Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the motion to instruct the conferees and ask that the conferees agree to the Senate amendments to H.R. 3230, the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014. I also ask that the conferees work with urgency to resolve the differences between the House and Senate bills. Veterans cannot continue to wait. They have already waited too long. We have a duty to do our job and act now. I introduced H.R. 4841, the companion legislation to the Senate- passed legislation, because it addresses several of the issues that currently plague the VA health care system. This bill, sponsored by Senators Sanders and McCain, is good for veterans in my district, in Arizona, and veterans across this country. It contains provisions that are nearly identical to the House-passed legislation that I supported, including the expansion of non-VA care to veterans that cannot get timely appointment and granting the VA Secretary the authority to immediately fire high-level officials who are not doing their jobs. H.R. 4841 does more. It will provide for an expedited hiring of more doctors, nurses, and medical staff at understaffed VA medical hospitals and clinics across the country. It will allow the VA to lease 26 new medical facilities. It calls for an independent commission that will work to improve appointment scheduling, and it will improve access to health care for military sexual assault survivors.…”