February 08, 2023
Full remarks delivered by Ranking Member Takano at today’s full Committee business hearing in support of his amendment can be found below:
Mr. Chairman,
This Committee spent the last four years prioritizing efforts to open up Washington, D.C. to veterans and stakeholders from every community in the United States.
Congress is often seen as an elitist institution – one catering to those who can afford expensive lobbyists. But for all the negatives of the pandemic, this Committee was forced to modernize.
We held the first fully virtual, bipartisan proceeding in the history of Congress. We allowed witnesses to participate from their workplaces, homes, and the areas where they deliver services for veterans. In fact, we had over 400 witnesses participate remotely between April 2020 and December 2022.
We opened Washington to veterans and others, and in the process elevated voices from traditionally underserved communities. These voices brought to light vital issues impacting veterans while also showcasing the strength and diversity of the veteran population.
There is no reason to roll back progress and throw out what is serving Americans, veterans, and our constituents.
My amendment prioritizes the participation of witnesses, who—due to financial limitations, medical conditions, work schedules, or disability—may not otherwise have a voice in Congress.
Despite promises from the new Majority to make this Congress more open, the unprecedented power grab over how Committees conduct business does just the opposite. Severely restricting the participation of remote witnesses would shut out the veterans this Committee is tasked to serve, and would make those with limited financial resources or in remote parts of the country travel thousands of miles for a few hours' worth of testimony.
During the summer of 2020, Chief William Smith, of the Valdez Tribe of Alaska and Vice Chairperson of the National Indian Health Board, testified from Alaska about challenges veterans have experienced accessing care from VA and the Indian Health Service. It is unlikely Chief Smith would have had the resources, or time, to travel from Alaska, but through the use of technology we gained insights through his testimony.
Just last spring, we heard testimony from Claire Manning-Dick, the National Vice President of Gold Star Wives of America, who testified before the House and Senate from the Duck Valley Indian Reservation. The Gold Star Wives of America is a non-profit that receives no federal dollars, but through the use of technology, we were able to include Ms. Manning-Dick in our hearing.
We also heard from Mr. Paul Barabani, from the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Coalition, an all-volunteer, grassroots organization advocating for improved oversight of state veterans homes. This organization would not have been able to fund his travel to attend our hearing, but technology made it possible.
Using technology, we brought together the first-ever congressionally convened meeting of black veterans groups. Eventually, this group would go on to found the Black Veterans Empowerment Council, which has continued to advocate on behalf of the black veterans’ population to this day.
I hope few people in this room would argue against the value these witnesses brought to our work. But with the rules before us today, it is extremely unlikely we would hear from voices like theirs again.
This flexibility was not a tool utilized only by the Democratic Majority. My Republican colleagues, too, used this benefit. Together, we heard from a paralyzed veteran from Montana about the digital divide and rural technology challenges. This veteran would have needed to take a train, then fly to Washington, D.C., all while using a wheelchair to participate in a roundtable.
We need more individuals just like this veteran to testify before this Committee. We need to make this place more accessible to veterans like this. Not less!
These veterans, advocates, providers, and organizations should be granted the flexibility to appear virtually in order to focus their efforts on what matters most – serving our veterans.
My amendment doesn’t FORCE approval of these witnesses, but it does ensure each witness’s value is affirmatively considered by the Chairman. It brings a little transparency and accountability to an unnecessary limitation that only acts as a disservice to the veterans we serve.
Committee Republicans Vote Down Amendment To Prioritize Virtual Testimony – Potentially Shutting Out Veterans from Congress
Press Contact
Miguel R. Salazar
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Republican-led House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs voted against an amendment requiring the Chairman to recognize that veterans and advocates face barriers to accessing Congress and that the Committee should embrace technology to allow virtual testimony. The move followed the introduction of an amendment offered by House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Democratic Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-Calif.), which would prioritize veterans and witnesses to participate remotely in Committee proceedings if travel to Washington, D.C. were limited due to financial hardship, disability, caregiver responsibilities, or medical condition. Additionally, Ranking Member Takano’s amendment would prioritize remote participation if the witness is necessary in elevating historically disenfranchised or underrepresented veteran voices.
Between April 2020 and December 2022, the Democratic-led House Committee on Veterans' Affairs hosted over 400 remote witnesses. This flexibility was utilized by both parties to make Congress more accessible to veterans and stakeholders from every community in the United States. The result was a Congress that developed veterans policy by elevating voices from traditionally underserved communities - voices that showcased both the strength and diversity of the veteran population.
