Political Quotes

“I thank Chairman Roe of Tennessee for his leadership on this legislation and also for letting me speak. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1259, the VA Accountability First Act. For years, my colleagues and I have fought hard to hold VA bureaucrats accountable. The VA still lacks the ability to take swift action against employees who prevent veterans from getting the benefits that they have earned. We should be able to terminate senior executives at failing hospitals that force veterans to languish on secret wait lists. We should not award bonuses to poorly performing employees who engage in misconduct, and we shouldn't provide full retirement benefits to convicted criminals whose crime harmed veterans. We can't stop there. We must go further to pursue bold reform at the VA. I look forward to working with Chairman Roe of Tennessee, Chairwoman McMorris Rodgers, and others to pass the Caring for Our Heroes in the 21st Century Act, which would finally empower veterans, including the almost 100,000 in my congressional district in Colorado, to make their own healthcare decisions. Let's pass H.R. 1259 today. It is a good piece of legislation.”