Jon Tester

I think it is critically important. We have got a high percentage of vets that live in rural America.

The GI Bill that we passed is a major accomplishment.

We can flow more of these dollars to the veterans on the ground.

The past is done. We need to move forward.

You continue to have a standing invitation in August. I have a seat available for you to my left in the combine if you want to come out.

In Montana, we have got a 2-year backlog on vouchers. How is this program going to impact that 2-year backlog?

I want to remind folks that by some estimates 7 percent of homeless veterans on any given night are in rural or frontier areas of our country.

I do applaud Secretary Shinseki's call to end homelessness among veteran populations. This is the right goal.

The reality is that folks in rural areas are going to be harder to reach and it's harder to get key services and resources to them.

I think the key is finding them and getting them help.

Do you feel comfortable that you are getting the numbers?

We have a lot of folks out there in rural America living in abandoned farm buildings, in the woods.

We have to get the economy moving again and we have to make sure these folks are getting the health services and job training skills they need.

It takes all of these services delivered together in an integrated way to get the veteran off the street.

Do the folks in rural America know about it?

I appreciate your answers. I would also say that the numbers in rural areas are not there because it is rural.

I anticipate, I mean--I think it is something that is critically important and would go a step further to say, when you make that announcement, I would love to have you do it in Montana where you would have a willing audience.

I really do look forward to the pilot project.

We look forward to the proposals in the next few months.

Exactly. How about insurance companies. If we do nothing, is there going to be accountability for health insurance companies in this country?

How about health care costs overall in this country. Does the Senator see those health care costs, if we do nothing, declining or going up?

Absolutely. We have Medicare and the VA and TRICARE and those kinds of things. As far as government taking over the health care system, is there anything in the bill that would create anything different than we have now?

In the Senate bill we passed and that the House is about to take up, is there government health care in that bill?

I mean, it would be good. I can tell you that when I was in the State legislature, we dealt with a lot of law enforcement issues in the local ground.

I would like to know how many police that has resulted in over the last few years.