WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mark Walker (R-N.C.) today released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3525, U.S. Border Patrol Medical Screening Standards Act, in a 230-184 vote:
“Earlier this week, I said impeachment was the House Democrats only agenda. I was mistaken. They just passed legislation that will give illegal immigrants better health care records than our veterans and servicemembers. More and more they are making their priorities clear and it’s absolutely shameful.”
The U.S. Border Patrol Medical Screening Standards Act requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create an electronic health record system of illegal border crossers within 90 days of enactment.
The problem? The Veterans Administration (VA) will not have similar electronic health records systems in place for nine years and the Department of Defense (DOD) will not have those systems for another five years.
Additionally, the new requirements are not funded, so DHS would be forced to take funds from other agency efforts including border security, combatting terrorism, stopping drug and human trafficking, and natural disaster response.
