Mike Collins: “I feel for the passion of my friend from California, but let's also get back to some issues of fact here. His amendment…”

“I feel for the passion of my friend from California, but let's also get back to some issues of fact here. His amendment that was not made in order would not have helped the ITT Tech students. In fact, the VA itself has already said it wouldn't. By the way, it also costs $50 million. It wouldn't help the very ones we are claiming it would help, but the VA says this, not us. Again, are we wanting to help somebody or make, again, a political statement about a bill that you are trying to figure out a way to vote against? Maybe that is what we are doing here. Also, this issue of bipartisanship. Thirty pieces of legislation have been passed on VA, of which 29 have had Democrat or bipartisan provisions added in them in this Congress. By the way, the Senate has passed none of those. If you want to know who is actually working to fix the problems in the VA, it is the House. To keep bringing up and having a baseline and say we need the baseline of a Senate bill that can't move, I mean, that is like saying that I still want to play football for the Atlanta Falcons. It is not happening. It is a great, I guess, aspirational goal, but they haven't called me lately. So let's move something that actually works. This idea that it is going to be struck down in court, I am an attorney; it is conjecture. You don't have a ruling that says that. You can say it all you want. I can go to the good judge from Texas, Mr. Speaker.…”