Chairman Bost Floor Remarks on S. 2795

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on S. 2795. Without objection. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. The gentleman is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of S. 2795, a bill that extends VA's expiring authorities. The Veterans Affairs Committee works on the extender's bill every year, and this year it was introduced by my friend Senator Tester and Senator Moran in the Senate. The 2023 extender bill does three things. It fixes and it would extend VA's participation in the national disaster medical systems for five years. VA has a mission to protect veterans and staff and support public health during disasters or emergencies. Now second, the bill would also allow medical professionals who are contracted to perform veterans' disability exams to continue practicing across state lines. Now VA depends on the contractors to perform most of these disability exams, and the contractors depend on this authority. Now this bill would continue the authority for two more years. And finally, the bill would continue to protect the students' veterans if their school closed or gets disapproved under the GI Bill. It would also allow the Secretary to restore the entitlement to education benefits for two more years. Now I support this legislation because it gives VA an important tool to take care of all of our veterans. And without extending these authorities, serious impacts to operations might mean VA's ability to protect Americans during disasters would be limited. Veterans' claims for disability compensation would ground to a halt, and student veterans would be left out in the cold if they attended a college that closed due to fraud or mismanagement. And we can't let that happen. So I would once again like to thank Senators Hester and Moran for working on this legislation in the Senate. And I would also like to thank Dr. Murphy for his work to lead and champion the legislation here in the House. And I urge all of my colleagues to support S-2795. And with that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.