Richard Burr

We have a sacred obligation to ensure those who have fought for this Nation receive the highest quality of services from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

I think, if VA had asked hard questions regarding these statistics, we would not be here today discussing recent allegations surrounding many VA facilities.

Let us not say we are not going to let technology play part of the process of taking more Americans off of using combustible tobacco products.

Now, I would just say that anyone who claims that these products are not explicitly targeting kids is clearly blowing smoke. These are targeted to kids, not adults.

CVS eliminated their cigarettes. CVS still sells patches, Nicorette gum, probably all of the pharmaceutical products--Chantix and others--that aid in eliminating or reducing the rate of smoking.

I certainly look forward to the science that is produced on this. I just caution you and our friends at CDC that if we kill technology and innovation, which is, in essence, what some are attempting to do with electronic cigarettes right at…

But if you find that it is safe, are we going to say the same thing about e-cigarettes 10 years from now?

We've got to focus on how we take the infrastructure we have, grow it, make it better.

I think the first role of an institution is to ensure all of its degrees and certificates are quality degrees.

If their expectations are too low, you're trying to expand that.

By every score, as it relates to retention, GPA, everything at Fayetteville State, the programs that he oversees, the programs that he has put in place, performance counts.

Congratulations. We've got something to learn, and I urge my colleagues to listen to what they've done at Fayetteville State.

This is important to North Carolina, and it's important to the country.

We can talk the talk, but we don't always walk the walk.

Let me just say that North Carolina represents the largest pool of HBCUs in the country with 11.

I thank the Senator for his insights and his work on reform of the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule. ____________________

I would like to engage my colleague, the distinguished ranking member of the Finance Committee, in a short colloquy regarding Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule payment reform provisions included in the SGR patch bill, Protecting Access to…

I support her nomination. I will vote for her in the finance committee and it is for one, primary reason. It is because she does not come with a single experience that would make her a good Secretary.

Will you give your personal commitment to me that if confirmed, CDC and ATSDR will execute the planned cancer incidence study on the Camp Lejeune population without delay?

Do you consider medical and public health preparedness and response programs to be a matter of national security?

VA doctors are prescribing more opiates than ever and the data suggests adoption of the directive varies widely.

Can you envision, any of you from the VA, that it would be appropriate to prescribe an opiate to somebody who, in their medical records, has an opiate addiction?

Because we cannot with certainty believe that it is being executed by those guidelines, which means you cannot stick a different person with the same pen.

Even with all of these issues being publicly reported or included in the reports by the IG, this Committee has yet to hold a single oversight hearing on the quality of care veterans are receiving at the VA facilities.

I strongly believe that this Committee needs to hold aggressive oversight hearings into these issues that the department continues to struggle with.