legislating is never supposed to be easy.

honoring those Purple Heart recipients, just again smart.

thank you for your active engagement in veteran's issues.

lifting that 15-year gap, understanding the reality of what modern warriors look like.

we need to conduct ourselves in a manner that is befitting of the sacrifice of those who serve in uniform.

It is going to transcend politics. If it is not done now, we can no longer kick this can down the road.

I hope we, along with VA, are able to thoroughly consider pragmatic and timely solutions to the many costly issues impacting VA's ability to manage its care.

I think it has become obvious in the short time of this new Congress that this Committee is committed to tackling the big issues.

I would like to associate myself with the chairman's remarks, especially the thanks of all the people involved in this. I think, Mr. Speaker, this is the third time we have come to this body this Congress, as the chairman and the ranking…

May I inquire how much time I have remaining. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois). The gentleman from Minnesota has 15\1/2\ minutes remaining, and the gentleman from Tennessee has 14 minutes remaining.

I have no further speakers, and I am certainly willing to yield some of my time to the gentleman from Tennessee if there are other speakers who would like to speak on this if the gentleman's time runs short. If I could save myself 3…

Our neighborhoods, we are not going to tear down and rebuild our neighborhoods in more communal ways, but our largest community is the Nation and that we can do something about.