Honoring our Veterans
This week, as we do every November 11, America paused to remember the brave men and women who have put their lives on the line to defend liberty and opportunity for their neighbors at home and friends of freedom around the world. The following day, the House of Representatives approved the Senate-passed agreement which will reopen the federal government through the end of January. The bill, which I supported, also completes our work funding several agencies for the full fiscal year, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
While I am pleased Congress met its commitment to our veterans the same week we commemorated their sacrifice, I am also heartened to know the VA is much less affected by government shutdowns because of legislation I previously supported. Under the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, the VA is funded through a process known as advance appropriations. This bill requires VA to report more budgetary data so Congress can utilize the information to project and authorize spending one year ahead of schedule. While advance appropriations is not appropriate for every agency because it lengthens the gap between spending and oversight, utilizing this mechanism for the VA ensures our veterans can receive the care and benefits they deserve even when other agencies are subject to a shutdown.
The funding legislation we enacted includes language I supported to prohibit the VA from transmitting information about a veteran’s fiduciary status to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to prevent them from purchasing firearms. The capacity to responsibly own and utilize firearms is distinct from the capacity to manage one’s finances, and I am glad the Trump administration also requested this language be in the bill. Because appropriations language only covers the applicable fiscal year, I am also a cosponsor of legislation to make this protection permanent.
Beyond the appropriations process I have cosponsored several other bills this year to ensure our veterans are recognized and receive the services they deserve. One, sponsored by my Nebraska colleague Rep. Mike Flood, would add the names of 74 servicemembers from the USS Frank E. Evans killed in an accident just outside the designated Vietnam combat zone to the Vietnam Wall. Three of those killed were from Niobrara, Nebraska, in the Third District. Another piece of legislation I have cosponsored is the Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act. This would require the VA to issue a death certificate within 48 hours when a veteran passes away in the care of the VA, addressing current, unnecessary waits of up to eight weeks. I am also a cosponsor of the Ensuring Veterans Timely Access to Anesthesia Care Act, which enables nurse anesthetists to work in VA facilities, improving access and reducing wait times for veterans awaiting certain medical procedures.
Veterans Day is one of my favorite days of the year because it provides great opportunities for young Nebraskans to learn about and celebrate the generations before who have defended their God-given freedoms. While I was in Washington on Veterans Day this year awaiting votes in the House, I had the opportunity to see a combined band from Horizon and Sunrise Middle Schools in Kearney perform for the National Parade of Heroes. It was inspiring to see them perform, and I look forward to celebrating our veterans and ensuring federal policies address their concerns in the future.