WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) took to the House Floor to denounce Republicans' attempt to hijack the VA’s budget and ban veterans from accessing reproductive health care. Below is a transcript of her remarks: 

“This month marks two years since extreme MAGA Republicans dismantled Roe v. Wade, subjecting American women to reproductive oppression not seen for half a century. But for the other side of the aisle, it’s still not enough. 

“In Texas, they unleashed bounty hunters on pregnant women. In Ohio, they prosecuted a woman for having a miscarriage. In Alabama, they shut down fertility treatments. And today, in the United States Capitol, they’ve chosen their next target: our veterans. 

“Today, they’re telling two million women veterans that, if they need an abortion to save their life, the VA should turn them away. That MAGA ideology matters more than our veterans’ health, their freedom, even their survival.

“There was a time in this Chamber when we would unite behind our country’s flag and the patriots who serve under it. But in this version of the Republican Party, extremism has displaced patriotism. They are so consumed by fanaticism that they would hijack our VA budget and threaten the very women who defended their freedom to speak in this Chamber.

“My colleagues should be ashamed to play a part in this attack on our nation’s heroes. What a craven abandonment of oath and country.”

To watch the full speech, click HERE.