we have veterans waiting.

using a fully-functional VA is a choice, it is a choice that 94 percent of VFW members who were surveyed would like to make.

the buck does stop somewhere. And again, for years I heard it, it stops with the President and it stops with the Secretary.

I looked at the first budget that I showed up on in 2009, it was 93.5 billion and about 250,000 employees...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I concur with much of the Chairman's statement.

the hiring freeze has precluded us from filling these positions and it has adversely affected veterans' care.

this idea of making sure VA employees are able to come up here, speak candidly about what is going to improve our veterans' care, I am appreciative of that.

I hope through our discussion today we can identify a viable path forward and make MSPV work and stop repeating the same mistakes.

if we are looking for the easy fix or we are looking to pass the buck on this, that is simply unacceptable.

there is an abject failure in leadership to get this right.

I was absent for rollcall Nos. 655 (on the passage of H.R. 3731), and 656 (on the passage of H.R. 3317). Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on both these votes. Personal Explanation

I was absent for rollcall No. 622 (on the passage of H.R. 2201). Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this vote. PERSONAL EXPLANATION