Johnny Isakson: “I think it is important that we pause for a moment at the end of 2015, look back upon the past 12 months and, in…”

“I think it is important that we pause for a moment at the end of 2015, look back upon the past 12 months and, in particular, look at the Veterans Administration and the veterans who have served our country, looking at the problems that we have solved and the things we have done to better improve those services. When the year dawned, we had a scandal in Arizona at a Phoenix hospital. We had bonuses being paid to employees who had not performed. We had medical services that weren't available to veterans who had earned them and deserved them. As a Senate, we came together in the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, which I chair. We had a bipartisan effort to see to it we addressed those problems. So for just a second I want everyone to pause and realize what we have done bipartisanly and collectively for those who have served our country and the veterans today. No. 1, by the end of January, we had passed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act to deal with the growing problem of suicide with our veterans. It is already working with more psychiatric help available to our veterans, quicker responses for those who seek mental help, better diagnosis of PTSD and TBI, and a reduction in the rate of the suicides that take place in the veterans community. That was affirmative action. It passed 99 to 0--Republicans and Democrats--in the Senate of the United States.…”