There has been strong bipartisan support for water infrastructure improvements.

So has EPA bought into that? Do they recognize the fact that not only are you doing your best to reduce the phosphorus through the point source, but doing all these other things?

EPA consumes resources that could be used for positive things.

Has anybody done some sort of a study regarding the increased cost?

This really is a very important subject and I appreciate the witnesses being here and really look forward to hearing the testimony.

It takes effort and it takes expense. But to go from .3 to .1 is a huge jump.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I continue to be concerned about the VA's over-reliance on medication as a means of treatment within the VA.

A pill alone is not the answer. VA must embrace a holistic approach to providing mental health care and promoting wellness.

The complaint that I hear from so many veterans is they feel the VA is a restrictive bureaucracy whose first instinct is to say no.

I think it is a problem and I think it is something that we need to talk about and actually do something about.

Following up on Senator Blumenthal, what is the average age of the veteran that decides to take their life?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, I really do appreciate all of you being here testifying.

That is really what I wanted to know.

this is what the American people have been waiting to see. They want Washington to work together to grow our Nation's economy. Sometimes that takes debating what some consider a tough vote. I personally don't see the authorization before…

A veteran who is having suicidal thoughts should never be turned away because of bureaucratic red tape.

Right now the United States uses more opioids than the entire rest of the world put together.

And they need to be treated very differently, which I do not think we are doing right now.

The idea of saying that we are not over-medicated, to me, does not make any sense at all.

As has been stated, 22 veterans commit suicide every day in the United States. To say this is unacceptable would be a gross understatement. It is nothing short of a tragedy.

I think the point that Senator Blumenthal tried to make, which I am trying to make, is that those two groups are very different.

the sad thing is the people who were involved in Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield are in the middle of this. We have this other bill that there are some concerns about. That is fine. That is what this place is all about. But the…

last month we marked the 24th anniversary of the beginning of the gulf war. In August 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait. Shortly after this development the United States launched Operation Desert Shield, which led to Operation Desert Storm to drive…

Speed is important, education is important, coordination is important.