As Ranking Member Takano noted in his remarks, "We need to make this place more accessible to veterans like this. Not less! These veterans, advocates, providers, and organizations should be granted the flexibility to appear virtually in order to focus their efforts on what matters most – serving our veterans."
Between April 2020 and December 2022, the Democratic-led House Committee on Veterans' Affairs hosted over 400 remote witnesses. This flexibility was utilized by both parties to make Congress more accessible to veterans and stakeholders from every community in the United States. The result was a Congress that developed veterans policy by elevating voices from traditionally underserved communities - voices that showcased both the strength and diversity of the veteran population.
As Ranking Member Takano noted in his remarks, "We need to make this place more accessible to veterans like this. Not less! These veterans, advocates, providers, and organizations should be granted the flexibility to appear virtually in order to focus their efforts on what matters most – serving our veterans."
Full remarks delivered by Ranking Member Takano at today’s full Committee business hearing in support of his amendment can be found below:
Mr. Chairman,
This Committee spent the last four years prioritizing efforts to open up Washington, D.C. to veterans and stakeholders from every community in the United States.
Congress is often seen as an elitist institution – one catering to those who can afford expensive lobbyists. But for all the negatives of the pandemic, this Committee was forced to modernize.
We held the first fully virtual, bipartisan proceeding in the history of Congress. We allowed witnesses to participate from their workplaces, homes, and the areas where they deliver services for veterans. In fact, we had over 400 witnesses participate remotely between April 2020 and December 2022.
We opened Washington to veterans and others, and in the process elevated voices from traditionally underserved communities. These voices brought to light vital issues impacting veterans while also showcasing the strength and diversity of the veteran population.
There is no reason to roll back progress and throw out what is serving Americans, veterans, and our constituents.
My amendment prioritizes the participation of witnesses, who—due to financial limitations, medical conditions, work schedules, or disability—may not otherwise have a voice in Congress.
Despite promises from the new Majority to make this Congress more open, the unprecedented power grab over how Committees conduct business does just the opposite. Severely restricting the participation of remote witnesses would shut out the veterans this Committee is tasked to serve, and would make those with limited financial resources or in remote parts of the country travel thousands of miles for a few hours' worth of testimony.
During the summer of 2020, Chief William Smith, of the Valdez Tribe of Alaska and Vice Chairperson of the National Indian Health Board, testified from Alaska about challenges veterans have experienced accessing care from VA and the Indian Health Service. It is unlikely Chief Smith would have had the resources, or time, to travel from Alaska, but through the use of technology we gained insights through his testimony.
Just last spring, we heard testimony from Claire Manning-Dick, the National Vice President of Gold Star Wives of America, who testified before the House and Senate from the Duck Valley Indian Reservation. The Gold Star Wives of America is a non-profit that receives no federal dollars, but through the use of technology, we were able to include Ms. Manning-Dick in our hearing.
We also heard from Mr. Paul Barabani, from the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Coalition, an all-volunteer, grassroots organization advocating for improved oversight of state veterans homes. This organization would not have been able to fund his travel to attend our hearing, but technology made it possible.
Using technology, we brought together the first-ever congressionally convened meeting of black veterans groups. Eventually, this group would go on to found the Black Veterans Empowerment Council, which has continued to advocate on behalf of the black veterans’ population to this day.
I hope few people in this room would argue against the value these witnesses brought to our work. But with the rules before us today, it is extremely unlikely we would hear from voices like theirs again.
This flexibility was not a tool utilized only by the Democratic Majority. My Republican colleagues, too, used this benefit. Together, we heard from a paralyzed veteran from Montana about the digital divide and rural technology challenges. This veteran would have needed to take a train, then fly to Washington, D.C., all while using a wheelchair to participate in a roundtable.
We need more individuals just like this veteran to testify before this Committee. We need to make this place more accessible to veterans like this. Not less!
These veterans, advocates, providers, and organizations should be granted the flexibility to appear virtually in order to focus their efforts on what matters most – serving our veterans.
My amendment doesn’t FORCE approval of these witnesses, but it does ensure each witness’s value is affirmatively considered by the Chairman. It brings a little transparency and accountability to an unnecessary limitation that only acts as a disservice to the veterans we serve.
Full text of the amendment can be found here.
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