Tom Harkin: “I just said--I don't know if the leader was on the floor at the time--that suicide rates for Iraq veterans-- Iraq…”

“I just said--I don't know if the leader was on the floor at the time--that suicide rates for Iraq veterans-- Iraq veterans--is 35 percent higher than the general population. The Department of Defense has said their suicide rate in the Regular Army is at the highest rate in 28 years. This bill, the Joshua Omvig suicide prevention bill, passed the House in March 423 to 0--423 to 0. We can't get much better than that. It came to the Senate. The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee had three hearings on it and the House had two hearings, for a total of five hearings. Every veterans group, every veterans support group, disabled veterans, everyone came to testify on the need for this legislation. We went through the committee process, had the hearings, and had all the testimony. Joshua's parents testified. We brought it out on the floor for a unanimous consent agreement before we left on the August break. It passed the House 423 to 0. Then I found there was an objection raised. I started to nose around to find out who raised the objection. It was Senator Coburn from Oklahoma.”