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…

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

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

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 must have accountability, wherever it leads us.

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

May I inquire from the Speaker how much time I have remaining? The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Maine has 5\1/2\ minutes remaining, and the gentleman from Florida has 10 minutes remaining.

How much time do I have remaining? The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Maine has 2\1/2\ minutes remaining, and the gentleman from Florida has 5\1/4\ minutes remaining.

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.

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.

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

That is what I expect from the VA, just a swift, simple, direct, you know, doing the business that people in the VA, I know, at that staff level want to do without having to be filtered through OCLA because that is cumbersome, delays the…

Oversight is a fundamental power provided Congress, and a fundamental obligation.

We do not need an administrative bureaucracy over at OCLA that filters the process, that inhibits the ability of the department and this committee to work collaboratively together.

VA's responses to congressional inquiries should be thoughtful, thorough, and complete.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for having this hearing today.

I recognize that thoughtful, thorough, and complete responses take time.

I am encouraged by the shift in tone conveyed by your participation in your written testimony.

My consistent response to that question was my concern about our collective ability to meet the mental health needs of servicemembers, veterans, and their families.

I can understand during the campaign, the President wanted to keep his message focused and, therefore, departments were kind of restricted of what they could do during an election year, but now is the time to govern.

I share your view that this hearing is not just about accountability for individual Congressional requests, but also an opportunity to discuss what can be done to improve the relationship between VA and this Committee.

Oversight is a fundamental power provided to Congress and a fundamental obligation of Congress.

I believe that my legislation provides a commonsense solution that will result in veterans with complex medical conditions having their complex condition adjudicated at a VA center of excellence by a specialist who has been trained to…

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of ensuring that sufficient, timely and predictable funding is provided to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Help us help you and the veterans you serve by coming out today in support of H.R. 813.