Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to oppose S. 114. A strong and sustainable Veterans Health Administration is critical to providing America's veterans with the care they deserve. By funding the Choice exception without investing in the VA itself, this legislation explicitly prioritizes the private sector at the VA's expense. This is not an acceptable way forward. Care in the community has always been and will always be important in ensuring veterans have access to care, the care that they have earned, but it would be a profound mistake to funnel billions of dollars into private care while neglecting the VA and the millions of veterans it serves every year, and that is exactly what this bill does. Veterans service organizations are speaking out, because they know what is at stake. They understand the bigger policy implications of today's vote. This legislation is a referendum on the mistaken belief that the private sector is better equipped to care for our Nation's veterans than specialized VA doctors. I have a statement from eight VSOs that echo these concerns, and I include it in the Record.…”