Annie Kuster: “I thank Representative Brownley for her friendship and for her commitment to our Nation's veterans. I rise to support…”

“I thank Representative Brownley for her friendship and for her commitment to our Nation's veterans. I rise to support the Brownley motion to instruct the conferees on H.R. 3230. It has been one of the most humble honors for me to serve on the Veterans' Affairs committee, one of the most bipartisan committees in this Congress. This week I had the honor to join my constituent, Sergeant Ryan Pitts, as he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor at the White House, and my husband and I joined Ryan and his wife, Amy, and their son, Luke, at the Pentagon as he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He honored his colleagues, the chosen few who lost their lives in Afghanistan, and on his behalf and on their behalf it is a tremendous privilege for me to continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in service to our Nation's veterans. Mr. Speaker, we were all shocked and outraged when our committee uncovered long wait times, secret wait lists, and manipulated records at the Veterans Administration. When our men and women in uniform return home after fighting for our freedom, they should never ever have to fight just to receive the medical care that they have earned and they deserve. That is why I was proud to work with Republicans and Democrats to pass commonsense reforms to hold VA leaders accountable and increase access to care for our veterans. I also partnered with the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs.…”