Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, issued the following statement today on the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (VA MISSION) Act (H.R. 5674):

“While I recognize this bill is not perfect, my mission on the Committee has always been to provide better access to higher quality care for our nation’s veterans, and this bill advances that goal in two very important ways. First, it consolidates the various care in the community programs, which will achieve a long-term goal of mine to make it easier for veterans to access the care they need. It also expands resources for caregivers who are so critical to improving outcomes and quality of life for veterans who need it most, which has also been a top priority of mine for several years.

“With that said, I fully recognize that the bill’s approach to re-aligning facilities needs more work, and there are not enough checks and balances on those who have an ideological and wrong-footed agenda to privatize the VA. The goal is to provide the best care, which our veterans have earned and deserve, and that means finding the right balance between a strong, advanced, and appropriately resourced VA, and providing care in the community where that care is appropriate for the veteran’s healthcare needs.

“Our nation’s veterans, and those who provide their care, can rest assured that I will continue to fight for world-class care for those who have served our nation.”

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