Susan Collins

It is so important for this committee and this Congress to return to regular order.

I share your belief that effective training of VA personnel--the purpose for the conferences--is necessary.

There can be no excuse for excessive or wasteful spending of VA resources.

I'm introducing a bipartisan bill that will require the Attorney General to work with the VA, with Secretary Shinseki, and with the Secretary of Defense, to implement drug take-back programs.

Frankly, the point that Senator Collins brought up about excessive medications and the resulting outcomes, which we've witnessed in the form of sexual assault and regular assault, and threats on VA employees, veteran-on-veteran threats and…

I would say that I think the preliminary indications are that you've got a real winner.

I think this is absolutely critical and really could make a difference.

I know that a 2012 VA report on suicide data that was based on information from 21 States found that an estimated 22 veterans lose their lives to suicide each day.

I am pleased that the FDA issued the final guidance in November 2012 for the development of artificial pancreas systems.

This level of funding is woefully inadequate in comparison to the need to maintain a strong National Guard industrial base.

Surely, if there are units within our military that are the functional equivalent of Active-Duty personnel, they should be treated that way.

I do think it is important that we, as a Nation, decide if we are going to furlough, that we be fair cross the board.

First of all, let me echo the chairman's thanks to the National Guard for truly heroic actions in response to the terrorist attack in Boston.

Obviously, $943 million is a lot of money and is of great concern to us, or to me.

Excuse me for interrupting. But if in January of last year you had started the rulemaking on this, you would be probably done now or close to it.

In order to avoid this problem, could HUD require lenders to set up an escrow account...

It's too soon to tell.

We'd lose those jobs. We'd lose that economic activity.

I just think, even though it's faster if you get the mortgagee letter approach approved by us, you know what the legislative processes can be like. It's not pretty these days.

Why is your rulemaking so slow? I assume you follow the APA the way any other agency would.

We would have liked to have gotten it in along with our bill, into the continuing resolution that was passed.

A financially sound FHA is an essential component in the recovery of the housing market.

It is troubling that year after year, the FHA is unable to meet its statutory requirement of maintaining a 2 percent capital reserve ratio.

Thank you very much, Madam Chairman. Thank you for holding this important hearing on the Federal Housing Administration and the future of the housing finance market.

These are difficult choices, and we're forced to choose between very unattractive options.