I commend President Trump for issuing two executive orders in the last 2 years to rally Federal, State, and local government agencies, as well as nongovernmental organizations, around this issue.

Ultimately, it's up to all of us to reduce and prevent veteran suicide because this is not a problem VA can solve alone.

We would greatly appreciate your consideration to hold another no later than July of this year.

Of the 20 suicide deaths per day among our Nation's heroes, 14 have not received, as the Chairman said, VA health care in the 2 years preceding their deaths.

Our goal should be more than just preventing suicide. It should be helping our veterans to live a life of meaning and joy.

A grateful nation cares for you. Both your service and life are valued, and your continued existence is necessary to advancing the causes for which you so selfless served.

We do not have the mental health infrastructure not just for VA, but for our citizens in this country anymore, and it is something we are going to have to learn to deal with as a Nation.

Unquestionably, too little progress has been made. Unquestionably, a business as usual approach to this crisis is not sufficient.

Tonight's topic is the most important, most confounding, and the most heartbreaking one that we will discuss in this Committee.

Truly thanking veterans for their service means helping them when they need it most and rise above political opportunism to support veterans in crisis.

99.6 percent of veteran suicides are not occurring on our campuses.

It was clear in the Roundtable on Suicide sponsored earlier by Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Dr. Roe that neither VA nor DOD was even thinking in these terms.

While suicide is a tragedy no matter where it happens, it is particularly painful when it occurs on the grounds of a Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility with help mere feet away.

the fact that help was a few feet away is deeply troubling.

We thank you for the opportunity to testify on this deeply troubling issue of the growing number of suicides amongst the veteran community.

I think what we need to do with all of the candidates, have an issue-oriented campaign, not personal attacks, but talk about what we have done in our political lives, what we want to do as president, and how we're going to transform our…

I do feel indignation and anger against a president who told the American people -- you remember this -- he would provide health care to everybody and yet he worked overtime to try to throw 32 million Americans off of the health care that…

We need new trade policies which protect the interests of American workers and not just the CEOs of large corporations.