Political Quotes

“Let me first thank our ranking member for his tireless leadership on behalf of our veterans and as our ranking member on the MilCon Subcommittee. I also want to thank our chairman for working with us once again to include language in this bill that would require the VA to provide detailed reporting on the unacceptable claims backlog and its efforts to eliminate it. Congresswoman Jackie Speier and myself, for example, have been working with our veterans in the Bay area. Some of the stories and some of the cases that we have uncovered, discovered, and worked on are heartbreaking. I know Members throughout the country have many veterans whose benefits should have been provided and executed many, many years ago. In order to reduce the veterans' benefit claims backlog, this bill fully funds the President's budget request of $173 million for the Veterans Benefits Management System and provides an additional $20 million to the Veterans Benefits Administration for records and staffing needs. As the daughter of a veteran and the Representative of thousands of veterans in my district, I am deeply troubled to hear that young men and women who serve our country must wait an average of 255 days while the VA processes their claims. This wait is inexcusable and unacceptable. We have heard some of the tragic, tragic stories that have arisen out of this. Finally, Mr.…”