Richard Blumenthal

CPSC no longer stands by safety of artificial turf

Situations like that should not be allowed to proceed, and I think in cases like that, legislation is needed to force the responsible party to deal with and seal those wells so there is not a perpetual discharge of oil and gas into…

Is there adequate collaboration among the companies?

Numerous systems deficiencies and omissions by the Deepwater Horizon crew as well as poor maintenance of equipment, ignoring alarms, and lack of training personnel.

Is there anything that Congress should do to assure even greater collaboration or greater preemptive and proactive action?

I think there is a need to consider specific action.

I am concerned that delaying necessary improvement and maintenance for Veterans Health Administration facilities would have long-term effects on the level of care that is delivered to veterans.

Taking this billion dollars from the Choice program would make it far more difficult and unlikely for the VA to be removed from the High-Risk List.

Those kinds of failures have real life consequences, too, do they not?

Some of those recommendations have to do with accountability, do they not?

You cannot hold accountable people for failing to meet schedules if the scheduling data is unreliable.

These recommendations that have not been implemented with respect to training have real life consequences, do they not?

I would like to see the same accountability in the VA and in the Federal Government that we see in the United States military most of the time.

I share the Chairman's concerns and I expect a very productive and informative hearing today.

In fact, one of the major problems in health care in America today is infections that occur within hospitals, is that correct?

It should not take a public scolding like a hearing of this type for the VA to implement both GAO and IG recommendations.

Yet, the VA has failed to implement a number of recommendations having to do with that basic training requirement, correct?

Allowing contractors to access VA's network from foreign countries, particularly China, raises enormous red flags.

The American people deserve to know who will be held accountable, why the investigations have not been completed.

I will be submitting questions for the record that I hope the VA will provide responses in addressing to this Committee.

I wonder if you would join me in believing that we remove the impediment to the location of that museum in Connecticut.

I do think that the industry perhaps has lagged, many of the lines have lagged, in using the technology that is available.

I want to ask a question about the Coast Guard museum, the national Coast Guard museum, which is very important to Connecticut.

I am committed to ensuring that Federal agencies like the Coast Guard move swiftly to implement directives laid out by Congress.

The impediment is not only as to Coast Guard funds but as to Federal funds generally.