U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard and Colleen Hanabusa of Hawaii  joined a group today in sending a letter to their party leaders asking that Congress be kept in session until a Veterans Affairs health-reform bill is passed.

The letter is signed by dozens of other members of Congress.

“The House and Senate have each passed different versions of legislation, and the bill has since been stalled in a conference committee,” according to a press release from Gabbard’s office.

The USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor.

Chad Blair/Civil Beat

“Veterans have waited too long for basic medical care,” said Gabbard. “They shouldn’t have to wait another day for government bureaucrats to take action, or for Congress to set aside partisan bickering.

Gabbard, a twice-deployed combat veteran, added: “Congress shouldn’t leave Washington next week if VA health reform legislation is not passed. There’s no excuse for continued inaction. This legislation will be one step forward in the process of comprehensively overhauling the VA. In the meantime, veterans need to be able to access healthcare from non-VA providers in their communities immediately.”

Gabbard is supporting the ACT Now for Veterans legislation that she says would “cut the red tape and allow veterans to get care now.”

The House is scheduled to adjourn for the August recess July 31, while the Senate’s recess is set to begin Aug. 4.

Should Congress stay in session, it would prove challenging for Hanabusa and U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, who are competing in the Aug. 9 Democratic primary race for Senate. Gabbard is unopposed in the primary.