"When I got on the Appropriations Committee, I inherited, as the then-chair of the Leg Branch Subcommittee, helping to bring in for a landing the really unbelievably blown timeline and cost of the CVC."
"So are you concerned that you will be unable to hire the necessary additional auditors and employees that you need to be able to do the appropriate amount of oversight that is necessary here?"
"Because there are literally lives at stake from getting it wrong."
"I think you can understand the doubt that I feel, given that the VA has already had a problem with fudging and altering data to reflect better numbers than reality."
"Clearly, the Inspector General plays a vital role in ensuring that VA programs are implemented properly and that funds appropriated by this committee are spent wisely and in accordance with the law."
"Okay. And then just as I run out of time, on the Board of Veterans Appeals and the backlog..."
"Do they all receive the same training?"
"Okay. And then you mentioned the reorganization and Jared Kushner's office's goals. Are those goals aligned with yours?"
"I find it extremely troubling that the Under Secretary of Health, the Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology... are all positions that remain empty."
"We have lives at stake."
"we have female veterans that are committing suicide at a rate of six times that of women civilians."