Accountability at all levels of the Department of Veterans Affairs is one of my, and I know the entire staff's, highest priorities.

When you are a commander coming into a unit that is already established, good or bad, you inherit what you inherit.

This OIG report leaves no doubt that OAWP misinterpreted its statutory mandate, conducted unsound and biased investigations on multiple occasions.

whistleblowers are an important source of information and they can not be ignored.

The White House held a roundtable on the National Crisis of Veteran Suicide, which I was invited to be a part of. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 579 and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 580. ____________________

I thank my friend, colleague, and fellow marine, Greg Pence, for the honor to speak before this body tonight on such a--you don't call an occasion like this important, but I think we call it relevant. It is relevant because Marines, for a…

Since November 9, 2016, Democrats have been calling for the removal of President Trump. Even before he took office, they have been protesting the results of the election and have sought to delegitimize his historic win in battleground…

Our veterans deserve better and we collectively must give them our best effort.

We can and we must do better.

I intend to work with all of you and all our other witnesses to leverage your experience.

I am troubled that we continue to have the same conversations about leadership and policy implementation.

On rollcall Votes 539 and 540, I am not recorded because I was not present in the House. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``nay'' on rollcall No. 539 and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 540. Personal Explanation

I have along with Chrissy Houlahan introduced H.R. 3495, the Improve Act, that would expand the Department of Veterans Affairs' suicide prevention programs.

Representative Bost, former chair and current Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, also held a hearing last Congress to examine how the Veterans Benefits Administration could effectively prevent…

When processing delays result in a veteran being overpaid, VA creates a debt to recover the overpayment.

However, when I asked the VA if they had a plan to get better, the response was that they were trying. Well, trying is not good enough.

H.R. 3495- the IMPROVE Well-Being for Veterans Act, sponsored by Rep. Jack Bergman. Every day, 22 veterans take their lives.

Our bill, H.R. 3495, the Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act, proposes a grant program for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

As I have said before, and it needs to be repeated again, whistleblowers are an important source of information, and they should not be ignored.

I appreciate your holding the hearing open to allow us to employees receive testimony from government witnesses who administer the whistleblower programs.

we all have a responsibility to protect the whistleblowers to create a culture in which everyone is held accountable

Make no mistake. This Committee believes the importance of having people who are brave enough to stand up and blow the whistle on the missteps and misdeeds within the Department.

I am a proud member of that task force and I echo the chairman's comments about getting more of our colleagues involved.

If whistleblowers do not have confidence in the system, we are putting patient health and safety at risk.

As an aviator, I know firsthand how vital it is that all team members at every level of an organization feel empowered to bring problems forward.