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Source: Congress.gov
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Good afternoon. The committee will come to order. Without objection, the chair may declare recess at any time. Before we begin, I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extenuous material. Hearing no objections, so ordered. Before we begin, I want to thank Secretary Collins for being here today. You know, this is his first time to testify before our committee, but not his first time in the House. So welcome back. I want to ensure that we have a productive hearing today. To have a productive hearing, I want to ask that all members be respectful to other members and the witnesses. And let's follow the House rules on decorum. We are here to review the Department's Veteran Affairs budget request for fiscal year 2026. One couple other things I want to add to that is what we're going to do is rather than five minutes, we're going to have seven minutes for the questions, so we know that. We're also, I and the ranking member will wait and ask our questions probably at that, no, last. And the reason we're doing that is we know that probably two hours into this, which odds are it'll take more than two hours, we will be called for votes. And I know many of you will want to catch a flight if you can. So that's the idea and intent is to try to get the members that have to have flights out have an opportunity to ask questions. So let's get right to it. The president has requested $187.2 billion for VA for next year. That includes $134.6 billion in discretionary funding and another $50 billion from the Toxic Exposure Fund. That's an increase of more than 17% over last year. Now, that's a serious proposal and a clear reflection on the priorities, I believe, of this administration.
While it seems there is not much common ground to be found in Congress these days, one issue does unite us, and that's the belief that VA should be fully funded to provide top-notch care to our veterans and their families. House Republicans will continue to ensure that promise remains true. And while I'm optimistic about the proposal so far, I am hoping that this administration can avoid the total chaos and financial mismanagement that we witnessed during the end of the Biden administration. Despite receiving the largest VA budget in history, the department reported an alleged shortfall late last year, not because of underfunding, but because of poor internal accounting and a lack of fiscal discipline, and that's putting it nicely. Biden VA officials misused the hiring and pay authority Congress provided. Then, when the numbers didn't add up, they turned around and tried to shift the blame. They needlessly alarmed veterans and accused Republicans of putting their care at risk, all while refusing to take responsibility for the decisions that got them there in the first place. It was political theater at its worst, and while doing that, the department budget practices have become harder, not easier to follow. It makes you wonder if it was on purpose. Key obligations were shifted between accounts. Basic funding needs were moved around. That's not what Congress intended. It's not what veterans deserve. I would also like to take a moment to address and recognize efforts underway at the VA. Over the last few months, I've heard baseless accusations from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle about how Doge, Boogeyman, and the Secretary Collins are planning to reduce VA's workforces by 83,000 employees.
This is simply not true. As we have heard, countless times from the Secretary, VA is currently reviewing its organizational structure to find reforms that best suit the needs of our veterans today. And by the way, this review is long overdue. The one Reoccurring thing that we have constantly hear from the VA in our hearings is that VA bureaucracy poses a greater danger to the health of our veterans than the illnesses they seek treatment for. And I applaud the Trump administration for conducting this necessary review to change course and ensure veterans have access to the care they deserve. We will also hear from the other side that Secretary Collins refused to answer their questions and will not communicate with Congress. That is also not true. On several occasions, the secretary's staff have come up the hill to brief the committee staff in both the House and the Senate on the status of the reorganization efforts. So to tell my fellow veterans, when my colleagues try to catch a sound bite and tell you that Secretary Collins and the Trump administration dismantling the VA do not take the bait.
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