Mark Kirk

I learned from you earlier that VistA--VA is upgrading the VistA system but will eventually replace it with a commercial product.

We are getting to the heart of this hearing, would you please define 'interoperability' as you understand it from the NDAA?

We should also use the combined size of the DOD and VA in the marketplace to establish a worldwide standard for health medical records.

Link2Health. Are they still working on the veterans' crisis line?

Any veteran suicide is unacceptable.

Congress can only put veterans first by caring for those who serve veterans.

The answer to every VA problem is not 'give us more money, give us more flexibility.'

My hope is eventually if we take 25, 27 million patients in DOD and VA with an open code system will establish the medical records technologies, undeniably American.

For a veteran to admit that there is a big enough problem that he is contemplating a suicide, that is a huge decision.

The answer to every VA problem is not just more money and not just give us flexibility.

So you had two United States Senators at the time of the congressional majority calling for his resignation, and he is still on the job.

Who is responsible for the Veterans Crisis Line under you? I would just like a name.

I have pledged that VA will ensure that the funds Congress appropriates to VA will be used to improve both the quality of life for veterans and the efficiency of our operations.

I have been holding back as prerogative as chairman to tell you what my IT program would be to make sure that we would require all narratives in the Microsoft world and all documents in .jpg to make sure there was complete usability for…

Last night the Senate passed the Kirk amendment that would bring the VA into the reporting system.

Probably the best legacy for the President on his way out of office.

Let me ask the first question here. Over the weekend I met with the family of Illinois Army Specialist, Tom Young, who has served two tours in Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division.

We need to talk about the VA's culture of corruption with results and talk about performance.

We would also lay out that marker that we agreed with, to make sure we reduce assistance to a country that accidentally releases an Al Qaeda detainee.

I might generally suggest that their words might not be worth anything, if they were such a terror-sponsoring nation.

I hope we would end the policy of issuing terrorists to terrorist nations where they can get out.

However, when the President (and the Attorney General) seek to intentionally create confusion and ambiguity about when someone selling a single gun might be in violation of a law with 5 year jail penalties, one can only call that…

The President's actions directed at stemming gun violence appear to be in some cases merely aspirational, and in other cases intentionally intimidating and harassing of law-abiding citizens in an effort to get them to shy away from selling…

Everything the President advocates costs money, so let me begin by saying that it would be my strenuous hope that, given the fact that our National Government is astonishingly bankrupt, that this Congress would cut more money than it…

The centerpiece of the president's order--expanding background checks to close what some call the gun show loophole--is not only an unwarranted assault on the Second Amendment, but it will also be ineffective in making a significant…