Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Roe for their words, as well as for their efforts to help us get to yes on this important piece of legislation. I rise in support of H.R. 5245, a bill I introduced along with my colleague, Congressman Max Rose, to fix some major problems directly affecting our veterans. Last year, I heard from one of my constituents, New Hampshire veteran Jeff Varney, who contacted my office for assistance. Jeff, like thousands of other veterans across the country, is facing tremendous financial hardship due to VA errors. Jeff was in disbelief when the VA informed him that he needed to repay years of benefit overpayments because of an apparent error that VA made decades ago. So after a lifetime of service, and through no fault of his own, Jeff was told he is on the hook for more than $11,000, even though VA produced no accounting of how these debts were accrued. Unfortunately, Jeff is not alone in this experience, and too many of our veterans are badly surprised when they receive letters saying they owe the VA money. Sometimes these debts reach thousands of dollars. During the hearings held by our Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, we heard from veterans service organizations about the pain and hardship that these surprises may bring. Last fiscal year, the VA collected $1.6 billion in debts from veterans.…”