How much do you think it would cost us to build and maintain a military base in the Middle East?

I hope you'll treat this as a partnership between the Federal Government and the States, not a dictatorship from the Federal Government to the States.

The difference is the State is the authority that enforces that requirement, not the Federal Government.

I'm one of the last remaining people who voted for No Child Left Behind in the Congress of the United States, and we caught plenty of hell for requiring too much testing.

I think it is important for our veterans to have accountability in the system to make sure if they have an appeal, that it is justified and is heard.

I would suggest you check that out.

the Secretary needs some tools in his toolbox he does not have, and one of them is getting this whole backlog straightened out.

we depend very heavily on what you have to say and your active participation as we all work together for the best benefit of our veterans.

That may be the biggest problem of all. We have got to correct that.

I would appreciate your checking on that and being sure.

Let us not let another year go past by kicking the can down the road. Let us make the reforms necessary to get the VA straightened out.

We cannot continue to do what we are doing now, which is have a backlog of claims at almost half a million, some 25 years old that continue to build up.