Doug Lamborn

The old methods of failing to develop our resources in the OCS are not going to work any longer.

Madame Chairwoman and Mr. Chairman, thank you both for holding this hearing. This is now the sixth hearing on OCS development held this Congress.

A similar legislative change has been proposed on the Senate side by Senator Charles Schumer of New York.

The problem, of course, is that VA does not do it, despite the 3,800 new clinicians they have hired ostensibly to better treat PTSD.

VVA can support the proposed legislative change as outlined in H.R. 952 if the intent is that it be applied to veterans with a valid diagnosis...

The criteria recommended by the Institute of Medicine or the National Academies of Sciences should be taken as the definitive methodology.

If the Congress is looking for very useful ways to stimulate the economy, and to accomplish much needed work at the same time...

I would also like to commend you for your compassion toward our veterans.

I have introduced H.R. 952, the Combat PTSD Act to redefine section 1154 to include a theater of combat operations during a period of war or in combat against a hostile force.

What type of recourse would a noncombat veteran have if the traumatic event they experienced is not expressly written down in their service record?

I extend my thanks to you for holding this hearing and I look forward to hearing the testimony of our colleagues and witnesses on our panel today.

I certainly would not be in favor of reducing existing veterans benefits elsewhere in the VA budget in order to establish an overly broad definition of 'combat with the enemy.'

While I understand and appreciate the effort to address problems regarding the VA claims backlog, I believe that they generally result from procedural issues and we can and should address those problems accordingly.

Unfortunately, circumstances can conceivably arise in which an individual who is not a combat veteran under the existing definition is exposed to an overwhelming stressor but he or she is unable to prove evidence of the occurrence.

I know it has been a longstanding issue for you to ensure that no one falls through the cracks due to unintended consequences of the laws and regulations pertaining to compensation for PTSD.

I hope that through the collective efforts and knowledge of the individuals gathered here this afternoon, we can help ensure that every veteran who has service-related PTSD is able to access the benefits to which they are entitled.

Developing these resources will free us from our dependence on foreign oil.

We all agree that America is too dependent on foreign governments for our energy supply.

Members from Western States like mine will fight vigorously to keep these jobs because the West cannot survive off of tourism alone.

We may not be able to rely on foreign imports forever.

Members from western states like mine will fight vigorously to keep these jobs, because the West cannot survive on tourism alone.

Many witnesses at the hearings held in 2007 told us this legislation, if enacted, would decimate the domestic hardrock mining industry.

We should hold other hearings on how to best improve abandoned mine lands and how to streamline the permitting process.

This reliance threatens our economic security.

We should hold a hearing focusing on the importance of an expanded domestic mineral supply.