Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota), the sponsor of this bill. Mr. LaLOTA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, a weekend or two ago in Suffolk County, I stood with nearly 1,000 Long Islanders at a Vietnam war Veterans Day ceremony. The theme of the day was simple but powerful: Welcome home. Welcome home after serving in a war that was unpopular at home. Welcome home after surviving brutal jungle and guerrilla warfare. Welcome home after losing more than 58,000 brothers and sisters in arms. Welcome home to a nation and a healthcare system that wasn't ready to care for your wounds, seen and unseen. Today, Vietnam veterans across my district and across the country are still fighting. This time, the enemy isn't on a battlefield overseas. It is a silent killer, bile duct cancer, caused by a parasite known as the liver fluke. Multiple studies have confirmed what these veterans have suspected for decades. Those who served in Vietnam face a much higher risk of contracting, suffering from, and dying from this disease. Here is the most disappointing part, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to hide behind a familiar excuse: We don't have enough data. Let me tell you what we do have. In 2018, the Northport VA Medical Center on Long Island, right in the heart of my district, conducted the first of its kind study on this issue.…”