MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2027

On 2026-05-15, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25) delivered a floor speech titled "MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2027" in the House.

MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2027

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 83 (Friday, May 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 83 (Friday, May 15, 2026)] [House] [Pages H3537-H3541] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2027 The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Kim). Pursuant to House Resolution 1275 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of the bill, H.R. 8469. Will the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer) kindly take the chair. {time} 0914 in the committee of the whole Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of the bill (H.R. 8469) making appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027, and for other purposes, with Mr. Rouzer in the chair. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The Acting CHAIR. When the Committee of the Whole rose on Thursday, May 14, 2026, amendment No. 23 printed in part B of House Report 119- 648 offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) had been disposed of. amendment no. 29 offered by mr. perry The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 29 printed in part B of House Report 119-648. Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 31, line 13, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $1,000,000)'' ``(reduced by $1,000,000)''. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1275, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania. Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chairman, this amendment increases and decreases the amount appropriated in the medical services account in the MILCON-VA appropriations bill to furnish stellate ganglion blocks, or SGB, in every VA facility, not just some of them. SGB therapy is an outpatient procedure that has been used since the 1920s. It is safe, effective, and affordable, especially in cases where other treatments have failed, and is proven to alleviate common PTSD or PTSI symptoms, such as exaggerated responses and anxiety, with almost no known side effects. By injecting an anesthetic agent into the stellate ganglion, nerves in the neck that control the fight or flight reflex, it helps bring relief to regions of the cerebral cortex thought to be abnormally activated in sufferers of PTSD. SGB changes the paradigm of treatment from the failing perception of simply a mental disorder to that of a treatable injury. With traditional therapies as needed, that can bring long-term relief to the injured veterans. As of 2018, only 11 out of all of America's 170 VA facilities reported using SGB or making it available. Making matters worse, a veteran must fail all other traditional treatments before being considered for SGB therapy, which, anecdotally, is effective 85 percent of the time. The time, distance, and monetary burdens demanded from finding SGB elsewhere frequently prove too much. I have heard stories of servicemembers getting in a van and traveling from Alabama on their last dime to come up north to try to get the treatment. It leaves far too many of our veterans with options like self-medicating, self-harm, and, too often, suicide as the outcome. Our Nation suffers 20 veteran suicides every single day. Enough is enough. This has been way overdue way too long. Far too many of our veterans come home to find the war comes home with them. Our current PTSD treatments provide relief for only a fraction of our veterans, and some really encouraging treatments are either unavailable or offered at too few facilities. We have a moral duty to do everything possible to ease the suffering of those who risked all to protect our freedoms, our way of life, and our country. This is an incredible PTSD treatment, the results of which I have witnessed personally. This amendment increases and decreases the amount appropriated to furnish SGB in every VA facility, so you don't have to go to just some. You can go to any. It directs the Secretary of the VA to expand SGB access to veterans upon PTSD diagnosis by making it a covered treatment under Federal law. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Florida is recognized is recognized for 5 minutes. Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, it is not the place for Congress to be pushing for increased use of experimental treatments. This procedure is highly invasive, requiring an injection of medication into a collection of nerves at the bottom of the front side of the neck. The VA and NIH are in the midst of a multiyear clinical trial to collect data on this treatment for potential use in treating post- traumatic stress disorder but do not yet have sufficient data one way or the other regarding this treatment. In fact, preliminary data show that SGB effects are not clear, and it is uncertain whether there is a direct link between the treatment and PTSD. {time} 0920 If this treatment is safe, effective, and appropriate for expanded use, then the healthcare experts at the VA should be the ones to expand the treatment for wider use. There is a deliberative process for expanding the use of emerging healthcare treatments, and we should let that process play out. It is really not Congress' role to micromanage medical decisions. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chairman, while the deliberative process is playing out, this treatment has been used for over 100 years, without any known side effects, without any damage to anybody. It is 85 percent effective for the users that have used it. I have witnessed it. If it is invasive, Mr. Chairman, it takes 15 minutes of lying down on the table and getting an injection, and oftentimes sitting up, standing up, and being relieved of your PTSD right then. While they are studying it, while they are fighting at the VA over turf about which treatment is best, which practitioners should have primacy, 20 veterans a day are taking their own lives while they can't get the treatment. While they are studying it, it is offered in 11 facilities out of 170. Why, while they are studying it, why are they offering it at 11? While they are studying it, all the other veterans have to fail every other paradigm before they can get it, and often they commit suicide before they ever get it. I am tired of waiting on the bureaucracy at the VA and the turf wars between practitioners to do something to save our veterans, and I am going to keep on fighting. I understand the gentlewoman's comments. I just completely disagree. It is time for us to act while they won't. It is our duty. Abraham Lincoln said it is our duty to take care of those who have borne the battle. We are not doing it. We are waiting on the VA, these different doctors and paradigms to discuss, well, maybe this works, maybe that works. These guys and gals are dying every day. We have got to do something about it. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I can appreciate the gentleman's passion. This treatment is being trialed and piloted in 11 facilities for a reason, because we have to make sure it is safe. He is not Dr. Perry. I am not Dr. Wasserman Schultz. In fact, it is important to note that in many instances when this treatment has been administered, while it might provide some immediate relief, oftentimes the PTSD symptoms come back. This trial is being wrapped up in June, and then it will take about a year to analyze the data. [[Page H3538]] We are not medical experts. I have argued time and again on this House floor that Congress is not equipped to be making medical decisions, particularly specific medical decisions that affect a unique group of patients. I certainly hope that this trial results in progress and relief and that it will be scientifically validated, but it is our responsibility to wait for the experts to provide us with those results before decisions are made and leave those decisions to the VA. Mr. Chairman, with that, I oppose this amendment. We should use the process for expanding the use of emerging healthcare treatments, and we should let that process play out. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no,'' and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chairman, since 2018, 11 VA facilities out of 170 have been using it, not studying it, using it. The study happened after that, and every day that the study is occurring, 20 servicemembers take their lives. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates between 11 and 20 percent of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom veterans have PTSD in a given year, 12 percent of Gulf war veterans, 15 percent of Vietnam veterans. Sadly, only 40 percent of these heroes will find relief with current treatments. I am tired of waiting on the VA and this study, which, quite honestly, is just prolonging the turf war between practitioners there. Some of them say they should have primacy and this shouldn't even be involved. Yet, again, it is an outpatient procedure, 15 minutes. Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry). The amendment was agreed to. The Chair understands amendments number 42 through 45 will not be offered. Amendment No. 49 Offered by Mr. Steube The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 49 printed in part B of House Report 119-648. Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I have an 

Referenced legislation: HRES1275, HRES1275, HR8469