We cannot ignore the alarming rates of suicide in Indian Country.

The suicide statistics in Indian Country would have to concern anyone. They deeply concern me.

Well, if you are the one going broke--and, believe me, dairy is not making any money at the moment, quite the opposite. Pork is really getting hammered. Beef has not been good for a couple of years. Call it what you want. This is not a…

When corn went to $6.50, $7, it wiped out the turkey industry in Nebraska.

Yes. And if you are the irrigator and you are buying electricity, they are going to pay more, right?

We all know that when you move out to more rural areas--less densely-populated areas--these veterans need these services as much as anyone.

Should the electric power fail, the AC, most heating systems, and the facility's surgery capacity would be lost.

this hearing wouldn't be happening but for you. Senator Nelson, you guys laid the groundwork.

I appreciate that you don't build a facility overnight.

I would be very, very interested in hearing the perspective of some of the good people that you work with and how they feel about how things are going here and what their hopes and dreams for the future are.

I am confident in saying that and I am going to be very insistent that you and Paralyzed Veterans are heard on that.

You have got to do this. Our veterans need it, and there is tons of evidence to support that.

I will tell you, I don't know the Secretary yet. I look forward to getting to know him better. If you would, take back to him how much we appreciate his attention.

Hopefully, there will be a day where we are out there digging ground and the construction has started.

We all agree that VA is the best source of care for our Nation's veterans, especially when it comes to specialized care, such as SCI.

I must admit, I did not realize that that was an issue facing paralyzed veterans, and that is exactly why you are here, to flesh that out for us.

Now that the report is out and needs are being established and the condition of the premise is known, I will be asked, what happens next?

I am going to guess, once we have laid the appropriate record, no one will argue that this isn't really a critical need.

We have to make sure we are not just focused on today, that we are focused on what those needs are going to be for your members as they age.

We appreciate the effort of this Committee to look into the situation in Omaha to see whether the current hospital is sufficient to meet the needs of Nebraska's veterans.

This area ranks as well as really any area in the country.

You want that as badly as we want it, but you are limited by this and it is very, very hard to pull that off.

As I understand it, it is not just the equipment in the basement, it is the pipes that run through; in expanding the capacity there lies another challenge, that you just don't have the room to put a bigger pipe in.

The people that are here at the VA hospital are doing great work.

I do not believe that is the case. I believe the issues are too significant and I believe the report establishes that, in fact, we are at a point where we have to build.