We ask that the subcommittee find the funds necessary to maintain and expand this important initiative.

We are extremely grateful for the support members of this subcommittee and other conservation leaders in Congress have shown for Federal conservation programs during these challenging fiscal times.

Your continued support, along with the strong commitment from the last four Florida Governors, has kept restoration on a strong and steady path.

I rise this morning to discuss an issue that is pretty near and dear to my heart and I think to the hearts of many throughout the State of Alaska, and that is--I will call it an aberration, an aberration in the fish world. What I am…

I will just conclude by noting that when the President came to Alaska in late August, early September, and sat down with a group of Native leaders, one of the more interesting questions to him was whether or not we could do more to kind of…

It's something that we are looking at and, again, trying to figure out if there is a way that we can make this work.

Are the National Guard entrance standards so high as to exclude a significant population that may deserve that second chance?

our VA health system in Alaska is a mess. I referred to it last week as chaotic.

I do not understand why.

I need to know that we are all in agreement as to where there is.

we need to ditch Choice, we need to go back to what we had built where VA have identified community providers.

It scares me to death.

I am here this afternoon on the floor to join with colleagues as we discuss the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, CARA. I would suggest that from the perspective of families across the country, many would look at this and say this…

We do not want to participate in a national consolidated program. Those are all the buzzwords that just do not work for us.

It was like every hearing on an annual basis.

Who is in charge of executing that plan just in terms of making sure you move through as many of them as quickly as possible?

This is simply not tolerable, it's not acceptable.

Know that we will continue to try to work with you on this.

You've got to be kidding me. There's no way to possibly provide some upgrades to a situation that is in desperate need.

I agree with you 100 percent. It is very much needed.

Those that would question the costs, I think, need to look to just the full brutal impact of this disease.

Well, then let me ask about another, because I understand that CMS has raised similar questions with regards to Pine Ridge Hospital, also in South Dakota, and they've also received a termination letter.

What we really need to know is that there is a plan going forward.

I think there are so many other areas that we can look to. We're going to have a hearing this afternoon in Indian Affairs on the budget as it relates to Indian Affairs.

I appreciate you specifically highlighting the ALS research and the advancements that have been made.