Mark Takano

Even as veteran homelessness has increased 1.5 percent over 2016 figures, and the Secretary has not included this in his top priorities, you can say that with a straight face to me?

Shouldn't Congress know about that? Shouldn't Congress be informed that, hey, this program is about to end or run out of funding here?

It is a straight forward bill that requires the VA to give notice to Congress before a contract expires to help prevent lapses in service for veterans.

The HUD-VASH program is very successful at housing veterans and given them the support services they need.

So, there is funding on the table that we can't use.

A continued and coordinated multi-agency strategy is of course needed to end veteran homelessness.

I think, Mr. Chairman, I would like to make sure that we look at such a study or at getting such a study ordered, because it is about the use of, most effective and efficient use of taxpayer resources.

Last year--okay, well, the VA proposed moving money from specific funds to a general purpose fund, and how would that have impacted the services you provide the veterans and the numbers of veterans you serve?

Can you back that up? One point five percent over the 2016 figures.

To act shocked that part of the old facility will still need to be used moving forward is ridiculous.

I hope we can delve into that area.

We have a duty to make sure that the program is set up properly.

I just want to express my gratitude for this hearing.

Do you believe that there may be a government role in avoiding ceding control of this vital industry to China?

I think we can agree that the investments in China are overwhelmingly made by the Chinese government.

We have to do our best to make sure that the positions we have at the VA are filled...

The answer is not necessarily that the private sector health medicine is a panacea or an answer to the challenges we have at the VA.

I just want to make sure that we don't rush to a conclusion or make a wrong conclusion from today's testimony...

I urge my colleagues to vote in support of S. 1266, the Enhancing Veteran Care Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

How could the VA makes it provider reviews and professional performance evaluation processes more transparent to veterans...

I would be very much interested in seeing that.

So, but these policies vary from state to state and I am trying to get a sense...

The low participation rate seems to indicate, to me, missed opportunities to help servicemembers successfully transition.

I believe the military, because we do recruit them on that basis, has some responsibility to making sure that these benefits are not hollow.

I have no further speakers. Again, I strongly support H.R. 3657, as amended, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.