I fear that is happening right now with the uncertainty that Ms. Davis has talked about.

Today, instead of protecting the right to vote, we have seen shameless attempts to undermine it.

Ohio's new law, HB 194, threatens to make it harder for tens of thousands of Ohioans to vote.

There is perhaps no right in America more essential to our democracy than the right to vote.

These laws may have different provisions in each State, but together they threaten to disenfranchise millions of eligible voters in the next election.

But our poll workers actually work harder during the 13 hours.

Absentee voting certainly opens up the door to fraud.

I do not agree with that. There are plenty of ways, if you are a local election official in that county--

the harder-working people of Ohio work 13 hours at the polls, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

I would like to see a uniform day of voting that we could all vote on the same day, as is done in Mexico.

Unfortunately, HB 194 and related changes in our voting system take us in the wrong direction.

Let us restore the law back the way it was and give us the right to cast our vote without----

If that is the case, let us refer them out and get them care and coverage.

Do you think that is appropriate?

You announced last week that the VA will hire 1,900 additional mental health staff, 1,600 mental health providers and then 300 support staff.

$194 million could be used somewhere better?

So I am glad you are holding this hearing. I want to continue to look into mental health services.

$5.9 billion, that is the increase that VA got. And out of that, do you think we could hire some more people to address these very real concerns?

That is why the IG report said that there is a breakdown with you meeting performance standards.

We are only doing 2 percent. Only 2 percent of those folks actually are referred out.

But in the interim, you have soldiers that are killing themselves and people who are hurting and need services.

Are there instances in which we, the VA, collectively, everybody here, we have let somebody fall through the cracks.

Thank you, Madam Chair. It is good to be here as the Ranking Member in place of Senator Burr.

Well, Jack Manning needed care and coverage, and he did not get it. And he killed himself.

We have had some people slip through the cracks.