Mike Coffman

Congress has a responsibility to the American people to ensure that these unlawful enemy combatants are not brought to the United States. Mr. Chairman, these congressional restrictions must remain in place.

Today I want to talk about H.R. 4969, the EARNIT Act, which is the Enhancing Advancement, Reducing Non-Compliance, and Improving Trust Act.

Well, it becomes a pill to get up in the morning and a pill to go to bed at night.

This reliance on these very powerful drugs is a shortcut to treatment by the VA.

This important issue of veterans being discharged under other than honorable conditions and being denied access to mental health care from the VA.

We absolutely need to get that done.

H.R. 5149 which would specifically require the VA to reimburse emergency ambulance services based solely upon the Prudent Layperson Standard.

I think it was fundamentally due to corruption, that they had manipulated the system in creating a secret list in order to get cash bonuses.

But VA needs to do its part to properly plan, implement, and oversee IT projects.

Our veterans deserve timely, high quality care.

I am very concerned about turning the--going full circle and giving it back to the people that created this problem.

Once again, I encourage all Members to support S. 2393. I yield back the balance of my time.

This Member of Congress will be in a blocking position, if you are familiar with that term.

I just think that that is absolutely incredulous. And that is truly an exercise in poor judgment.

I mean, unbelievably incredible, that--and I got to tell you, those who have been responsible have not been held accountable.

VVA has worked very hard with Chairman Benishek and with Chairman Miller on the Toxic Exposures Research Act of 2016.

The critical point to understand is that veterans cannot receive VA care for symptoms of Gulf War Illness when the majority of those claims are denied by VA.

As I recall, presumptive conditions were frequently denied until VA was forced to resolve them under a Nehmer lawsuit; is that about right?

This hearing is the second part of the committee's two part series on the 25th Anniversary of the Persian Gulf War, a war in which I served.

I intend to continue to work with the department, my colleagues on both of these Subcommittees, and the stakeholders who took their time to present these concerns today, to ensure that veterans who are suffering from these serious diseases…

I am just really disappointed that the law was passed that--by the Congress of the United States, that a specific set of conditions was supposed to be presumptive and yet the VA does not seem to be following along.

The invitation for this hearing specifically cited our interest in discussing, 'veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War,' and yet VA's testimony has lumped information from 1990 with the current OIF, OEF veterans in an apparent effort…

Secretary McDonald has said that he does not need any additional authority to do what HR 1769 directs him to do.

It is not only time to pass the Toxic Exposures Act, but to utilize any and all means that will force the VA to stop wasting money and time.

I want to thank everybody for their testimony today.