The IG got right in there to make sure you had the right language.

But I am concerned that FEMA may not be able to handle this at this point.

At some point, you have to close them out.

Do you think there is a formula that should be looked at instead of a one-size-fits-all?

What we are really talking about is putting the risk back to the States that have the highest risk.

So, that is basically saying you can then analyze did they perform to what we believed was their qualification.

I say that in a polite way. You will feel that on a regular basis.

OK, because it is an obvious thing what happens, is we hear from people and they go, 15 years, that money has been sitting there.

I think we ought to be a little more aggressive in ensuring that they are looking at these projects.

There is part of the proposal that the Chairman has is to make sure that there's information available to potential passengers or customers.

I would hope that you would be willing to consider looking at that.

My hope is, based on your experience and what I have read--and I am very supportive of seeing you as the next Secretary--I think it is important that you hone in and be bold about what needs to be done.

We sought to reshape what we were doing in the VA, so now we have in Alaska 26 agreements with Tribes that deliver health care all over Alaska.

I want to hear you say it again, is your commitment to make sure that the women who are veterans will also get equal treatment...

Are you willing to kind of buck the system to say, here is what we need if we are serious about dealing with our veterans...

I was happy to support him when he was nominated.

I would be remiss if I did not first brag about my State and invite you to it.

We are very excited. We are getting about 70 to 80 folks a week signing up in Anchorage on those two elements.

What we are doing in Alaska... we said, 'What are we doing?'

We do not have the capacity to fill these.

This is not new. It is just they did not get the funding years ago, and now we are playing catch-up.

What is our wait time in Alaska in the Northwest Region? It is one of the lowest in the country.

Is the money well deserved for our veterans? Absolutely.

It just aggravates me when people tell me it is suddenly a new-found problem.

We just need to get after it and deal with it, and it is going to take years to change it.