Johnny Isakson: “I will be joined on the floor by the distinguished Senator from Connecticut, Mr. Blumenthal, who is the ranking member…”

“I will be joined on the floor by the distinguished Senator from Connecticut, Mr. Blumenthal, who is the ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee; Senator McCain of Arizona, who is the leader behind the Choice movement that took place last year in August; and Senator Roy Blunt from Missouri. As we speak, at this very moment the House is voting. They are voting on a 3-month extension of the highway bill. But more importantly to us on the Veterans' Affairs Committee and to our veterans, they are voting on a bill we have agreed to, to fix the problem at the VA with regard to the funding of our hospitals and health care, and to open up a new day in terms of Veterans Administration services to the veterans of our country. I was pleased to be joined by Senator Blumenthal at the VA a couple of weeks ago where we had a heart-to-heart, 4-hour meeting with Secretary McDonald, Sloan Gibson, and others about the false-intended press release that was sent out of the VA saying they were about to run out of money, health care was going to be stopped in certain places, and some hospitals might be closed. That was a misleading press release. It was meant to create a crisis that didn't really exist. The crisis was not in not having the money. The crisis was in addressing the money and having to organize it in such a way it could meet VA's needs.…”