Charles Q. Brown

The President has proposed a large increase for VA. For FY 2016 the President has proposed nearly an 8 percent increase in funding for VA health care, personnel, construction, research, and claims processors.

Our veterans, particularly those who are service-connected and in need of long-term care, deserve to decide for themselves where they and how they receive the care they need.

We all agree that providing veterans timely, quality healthcare in a safe environment is a focus of this Committee.

We need to take the politics out of building hospitals.

You have done an excellent job holding all of us--in Congress and at the VA--accountable.

There are 22 veterans who commit suicide every day.

I was prepared to dislike remote controlled health care. How could a veteran receive care in his home? But I was pleasantly surprised to find out the care was equivalent to going to the VA clinic.

Veterans love VA care. However, there is not enough VA to go around.

The wild caught fisheries of the Northeast may ultimately prove to be the 'coal miner's canary' for this Nation as we grapple with the issue of climate change.

It is incumbent upon us to wait for the evidence before passing judgment.

As the President said recently, those 'who have been fighting on the battlefield . . . should not have to fight a bureaucracy at home to get the care that they've earned.'

Your failure to acknowledge and respect the separate role of state and federal government is inappropriate, unprecedented, and could be a violation of the law.

I would recommend that you and the state agencies you oversee focus on the many serious problems facing the citizens of Florida due to the dangerous budget cuts implemented by you and your allies in the state legislature.

I believe, as national leaders, we must rise above politics and emotion, and act pragmatically to achieve the best outcomes for veterans.

Thank you very much. Because I think it is very important that we have veterans working in the Veterans Administration that is committed to veterans.

My message to Governor Scott: I and every Member of Congress are committed to ensuring the proper care of our veterans.

This is the most grandstanding action I've seen since I've been in Congress.

I find it disturbing that just two days before this hearing, the VA has releases findings that its healthcare personnel are not fully trained.

We want employees to feel free to report questionable issues and procedures without fear of retribution for trying to save lives.

We can all agree that veteran safety and quality of care issues at the VA health facilities are the utmost concern for this committee.

I am concerned that in the five years after the colonoscopy debacle in the Miami VA nothing has changed.

Let me be clear. The role these two agencies play in protecting hazmat workers is crucial.

This hearing is very timely, because the purpose of this program is to protect people and the environment from the risks of hazardous material transportation.

As a Vietnam veteran and in support of our Nation's efforts to ensure our veterans get good important jobs after their service, we have set a hiring goal of 25 percent for veterans.

Protecting our community and citizens from harm should always be the top priority for Congress.