Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, over the last 2 days, we have passed 14 bills out of this committee, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, affecting everything from suicide and suicide prevention to transplant, to the delivery of GI bills, to the streamlining of the bureaucracy inside the agency, all with a bipartisan effort on what can we do as a nation to best deliver on our promise of the earned benefits that we so deeply owe to those who served us. It is appropriate that we are doing it the week of Veterans Day. But I want to remind people, this is what is possible, Mr. Speaker. This summer, the New York Times wrote a story, and it said, if you really want to know how Congress is supposed to function, look at the VA Committee. They were pointing out, these are not easy things. People, Mr. Speaker, may think, well, everybody supports veterans, but it is hard to get policy right. It is hard to find funding. It is hard to agree on the best way to deliver it. But I would have to say, the last 2 days are proof positive of it. We can do it. We must do it. We are obligated to do it. When people think of Veterans Day, ways that you can observe Veterans Day, I am always of the belief that the best way to honor veterans is to attempt to live our life in a manner that reflects the dignity and the sacrifice that they gave in their service. As we sat here today, it may be easy to take it for granted.…”