Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2288, the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, as amended. First, I want to thank our excellent chairman, Dr. Roe, and ranking member, Mr. Walz, for their dedication and hard work. It has been a pleasure to work on this important legislation during my first term as ranking member of the Veterans Affairs' Committee Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee. I want to give special thanks to my new friend, our subcommittee chairman, Mr. Bost, for his leadership on this issue and for ensuring that the legislative process was bipartisan at every turn. I want to acknowledge and thank Congresswoman Dina Titus for her leadership on this issue, as she helped pass similar legislation that formed the basis for our work here in this Congress. Mr. Speaker, claims appeals are backing up. Veterans in Connecticut and across the country are waiting for far too long for the benefits they have earned through their hard service to this country. When a veteran asks my office for help appealing their claim, it is frustrating and embarrassing to have to explain that the process could take more than 5 years. The backlog will only get worse if we do not reform the process. Some veterans could be waiting as long as 10 years, as we have heard from Chairman Roe and from Ranking Member Walz, if we don't reform things now.…”