proud to stand beside her today in support of this good rule and talk
about the future of America.
  I first have to say this: One of the things that makes America great
is that anything is possible, and I am very optimistic that we will be
able to pass legislation to make us all proud.
  Just last week, we celebrated the 250th anniversary of America and
the idea of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In my mind,
when you talk about the pursuit of happiness, it means improved by
care. That is exactly what we are looking to do when we change for the
better our VA system.
  As the son of a veteran and a father of a person now in the military,
we make very simple pledges: that if you choose to serve your country,
we will provide for you after your service. This bill will make sure
that surely not only will you get the pension you deserve, but also
benefits if injured in service. It is common sense, and it has,
unfortunately, taken this long to get it all together.
  The good news is that help is on the way. We respect those who serve,
those soldiers who put their lives on the line every single day for us
and allowed us to live in freedom for over 250 years.
  For too many veterans, getting healthcare benefits means dealing with
long lines, confusing paperwork, or unnecessary government red tape.
This bill will fix that.
  It makes it easier for veterans to see a doctor when they need one,
whether it is at a VA hospital or a trusted provider back at home. It
speeds up disability payments, expands access to mental health care,
and also improves care for veterans with serious injuries. It also
helps families who have sacrificed alongside them. It provides more
support for caregivers, protects benefits for surviving spouses, and
gives servicemembers better tools to transition from military life to
civilian careers.

  Just last week, I met with so many veterans back in my district, and
they know that there are some things that maybe we can improve, as
always. What I think politics is is the art of the possible, and
without a doubt, this bill will move forward, keeping the promise that
you will get not just your pension but your benefits that you have
earned should you be injured in service.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair for putting this forward. It is so
important that we move this type of bill forward because we are
celebrating the 250th anniversary and the pursuit of happiness because
of the sacrifice our veterans have made.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me just respond to the gentleman by saying that
whatever good is in this veterans bill is offset by the bad. Basically,
they are saying we are providing veterans' benefits by cutting other
veterans' benefits. I mean, this is a shell game.
  That is why the VFW is furious, why they are pissed over this bill,
why they have told their membership to contact Members of Congress,
Democrats and Republicans, to oppose it.
  If this were a tax cut for billionaires, my Republican friends don't
care about an offset. If it is an illegal war in Iran, they don't care
about offsets. When it comes to providing veterans' benefits, all of a
sudden, we have to find offsets. Those offsets that they have found to
pay for this are by cutting other veterans' benefits. That is
unconscionable. That is wrong, and everybody should vote ``no'' on that
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania
(Ms. Dean).
  Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member
McGovern for his remarks, and I could not agree with him more.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this rule for many
reasons, as expressed--the outrage about what is in here regarding
veterans and their deserved, earned benefits. For my remarks, within
it, I will speak to the Sunshine Protection Act.
  I worry that this bill is repeating the mistakes of the past and that
it is being rushed to the floor without a robust committee process.
  We tried permanent daylight saving time during the 1970s oil crisis,
and it lasted less than a year. The policy was popular until parents
realized their children had to travel to school in darkness, armed with
flashlights. After eight Florida children were killed in traffic
accidents, the Governor called on Congress to end the 2-year experiment
early.

                              {time}  1240

  Over 50 years later, we are making the same mistake again. Please,
let's not. We are doing it with less information.
  The only hearing on time zones this Congress focused on tourism and
golf courses. Members should have been able to speak and ask doctors
how permanent daylight savings time would affect our health, safety,
and well-being.
  My home State is Pennsylvania. We did just this in April. In a
hearing, Dr. Indira Gurubhagavatula, director of the Sleep Medicine
Fellowship at UPenn, explained that our body clocks rely on bright
light when we wake up in the morning and dim light in the evening
before we go to bed.
  Under this bill, Pennsylvanians would wake up in the darkness for
months. In some parts of the State, over 100 sunrises would be after 8
a.m. Disruption in our natural sleep-wake cycle can reduce reaction
time, alertness, and other measures of performance and safety.
  Sleep deprivation leads to a higher risk of serious health conditions
like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, depression, and some
forms of cancer.
  This topic deserves robust debate, not a closed rule. Congresswoman
Scanlon proposed an amendment for a permanent standard time to do just
that, but it was promptly rejected.
  In closing, for the health and safety of our constituents, I urge my
colleagues to vote ``no'' on the rule.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that we defeat the previous question. If we defeat
the previous question, I will offer an amendment to allow the House to
take an up-or-down vote on an amendment to H.R. 8595, sponsored by
Representative Schrier, which would reverse the cuts to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention that were imposed by the Trump
administration that could have prevented the ongoing outbreak of
cyclospora, a parasite that has already infected thousands of
Americans.
  Last year, the Trump administration began illegally defunding Federal
health and science agencies, firing scientists and researchers, and
cutting programs that keep us healthy and safe.
  One of the programs that Trump cut was called FoodNet, and it helped
Federal and State public officials monitor and prevent outbreaks for
eight different foodborne illnesses, including cyclospora. Yet, after
Trump and his DOGE goons got their hands on this lifesaving program,
the government stopped monitoring cyclospora.
  That was stupid. It was dumb. Our country is now experiencing a full-
blown outbreak of, you guessed it, cyclospora.
  For the sake of everyone's health, I urge my colleagues to defeat the
previous question so we can reverse these dangerous cuts.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my
amendment into the Record along with any extraneous material
immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rulli). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, to discuss our proposal, I yield 2\1/2\
minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Schrier).
  Ms. SCHRIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member McGovern for
yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, right now, our country is facing a public health crisis
that has been created by the Trump administration. From misinformation
about vaccines and lifesaving medicines to devastating cuts to critical
research, along with political litmus tests, this administration is
putting Americans in danger.
  Specifically, the cuts to the CDC have been disastrous. Our public
health workforce has been attacked, and our ability to assess and
respond to outbreaks has been decimated.
  We are now seeing the worst measles outbreak in decades, and the
number of