Political Quotes

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 4810, the Veteran Access to Care Act. This bill simply says to our veterans, you will receive the care you earned in a timely manner, whether it is at a VA facility or at your local hospital. I am proud to be an original cosponsor. By passing this legislation, we give a helping hand to those veterans stuck in a broken bureaucracy. We will not allow them to sit and wait for an appointment that they should have gotten immediately. They fought to defend our right to freedom. Today we defend their right to the care they were promised. The 2-year authorization for private care in this bill will give Congress time to work with the VA to overhaul the system. As a former VA doctor, I pledge to you that the VA that emerges from this process will be leaner, smarter, and far more responsive to the needs of our veterans. We know 35 veterans have died while awaiting care in the Phoenix area alone. We know the recent deaths of at least 23 veterans have been linked to delayed VA medical care. The time for excuses is over. The time for action is now. I support, and I urge all my colleagues to support, H.R. 4810.”