I thank the ranking member for his comments. This is the first step for reform in the VA. We are beginning to move in the right direction. I urge a ``yes'' vote. ____________________

Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Arizona for his question. It was the Senator from Arizona who initiated the Choice Act movement in August of last year when we had the terrible crisis in Phoenix where appointments weren't made for…

Exactly. With one exception. If it is a modification to a CBOC or a clinic or something like that, that is a smaller allocation or a smaller appropriation. Maybe anything under $25 million, they might do, but anything over $25 million…

It is the most intelligent question anybody can ask. The press questioned me in Denver, when I went there, along with Ranking Member Blumenthal, and we looked at the situation firsthand. After looking at it and interviewing the VA people…

I want to acknowledge the fact that Choice would have never happened, and this would have never happened, had the Senator from Arizona not immediately responded when the crisis first started and fixed this. We appreciate his leadership…

Mr. President, I will be joined on the floor by the distinguished Senator from Connecticut, Mr. Blumenthal, who is the ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee; Senator McCain of Arizona, who is the leader behind the Choice…

Mr. President, we are fixing it, and I appreciate both questions. On question No. 1, we need to repeal the sunset of Choice, which is in 2 years, and make it permanent. Choice is a force multiplier for the VA, which is good, and it is an…

Mr. Speaker, before my time in Congress, if someone had told me that I would spend 90 percent of my time fighting executive regulatory overreach, nobody would have believed me, but it is the truth. In the past 7 months, I have found out…

Mr. Speaker, this Confederate flag, which is a symbol of systemic oppression and racial subjugation, was recently lowered in the State of South Carolina. But this same flag, which symbolizes so many inequities in our country, is still…

Mr. Speaker, this last Sunday, my family and I attended church at the First Baptist Church of Woodstock in Woodstock, Georgia. It is not the first time we ever attended that church, as we have worshipped there before; but it is possibly…

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I want to thank Chairman Miller of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Ranking Member Brown, and, of course, Chairman Dent, who chairs the Appropriations MILCON-VA Subcommittee, where I serve as…

If Congress continues to function under these budgets caps, we will see more gaps in access, utilization, safety, and, ultimately, a lower standard of care. Even further, the caps limit Congress' options to create jobs, keep our…

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Farenthold), another fighter for his district and those who are affected by regulation.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), the chairman of the Small Business Committee and a fighter for small businesses and the families that they represent.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Young), the author of this piece of legislation.

Mr. Chair, I have to agree with my friend from Georgia. I agree with him on his statement that this administration's recovery has been amazing. It has been amazingly bad. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the…

Mr. Speaker, it has been said--and we have moved beyond the old adage many times--if it moves, regulate it; or, if it exists, to regulate it. It is an interesting paradigm today because it is time for Washington to focus on creating a…