ENSURING VETERANS RECEIVE CARE THEY EARNED

On 2025-03-03, Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-2) delivered a floor speech titled "ENSURING VETERANS RECEIVE CARE THEY EARNED" in the House. The speech addressed healthcare and also covered taxes, the environment.

ENSURING VETERANS RECEIVE CARE THEY EARNED

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 40 (Monday, March 3, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 40 (Monday, March 3, 2025)] [House] [Pages H924-H925] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] {time} 1215 ENSURING VETERANS RECEIVE CARE THEY EARNED The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Vasquez) for 5 minutes. Mr. VASQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of the men and women who have served this Nation and defended our freedoms. They now face unnecessary obstacles in accessing the care and support that they have earned. [[Page H925]] New Mexico is home to a strong and proud veteran community with a deep military tradition, spanning from Holloman Air Force Base to White Sands Missile Range and from Kirtland Air Force Base to Cannon Air Force Base. We owe it to those who have served to ensure that they can access healthcare, reliable transportation, and opportunities to succeed in civilian life. That is why I am introducing a package of bills focused on real solutions: expanding healthcare access, improving transportation, and easing financial burdens for veterans pursuing an education. No one understands these challenges better than my guest for the joint address, Master Sergeant Roland L. Cooper. Roland, known to many back home as ``Coopdawg,'' has spent years fighting for veterans in New Mexico. As chairman of the Lincoln/Otero County Veterans Leadership Council, he has seen firsthand the barriers that rural veterans face: long travel times for medical care, unreliable transportation, and a system that too often overlooks them. His advocacy directly shaped my New Mexico Rural Veteran Health Care Access Act, which will redraw the Veterans Integrated Service Network lines. This change will allow veterans in Otero County and Eddy County to receive care at a closer VA facility in El Paso rather than have to travel 4 hours to Albuquerque. Access to care means little if veterans can't get there. That is why I am also introducing the Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act, which expands transportation options for rural veterans so that no one has to miss an appointment simply because they can't afford the trip. In rural communities across New Mexico and beyond, lack of transportation remains one of the greatest barriers to accessing healthcare. We also need to support veterans transitioning into civilian life. Education is a key part of that transition for many, but rising costs are making it harder. The GI Bill book and supply stipend has remained at $1,000 since 2008, even as the cost of textbooks has skyrocketed. My Veteran Education Assistance Adjustment Act will increase that stipend to $1,400, ensuring that no veteran is forced to choose between buying books or paying their utilities or rent. These bills were written with input from veterans who have lived these challenges. Even as we work to strengthen these resources, recent job cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs are making access even harder. Already, 2,400 VA employees have been dismissed. Another 1,400 were fired after them. These cuts include doctors, mental health professionals, and benefits processors. These are critical roles that veterans rely on. Behind these numbers are real people, real consequences, and real veterans waiting longer for care. VA employees have come forward anonymously, warning that these job cuts are affecting veterans' care and leading to many errors. Some of the people let go were even working on the veterans suicide crisis hotline. VA services are already stretched thin. These job losses are making it worse. That is why I am proud to introduce these crucial bills and to host Roland ``Coopdawg'' Cooper today. This is about the veterans in Otero County and Eddy County and all rural veterans who shouldn't have to choose between buying textbooks and paying rent or spending half a day on the road just to see a doctor for 20 minutes. It is about every veteran who has served this Nation with honor and deserves a government that stands with them, not one that makes them fight for the benefits that they have already earned. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support these bills. Let's ensure that veterans in my district and other rural districts across the Nation receive the care, benefits, and opportunities that they have earned because it should mean something when we say: ``Thank you for your service.'' It is our duty to back that up here in Congress. ____________________