Sam Farr: “This past weekend, we remembered the patriotic sacrifice of those that have lost their lives in service to our country…”

“This past weekend, we remembered the patriotic sacrifice of those that have lost their lives in service to our country, and, today we renew our commitment to keep our promise to the nation's more than 2 million troops and reservists, their families, 22.2 million veterans, and 35.5 million family members of living veterans or survivors of deceased veterans. This committee has a strong history of working in a bipartisan way to produce a bill that supports our active duty servicemembers, our veterans and their families, and this bill is no exception. I commend the Chairman and Ranking Member for their hard work in ensuring that this bill is another significant step in fulfilling the promise our country made to leave no veteran behind. For example, the Office of the Inspector General recently filed a report that identified weaknesses in the VA's mental health care system. With the mental health needs of our returning servicemembers increasing, it is vital that the VA get this right. The bill before us today provides resources to implement the recommendations of the OIG to provide timely access to mental health care services. We have an obligation to take care of our veterans' physical AND mental health, and I am glad this bill recognizes that critical fact. Additionally, I am pleased to see that this bill again emphasizes the needs of our veterans in rural areas.…”