Political Quotes

“I will start off by saying thank you to Chairman Dent and Ranking Member Bishop for their hard work on this appropriations bill. I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 2029, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for 2016. This amendment is for the brave men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country, our veterans. California is home to almost 2 million veterans, and I am proud to represent more than 54,000 veterans in my district alone. There are 40,000 veterans expected to return to California every year for the next several years, including the fastest growing group of returning veterans, women. As our troops come home and assimilate back into civilian life, it is critical that we do not abandon our veterans when they put down their weapons; instead, we must ensure they have timely access to the critical benefits they have earned and deserve. Unconscionably, thousands of veterans who have sacrificed for our country are struggling to access benefits they have already earned. Due to the lingering claims backlog at the Veterans Health Administration, veterans across our Nation are waiting for pensions, prescription drugs, and even lifesaving medical care. Veterans are still waiting for the VA to process 448,000 benefit claims, and 176,000 of those veterans have been waiting longer than 125 days for a decision.…”