House Committee on Veterans' Affairs

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January 23, 2009

Committee Approves Membership and Leadership Assignments for the 111th Congress

For more information, contact: Brian Lawrence, 202-225-3527

Washington, D.C. – Thursday, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs held an organizational meeting to approve its membership, assignments, and oversight plans for the 111^th Congress.

Ranking Member Steve Buyer of Indiana welcomed new and returning congressional members, and thanked Cliff Stearns of Florida for his willingness to continue to serve as Deputy Ranking Member. Buyer also thanked staff members for their professionalism and dedication to serving veterans. 

“I especially want to note my appreciation for the hard work of my staff during the Holiday break,” Buyer said. “These dedicated individuals took time away from their families and activities to conduct a complete review of ongoing minor and major VA construction projects. Including these projects in the stimulus package would expedite the construction of new VA medical facilities and expand existing ones.”

 “Their work fulfilled its purpose, and I am pleased that the stimulus package currently being developed in the House includes my maintenance funding proposal for VA medical facilities and cemeteries. While this is heartening, I urge my colleagues to go to the full extent for veterans and adopt my all of my recommendations, including initiatives to create economic opportunities for veterans.  The stimulus package should provide $1 billion to help veterans establish and operate small businesses, plus an additional $357 million to increase employment training and job placement programs for veterans, especially homeless women veterans.”  

“It is our privilege to represent the noble warriors who have defended liberty,” Buyer said. “I look forward to working cooperatively with the Obama Administration as well as members on both sides of the aisle to ensure that returning servicemembers returning from and , and veterans of previous generations, are provided the benefits and services they have earned.” 

The Committee unanimously approved by voice vote a number of business items pertaining to committee and subcommittee membership and leadership assignments. The website listed below links to the results of these votes.

The final order of business was approval of the Committee oversight plan for the 111^th Congress. It includes areas in which the Committee and its subcommittees expect to conduct oversight over the next two years, but it does not preclude oversight or investigation of other issues that may arise. The oversight agenda includes modernizing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) claims processing system to eliminate the claims backlog, examining the VA health care system to ensure the most efficient and effective delivery structure is in place, and reviewing the VA employment programs that are in place to enhance veterans’ economic opportunities.  

“Our oversight plan has a tremendous level of continuity that we have built on and improved throughout the past four years,” Buyer said. “With the increasing numbers of men and women returning from and , we must work with our Senate colleagues, the VA, and veterans’ service organizations, to find solutions to the problems that hamper the delivery of benefits and health care to our nation’s heroes.”