On the recordJanuary 13, 2020
As we welcome the new year and a new decade, I also want to take a moment to recognize my colleague and ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Dr. Phil Roe, who has announced he will be retiring at the end of this Congress. I salute my friend as a Vietnam veteran, as a doctor, and as a tireless advocate for veterans across the country. I have served with Dr. Roe since I was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2013, and I am proud of the bipartisan work we have done since then to ensure we honor our Nation's commitment to our veterans. Madam Speaker, this Congress alone, we have passed 40 bills out of this committee with 36 passed out of the House and five signed into law. Despite the political rancor, which takes up much of the oxygen in Washington, D.C., this committee has set the standard for bipartisanship in this body. In 2015, though I was still fairly new to this committee, then- Chairman Roe invited several Members to join him on a congressional delegation to Afghanistan to meet with servicemembers over the Thanksgiving holiday. He set a great example, and I have worked to replicate that example during my time as chairman. This past Thanksgiving, we did just that. I took freshmen Members to spend the holidays with those away from their families in service to our country. {time} 1645 During Dr.…
