Jon Tester: “I thank the Senator from Georgia. I appreciate his comments and very much thank him for the compliments. This MILCON-VA…”

“I thank the Senator from Georgia. I appreciate his comments and very much thank him for the compliments. This MILCON-VA appropriations bill is a critically important bill. Why? Because we are demanding a lot from the VA. In order to demand a lot, we need to give them the tools and resources they need to be successful. It would be totally unfair to put them on the line without the resources they need to take care of our veterans. That is important because today we have unprecedented demand. Not only are our Vietnam veterans getting older, not only do they need services like never before, but we have been at war for 15 years in the Middle East, and we have folks coming back with complex injuries. We have men and women who need help when they get back. Some of these veterans would not have survived if they had been in any other war but this one. So the pressure on the VA is incredibly important, and if we are going to fix the access problem, if we are going to serve our veterans in the way they need to be served, we need to pass this bill. Let me finish with a quick story. Not long ago a guy by the name of Henry--a Vietnam vet from Helena, MT--walked into my office. Henry fought in Vietnam. He was awarded four Purple Hearts for his combat and for his sacrifice. Henry walked into my office, sat down across from my staff member, and said: I can't live any more. Henry was in trouble. He had behavioral health problems that he needed professional help to get fixed.…”