Congressional Record—Senate S2984
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S2984 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 14, 2014 law enforcement officers across Ken- were forced to endure extremely long but tainting that promise of our com- tucky and the Nation. We are grateful wait times and, in some cases, they mitment to the next generation of our so many have come to town for Na- were denied those cancer screenings al- military servicemembers and veterans. tional Police Week. together. He said, as a result, up to The generation that is now preparing We recognize theirs as both an honor- ‘‘15,000 patients [veterans all] who to embark for places such as West able profession and a dangerous one. should have gotten colonoscopies ei- Point, Annapolis, and Colorado We recognize that what they do is vi- ther did not get them or were examined Springs—these young people should be tally necessary to maintain peace and only after long and needless delays.’’ given not just a promise but an iron- order in a civil society. Dr. Krugman believes that some of clad commitment that after serving f these veterans actually died as a result our Nation with honor and courage of the lack of cancer screening and ad- they will get the support they have RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME dressing their symptoms. earned and they deserve. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- He also told the Examiner that ‘‘an Anything less is just not acceptable. pore. Under the previous order, the office secretary deleted about 1,800 or- I yield the floor. leadership time is reserved. ders for medical tests or other services The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- pore. The Senator from Oregon. f to eliminate a backlog that threatened a certification inspection from an out- EXPIRE ACT HIRE MORE HEROES ACT OF 2014— side group.’’ Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, the Sen- MOTION TO PROCEED Sadly, these allegations fit within a ate is now debating the EXPIRE Act. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- larger pattern of VA abuses. At VA This is bipartisan legislation. I again pore. Under the previous order, the clinics across the country, reports have thank the distinguished Senator from Senate will resume consideration of been made that staffers and adminis- Utah Mr. HATCH. He has been so con- the motion to proceed to H.R. 3474, trators have failed to provide veterans structive in trying to build a bipar- which the clerk will report. with reliable access to medical care tisan piece of legislation, a bill that The assistant legislative clerk read and have fraudulently concealed long came out of the Senate Finance Com- as follows: wait times. Given all these examples, mittee several weeks ago with very substantial bipartisan support. Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 332, they are not just an individual data It really is designed to deal with a H.R. 3474, to amend the Internal Revenue point, but in connecting these data Code of 1986 to allow employers to exempt points it appears that the problems number of tax provisions that are tem- porary in nature and it, in effect, ex- employees with health coverage under with the Veterans Administration are tends those temporary tax provisions TRICARE or the Veterans Administration systemic. from being taken into account for purposes What we have is nothing less than a until the end of 2015. In consultation of the employer mandate under the Patient with the distinguished Senator from Protection and Affordable Care Act. betrayal, a betrayal of our Nation’s veterans, and a betrayal of the Amer- Utah, I thought it was important to The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- ican people, all of whom deserve to call this bill the EXPIRE Act. It was important because this legislation ac- pore. The Republican whip. know the truth about what their gov- tually does expire after 2 years. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ernment is or is not doing to support Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, it pains It, in effect, says—and I said—on my our American heroes. Of course, we watch as chair of the Senate Finance me to say that almost every day brings have heard in Phoenix that this be- a new story of reported scandals and a Committee there will not be another trayal has had tragic consequences, extenders bill. It is not going to happen long list of failures and abuses within with an estimated up to 40 people dying the Department of Veterans Affairs. on my watch. This is it. after lingering on a secret waiting In effect, by extending these impor- The latest scandals are particularly list—never receiving the treatment tant provisions now for one last time, painful to me because they emanate that they were entitled to. the Congress can give itself and the Fi- from Texas, and we have a proud tradi- We still don’t know exactly how nance Committee—on a bipartisan tion of being a State that contributes a many veterans have died or otherwise basis—the space that is needed to take large number of uniformed military have suffered because of the VA’s as- on the challenge of comprehensive tax members from our State—and, of sorted failures and abuses, but we do reform. course, we have a huge population of know that it is disgraceful and unac- It is not going to be easy, but it is ab- veterans, people who have worn the ceptable for even one veteran to need- solutely imperative for the future of uniform of the United States proudly, lessly die or suffer because of bureau- the American economy. I know it can sacrificed so much, and risked it all. cratic malfeasance. The evidence of be done. I know we can get Senators of But just like the scandals in Fort Col- such malfeasance is now growing, of both political parties together and lins, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; course. The only questions are: How build a bipartisan tax reform plan. I and in other cities, the ones in Austin, can we get our veterans the care and know this because I have—and other San Antonio, Harlingen, and Waco are support they need in the fastest pos- Senators do as well—a fair amount of evidence of a callous disregard for the sible way; and what is the best way to sweat equity in this cause. health and well-being of America’s he- restore genuine accountability and Our former colleague Senator Gregg roes. genuine safeguards within the VA sys- of New Hampshire sat next to me on a The new information comes from a tem? sofa for more than 2 years to build pair of whistleblowers. The first one, a Whenever I think about the ongoing what still is the only bipartisan Senate VA scheduling clerk named Brian Tur- VA scandals and the broader set of comprehensive tax reform bill in the ner, told the Austin American-States- challenges facing America’s veterans, I last 30 years. With Senator Gregg’s re- man that his supervisors at the VA fa- think of an annual tradition that we tirement, to their credit, Senator cilities in Austin, San Antonio, and have in Texas. Every year on Memorial COATS and Senator BEGICH pitched in. Waco were directing him to falsify ap- Day I host young Texans who are being So we know that there has already pointment data in hopes of covering up sent off to their service academies. been a lot of bipartisan work on com- the problem of long wait times. These are inspiring young men and prehensive tax reform and, suffice it to Meanwhile, the former associate women. Anyone who is feeling a little say, again building on this bipartisan chief of staff at the Harlingen VA bit uncertain about our Nation’s future lineage. My colleague from Utah, the Health Care Center, a man by the name needs to meet these young men and senior Senator Mr. HATCH, and Ambas- of Dr. Richard Krugman, has gone pub- women who go to our service acad- sador Baucus and Chairman CAMP in lic with a series of disturbing allega- emies. They are the best of the best the other body, have also put in years tions, according to the Washington Ex- and are an inspiration to me. of work and laid a strong foundation aminer, which interviewed Dr. This is a wonderful event and easily for tax reform. Krugman. Veterans seeking routine one of the highlights of my year. Yet I So once the Senate passes the EX- colonoscopies—cancer screening, in can’t think of how badly the VA is fail- PIRE Act, the job of the Finance Com- other words—at the Harlingen center ing not only our current generation mittee will be to focus in a kind of VerDate Mar 15 2010 03:54 May 21, 2014 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD14\S14MY4.REC S14MY4 bjneal on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE May 14, 2014 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2985 laser-like fashion on a bipartisan plan This is National Small Business The research and development credit that is going to give all Americans the Week, and this legislation in particular is critically important to the future of opportunity to get ahead. goes to great lengths to make it at- innovation in our country. Apropos I want to emphasize that. If I were to tractive for small businesses and par- again of the bipartisan theme we have sum up my philosophy about tax re- ticularly for small businesses that taken in the Finance Committee, with form, I want everybody in America to would like to hire new workers.