I would call on everybody to remove those holds and put the Inspector General in place for the Veterans Administration.

I think you have made some good progress, including yesterday's announcement that the VA is now able to fund care for all veterans with hepatitis C.

I was very excited to hear that you all are working with medical schools and standing up medical schools and additional residencies, which really make a difference.

I will submit my additional questions for the record, because my time has expired.

Thank you very much, Senator Baldwin.

I look forward to an update on this research as it moves forward on how we can ensure veterans get the treatment they need for such exposure.

I understand that you recently signed off on a medical investigator report pertaining to the Albuquerque VA medical center.

This means that IHS can no longer bill for Medicare and Medicaid services and that in many instances tribal members will have to travel long distances to get care.

I'm very pleased to see that you've included a 14 percent increase for alcohol and substance abuse programs as part of your 2017 budget request.

I've introduced a bill with the Chairman, Senator Murkowski, that will make the IHS Health Professions Awards Program exempt from a Federal income tax requirement.

Absolutely, absolutely unacceptable.

It's going to be an uphill battle for this subcommittee to fully fund your proposal given the flat budget caps in 2017.

But that's just a temporary fix, and we must do more.

It's absolutely intolerable for any IHS emergency facility to close for any amount of time, and cutbacks to essential services like obstetrics are also unacceptable.

The need is clearly there, and the community is desperate to maintain these life-saving services.

I think it's critical that we continue to make progress on these issues.

I continue to hear from tribal leaders in New Mexico, including the Mescalero Apache Tribe and others who are concerned for the well-being of their people.

Madam Chairman, you've been a great champion for programs that are so critical to Native communities in both our States and throughout Indian Country.