The neighborhoods hardest hit by the subprime crisis have been those where minority residents predominate.

Through several settlements, state regulators have returned nearly one billion dollars to consumers.

So, in other words, the medical alerts that went out were ignored or devalued from a standpoint of importance?

Now the VA has maintained that it is very transparent when it comes to its disclosure of adverse events, even more so than the private sector.

How about from a standpoint of infection? How many Hepatitis B or HIV before this is a medical problem?

I would agree.

I hope that you will publicly or privately share with us when those epidemiologists come back after they have looked at the genomic connection.

You read an independent review of the Pennsylvania facility on the brachy treatment. If an independent facility went and assessed all of the facilities relative to reprocessing devices, would the report be as glowing today?

How many lives need to be at risk before this is a medical problem?

Simply put, this is an unacceptable way to treat our veterans or their families.

I think that suggests that there is something extremely serious to look at, whether there is fire behind the curtain.

In my capacity as Ranking Member of the Committee and as a Senator from North Carolina who represents 7,500 veterans in a 3-county area that are serviced by Mountain Home, I was not told...

I guess I am having a little disconnect because in the previous question you suggested they were ignored.

I hold you in high esteem for the jobs that you do.

Last week, you released a report evaluating VHA's National Patient Safety Program.

So why would an institution not require a health care professional to follow the manufacturer's recommended sterilization and/or the FDA's recommendation?

There is a human element to this issue that must not be forgotten or overlooked at all.

I guess my direct question is having noted those deficiencies in those three facilities, at what point would it trigger you to take a more aggressive stand relative to VA's remediation of the deficiencies?