For me, fully funding the VA is a national security issue.

This is an epidemic by any yardstick or measurement.

we can afford that.

Breast cancer is a disease I take very seriously. I lost my only two sisters to this killer.

Of course, the ultimate goal of all the money that we have been putting into breast cancer research is to hopefully find a means of prevention, a vaccine or some other treatment that would be a preventive measure for breast cancer.

So far not. Therefore, it would seem to me logical that if a woman could find a cancer earlier, not knowing whether it is indolent or aggressive, and it could be removed with the least invasive procedure, it would seem to me she would be…

I believe that is true also, but I think early detection right now is still the best.

They all agreed that access to mammography is critical. Especially for Medicare beneficiaries.

I believe we need to keep screening mammography in our arsenal.

I am sorry I came in a little late, Madam Chair.

I think one of the purposes of our hearing is to try to clear the air a little and get a little more clarity for the women of this country.

I want to thank her for her foresight 10 years ago in addressing this issue.

You said in your testimony that we have got to ask if mammography screening is the best use of finite dollars.

I guess we are playing some kind of a word game here.

Every single person I talked to yesterday in my State of Iowa answered yes.

It is very difficult to make up your mind when you are faced with a life-threatening illness.

I thought the answer to that was, all other things being equal, yes, it makes a difference.

Well, again, we're trying to clear this up and trying to get a definitive answer to women out there.