I want to make sure that our wounded, double amputee above the knees, 2-year rehabilitation, remains on active duty.

My obligation to the veterans of this country is to make sure that the VA can function and meet the obligation to our Nation's veterans.

I think if we do it correctly we can have a great success this year, and I thank you for your work on it.

In Massachusetts there is nearly 1,000 miles of freight track which supports millions of dollars of goods that move in and out the commonwealth each year, and we need to clearly continue to invest in our aging infrastructure and modernize…

Safety in our rails is also paramount. Passenger trains often also share the same tracks as freight trains.

We need to make sure that we do everything to avoid another catastrophe like this.

Right now we are seeing that upwards of three-quarters of pedestrians who are killed are killed in urban areas.

Unfortunately, the increase in oil shipments by rail has come with an increase in horrible accidents; 2014 was a record year for spilling oil on railways with 141 reported unintentional releases.

We look forward to continuing to work with the regulators in order to reach a balance in the tank car standards.

I am very concerned about the Department of Transportation's failure to adopt new rules that address the retiring of old DOT-111 tank cars that clearly pose a danger to our citizens and our communities.

The Constitution puts on the Congress the responsibility to provide and maintain, to raise and support military forces that can defend the country.

Boston had 800,000 people who lived there in 1950. It drifted all the way down to about 600,000.

The 'limited evidence' and 'substantial uncertainty' that CBO references is the direct result of VA's failure to provide the information that is needed.

Our work will require open and ongoing cooperation and communication with veterans, stakeholders, and--most importantly--VA leaders.

Limited evidence and substantial uncertainty make it difficult to reach firm conclusions about the VHA's relative costs.

To create a Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System that provides timely, accessible, and high-quality care that our veterans can be proud to call their own.

I think that is the kind of data we need to have, and we need to be able to provide oversight.

the VA's testimony provided for this hearing is unacceptable, and I have begun examining measures that will require the VA to be much more open with the American people moving forward.