Jon Tester

I am Chairman of the VA Committee, we are working on toxic exposure. It is a huge issue because, number one, there are inaccurate records of exposure as folks come out of the military.

I would have never thought that, the very first hearing I had, when they said to use telehealth, I said it would never work.

I think it is a bigger problem actually.

Mental health, I have been here 15 years, we have been talking about mental health for 15 years on the VA Committee.

I would love to say we will never have another conflict, but the way Putin is acting it is hard to say that.

I think we have an obligation to the folks who serve in the military to make sure that the transition that is occurring is done successfully.

The policies that you have put forth to deal with mental health, are they measurable, and are you measuring them?

We have seen the rate of suicide rise among military members over the last 5 years, I would say significantly.

There is no readiness issue more important than continuing to ensure the physical and mental health of the Force.

I would like to know more about how the DoD is moving into the next phase of caring for the physical and mental health of our military members and their families.

Last month, Senator Collins and I sent a letter urging the newly-appointed AHI coordinator to address some of the most pressing issues--at the top of that list is equitable access to care for victims.

Nearly 9.5 million Americans, from private to general, from service member to spouse, from recruit to retiree, depend upon you for the healthcare services that you oversee.

Any suicide is clearly a tragedy.

The reason they had the ailments that they had, I believe, was directly due to a very, very intense herbicide called Agent Orange that was made to kill plants but also killed people.

We have worked closely with your offices to get this right.

The Honoring Our PACT Act is the comprehensive solution for toxic exposures.

I think we can be frustrated.

I believe Congress has to have a responsibility to do its job on behalf of our veterans.

I think everybody wants us to do right by our veterans. We just need to make sure that we find the sweet spots so we are able to do that.

What is more responsible than taking care of the people who risk their very lives defending this country?

We are responsible for these men and women. Providing them health care and benefits is responsible.

It is pretty obvious by the testimony here today. I have been on this Committee for 15 years, and I do not know that we have ever had a committee hearing that is as gut-wrenching as this hearing is.

I think that is part of the process conversation that we have had, and that is that in the end we have the oversight responsibility.

I do not think that is what Congress intended.

It was not to make it more bureaucratic. It was not to kick people off the program.