"Thank you, Representative Van Orden. I thought about removing your time because I take offense as a former enlisted who became an officer."
"Never should a veteran walk out of that VA in crisis. I think clearly something has to be done here around these access points."
"The most important metric of success is whether the suicide rate has gone down, and unfortunately, it has gone up."
"Had the VA sent us testimony in a more timely manner, let me emphasize that, had the VA sent us testimony in a more timely manner, I would have liked to have addressed the initiatives they are talking..."
"In fact, in the last Congress, we passed a bill, the Brandon Act, because a veteran in my district went to the VA Center, was denied care, and 5 hours later committed suicide."
"I look forward to continue working closely with Ranking Member Brownley and all of our members on both sides of the aisle."
"I appreciate the steadfast dedication that each of you have made to help our veterans."
"As the representative of over 50,000 veterans in my district, I believe we must ensure that VA medical facilities are acting in the best interests of their patients."
"Transparency and accountability are key to building trust and confidence among veterans and their families who rely on VA medical facilities for their healthcare needs."
"I urge all the members of this committee to support this important legislation."
"I understand the challenges that you are having, but there are often times when veterans have extreme need and need to be addressed."
"I think that sometimes when there is a will, there is a way and perhaps we need to give the VA the will to make the way happen."