Of all the confirmation hearings that I am involved in this year, I know of none more important than this one.

I think the same thing is probably true in information technology in the VA.

The minute a permanent one is confirmed, and if it is you, there is going to be tremendous scrutiny and responsibility on your shoulders to turn the ship and get the VA and the IG's Office cooperating in fixing the wrongs and righting the…

It is about time we started getting some results.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I think our need to know is important.

We have a very serious problem at the Veterans Administration.

For your benefit and the rest of the Members of the Committee and Senator Moran, who has been outspoken on this issue, we are working with VA staff now and we hope in a couple of weeks to have statutory language for the care you need being…

My focus is first on the veterans' priorities.

Thank you, Senator Brown.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Missal.

I think we need to get the VA health system out of the business of building buildings and into the business of saving lives.

I want to ask one of the staff members to give you a business card that I just handed off.

I think it ought to be in saving lives, providing care and comfort to our veterans, and seeing to it those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are getting the treatment they should get.

If outcomes are the measure by which health care is judged and construction is judged, the outcome in terms of that hospital is horrible.

That is a billion dollars that should not come from other veterans health care. That is a principle that I will fight to uphold.

I have called for outside investigations, in part because I have doubts about whether or not the Inspector General in the VA has the resources, the expertise, and independence to do these investigations vigorously and aggressively.

I hope they got Senator Blumenthal's message loud and clear.