Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, first, I thank the members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and our new leader, Mark Takano. Time and again, this committee proves that Congress can work across the aisle to pass commonsense policy to improve the lives of our Nation's veterans. I also thank Congresswoman Julia Brownley, my good friend and colleague, for improving the availability of childcare services for veterans seeking mental health treatment. That is why I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 840, the Veterans' Access to Child Care Act, and it is also why I proudly offer this amendment. My amendment would ensure that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs develops and provides criteria to VA medical centers that account for access challenges when deciding what type of assistance to provide these veterans. This Congress has recognized since at least 2014 that burdens to access are a significant barrier to receiving the quality healthcare that veterans want and deserve from our VA. Mental healthcare is no different. In fact, access challenges are even more acute for mental health. We know that an alarmingly small percentage of eligible veterans seek mental health treatment, and we know that the veteran community is in crisis over suicide. We must do everything we can to ease the burden to access. My amendment would address one of those access challenges that faces rural veterans daily.…”