Mike Michaud

Project ARCH is in Maine.

Under the Affordable Care Act, 3,000 Mainers were denied access because our government refused to extend Medicaid to the 70,000 Mainers of which 3,000 were veterans.

I believe it is essential that we look at structural and cultural root causes that got us in this position in the first place.

The only way we are going to truly address the litany of problems is to look at the fundamental change within the department.

We are here to work for the veteran, brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedom, men and women who right now deserve better.

I am proud that this committee has addressed these problems in a bipartisan fashion and I am hopeful that the spirit continues as we roll up our sleeves and begin the hard work of finding solutions.

I am proud that this Committee has addressed these problems in a bipartisan fashion.

The time is right to leverage outside expertise. There is no monopoly on good ideas.

All a VA employee needs to do without a doubt is they have to be reminded that they are working for the veteran, not a bureaucracy.

I have a couple of speakers, but they are not here so I will close. Once again, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4810, the Veteran Access to Care Act of 2014. I want to thank the chairman once again for bringing this bill…

At this time, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Dr. Cuellar.

At this time, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barrow), a former member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

At this time, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus).

Unfortunately, what had been best for the Park Service and the community in 1950 might not be best for the town in 2014.

We expect accountability--full accountability--for every failure that harmed a veteran, and for every individual who perpetrated such harm.

I am not happy with this situation. I am not wholly satisfied with VA's responsiveness. We expect answers.

My big concern is, if you look at some of the other problems the VA is going to be facing with long-term care needs for our World War II veterans and Vietnam veterans as well as when the draw-dawn occurs over in Afghanistan, there is going…

We must have accountability, wherever it leads us.

We all share the same goal of ensuring that our veterans receive the highest quality care and treatment possible; that they deserve nothing less.

We expect accountability and full accountability for every failure that has harmed a veteran and for every individual who perpetrated such harm.

Let me be clear: I am not happy. I'm not wholly satisfied with the VA responses we've received to date.

At this time, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

I would like to urge you to promulgate those rules as quickly as possible so that the private sector has the certainty that it needs to invest and expand capacity, you know, in regions like the State of Maine.

Many congressional Representatives from the region, including myself, have called for a new EIF and Presidential permit before such a pipeline operation can move forward.

What VA owes our veterans and our taxpayers, in that order, is a timely, transparent, accurate, and honest account about what mistakes happened.