Political Quotes

“I wish to respond to the Senator from Oklahoma by, first of all, expressing my deep respect and appreciation for the work he has done to hold accountable the Veterans' Administration and many other agencies of our U.S. Government. In fact, he leaves a legacy of oversight that I will be honored to continue and I hope will continue through the Veterans' Affairs Committee. The efforts of the Senator from Oklahoma to scrutinize government spending through individual and independent assessments, in fact, are addressed in this bill in section 2, which requires, in fact, an independent third party to annually evaluate the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish metrics, to identify the cost-effectiveness of programs, and to propose best practices. Holding the VA accountable is one of the core purposes of this bill. I am asking that the Senate take up a bill that was passed unanimously in the House of Representatives and that is supported on a bipartisan basis by 21 of our colleagues, that is blocked by a single Member, and that will make an impact on the spreading scourge of suicides among some of our very bravest and best warriors. We don't know--it remains a mystery--how some of our most courageous and steadfast warfighters can stare down death on the battlefield and succumb to it at home by their own hand.…”