Charlie Dent
U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) said Congress needs to work hard to move beyond an impasse over legislation that funds efforts to fight the spread of the Zika virus, and also not delay approving significant funding for the military and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“It’s critically important to the country that we care for our veterans and our military families. It’s the smart thing to do,” Dent, the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, said in an interview with the Ripon Advance.
“At the same time, we have to make sure that we can invest in combating the growth of the Zika virus. We have to do it fast because summer is here and mosquitoes are going to be around for awhile,” Dent added.
The House of Representatives recently approved the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Zika Response Appropriations Act, H.R. 2577, final conference report.
The legislation for fiscal year 2017 provides $82.5 billion in discretionary funding, $2.6 billion above the current level, to train and equip military personnel, pay for military construction projects, provide housing to military families, and fund veterans’ benefits and programs, among other initiatives.
It also provides $1.1 billion in immediate funding for domestic and international efforts to combat the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which can cause serious birth defects for infants of women who are bitten while pregnant.
Senate Democrats this week blocked the legislation over differences with the Zika funding portion of the bill and it is viewed as unlikely that a compromise will be reached before Congress breaks for summer recess.
“I still remain optimistic that we will pass a bill that will make it to the president’s desk. I am optimistic, but I can’t help but express how disappointed I am that we reached an impasse,” Dent added.
The Zika-related part of the legislation places tight oversight over how federal agencies spend dollars on controlling Zika. The bill contains funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, primarily for mosquito control efforts, and the National Institutes of Health, to support vaccine research and diagnostic tests for Zika. In addition, it includes funding for global health programs and other initiatives.
Dent noted that the bill also includes an unprecedented amount of funding for the VA. “We’re spending the most money we have ever spent on veterans,” he said.
Discretionary funding for VA programs in the bill totals $74.4 billion, a four percent increase above the fiscal year 2016 level. The bill funds VA medical services at $52.8 billion, providing for the treatment of about seven million patients in the next fiscal year.
Dent said the bill prioritizes veterans’ medical services by providing significant funds for mental health, suicide prevention, brain injury treatment and homeless veterans treatment. It also addresses treatment of veterans with hepatitis C, as well as long-term care initiatives.
The disability claims processing backlog is also addressed in the legislation.
“We have additional funding to hire new staff, do digital scanning, improve the patient claims processing system, and we also worked to integrate the VA health record system, to modernize that,” Dent said.
As a result of reports of mismanagement at the VA, the bill also contains greater oversight and accountability provisions and protection for whistleblowers. There also is a requirement that large construction projects for the VA be managed by outside entities such as the Army Corps of Engineers, he added, and funding would be increased for the VA Inspector General.
With so many worthy programs and urgent initiatives at stake in the bill, Dent said, “We are going to have to work very hard to fund our veterans and to fund Zika.”