Political Quotes

“I thank the Presiding Officer and thank my friend from Oregon. I appreciate the opportunity to be on the floor today to talk about veterans care. It is an important issue that is not only critical to my State but across the country. As we know, it has been in the papers, on the TV, on the Internet, and everywhere else you can imagine. There are few more important issues that we work on that have such a critical potential for impact on so many people, when you think about it. These folks have sacrificed so much for us--our veterans--and now it is important for us to make sure they have the proper care for all of their service. Of course, the VA system is all over the national news, as I mentioned. Whatever you read, everywhere you turn, there is something about the system and what is going on. But I want to talk about Alaska's veterans programs that we are doing up there, especially around health care. For me, veterans are a big deal. It is a big deal because Alaska has so many. Just to give you the lay of the land, we have over 77,000 veterans in Alaska. Almost 10 percent of the population of my State is veterans who have served this country in many different aspects throughout their careers and coming to Alaska to make it their home. Along with the 77,000 veterans in Alaska, across the Nation the VA has more than 11 million veterans registered or enrolled. I have in the Chamber this picture of some rural veterans in Bethel, AK.…”