able to resume their critical work. I urge all of my colleagues to support
20:04Congresswoman Ramirez's amendment in giving VA the resources to reach all veterans where they are.
20:12And I yield back. The gentleman yields back. Does anyone else seek recognition? Seeing none. The
20:20question now occurs on agreeing to Ramirez Amendment No. 2 to H.R. 3951. All those in favor say aye.
20:26All opposed no. No. In the opinion of the Chair, the noes have it. And the amendment is not agreed to.
20:35The motion to reconsider is laid on the- I request a recorded vote, Chairman. A recorded vote has been
20:40requested in accordance with the committee rules and further proceedings on this matter will be postponed.
20:46Are there any further amendments to H.R. 3951? Seeing none. And hearing none, it is now
20:58in order to consider the next bill because the amendments are pending votes.
21:03A W.R. 3951?
21:12But it is now energy that the mandate goes solely to protect the amendment of Ismaar,
21:18certainlyайт, a good review is sultsyly enacted.
21:26A W.R. 3951?
21:28And the law as a
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