I thank my good friend for putting this on. Let me say that as many of the people who have spoken here tonight have talked about how Billy Graham spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, at a young age, Billy Graham, if you read his history…

We have got to speed the process up. Is that going to speed the process up to answer these appeals and get them taken care of?

The budget includes a request for $172 million for the Office of Inspector General to strengthen accountability.

And the concern that we see out there, and the weight on their families trying to get an answer, the reason for changing it was to try to straighten it up.

There are some concerns right now as the new appeals process goes into place that the VA will prioritize and fill...

Domestic energy production continues to rise in the United States, and the use of renewable fuels are helping the U.S. take steps towards energy independence.

I want to switch gears if I can. I am down on time here, but we have previously discussed bringing our waterways into the 21st century.

I want to add to, Ms. Titus, thank you for what you did before, because it did allow our Committee to be in a position where we were advancing forward.

let me tell you this, because the Chairman and the Ranking Member and others have made this as a commitment that this will be a focus to make sure we keep you on a timeline, we have got to.

I am really concerned as we see the spectrum of each VSO group that has their different concerns.

My concern is, is that we are going to run into what the general public and especially our veterans keep seeing is, is that we put plans out in and set timelines throughout legislation and then the implementation through the agency does…

There is nothing worse than the stress that these veterans feel of sitting and waiting and trying to go through a bog of paperwork.

I feel, where we need to be at this time, but we will work with you every way we can.

Has VA submitted the proposed regulations to OMB yet at all? If you have not, why not?

Of course, remember, this old jarhead was a Corporal, not an officer, so I was the guy standing behind the people who were standing at the sand table.

As a father and a grandfather, I know firsthand how important it is that our Nation's children have a safe environment to grow and learn. That is why, this week, I introduced the bipartisan SOS Act. My bill makes panic buttons available to…

I also rise today to recognize Sam and Eva Jones of Marion, Illinois. This remarkable couple was first married on September 27, 1936. Now, if you think about that, that was 80 years ago. Sam worked for Central Illinois Power Service until…

I also rise today to congratulate Helen Hawkins of Edwardsville, Illinois, for being inducted into the Senior Illinoisans Hall of Fame. The recognition commemorates the achievements and contributions of citizens age 65 and older. Inductees…

This week, we celebrate National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Law enforcement officers answer the call to public service. They enter into situations that put their lives on the line. When the natural human response to danger is to run…

I also rise today to honor the longest serving mayor in the State of Illinois, Bob Butler, who is a very good friend of Marion. Now, he is a very good friend, but, whenever he first took office, he didn't know me well because I was only…

I thank the gentleman from Peoria, Illinois, for hosting this Special Order on the State's bicentennial year. You know, Illinois is a State of threes. You know, we had three State capitals: Kaskaskia, Vandalia, and Springfield. We have…

Honorable Mike Bost, Chairman

IDES is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, and is the joint VA-DoD program used to determine if servicemembers dealing with injuries or illness are able to continue to serve.

It is our duty to ensure that those who have defended our country receive their earned VA benefits as soon as possible.

I talked with the servicemembers about IDES last week, and was pleased to hear that the people I talked to had no complaints about their experience with the program at Walter Reed.