Political Quotes

“I wish to begin by thanking a number of my colleagues, most especially our good friends who are very active Members of this body, Senators Sanders and McCain, for acting in a very bipartisan and courageous way to enable us to reach a compromise and vote on a truly historic step forward--as we did recently--to begin to bring an end to this crisis in our health care system and the VA. I also thank my colleague from Rhode Island for his amendment, and I hope it has some support in some form--as it and other amendments deserve as well--because as commendable as the bill is, it certainly does not solve all of the problems in the VA health care system, let alone the VA. Let's recognize that the disability claims backlog persists. The bureaucratic rigmarole and sclerotic bureaucracy of the VA in many parts of the country continue to plague our veterans, and we need to recognize that top to bottom the VA needs an overhaul in its culture as well as its management. But this bill represents a good faith and effective way to respond initially--the beginning of a solution to a health care crisis that is decades long in the building. The delays in the VA health care system are well known and longstanding. I spend a lot of time, as a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee as well the Armed Services Committee, listening to veterans. I have a veterans advisory council that gives me extraordinarily insightful and important advice.…”