"We face what can only be described as an opioid abuse epidemic."
"It is vital that the VA has in place the proper oversight mechanisms to monitor the safe use of opioids for managing veterans' pain."
"I think we can find bipartisan support to get us to the place where we can meet that standard."
"But I want to make clear that neither I nor my colleagues view this laudable intent as a blanket rationale for not following laws, regulations, or proper procedure."
"If we're going to have a non-FAR system, then let's put a non-FAR system in place."
"There is a cost of doing business using any system, whether it's the Federal acquisition regulation or any other system."
"I am not asking you about the requirement. That is up to us."
"Federal and VA acquisition regulations exist for a reason."
"I want to try to go forward, where we go from here."
"At the end of the day, we can all agree we want to see our veterans receive the healthcare they need at precisely the moment they need it."
"I would like to hear more about the PC3 FAR-based contracts and then not chase every last one down a rabbit hole with 600 new employees."