Opening up of Category 8 is a good news--it's certainly good news for those who will participate.

One of the problems that we have is that our VA is male oriented.

You know, the President is very much into the greening of the economy and pulling the Congress along kicking and screaming.

If there is not a private-sector component to this, I am not sure how we are going to avoid another Vietnam era.

That, to me, is an area that we need to explore as a Committee as to how we could better expand.

I think that that's something that we will be dealing with, obviously, through the appropriations process and through the budgeting process.

Mr. Chairman, let me explain to you why so many of them do not belong, because they are public employees and if you belong--for example, I have so many retirees from New York State, from Mr. Pascrell's state, New Jersey, and those…

We ask that you consider the interdependence of these programs when finalizing your FY 2010 budget proposal.

If the Medicare Advantage plans pull out, people will be suffering in health care, in health care availability, and certainly cost.

If the availability of private fee-for-service plans is expected to drop substantially in 2011 when MIPPA provisions become effective, why do we not just wait and see what happens at that point before cutting plans even further?

You can take horse manure and roll it in powdered sugar, and it doesn't mistake it a doughnut.