CHARLES W. DENT

I reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment. The Acting CHAIR. A point of order is reserved. Pursuant to House Resolution 223, the gentleman from Michigan and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes…

I reserve a point of order on the gentlewoman's amendment. The Acting CHAIR. A point of order is reserved. Pursuant to House Resolution 223, the gentlewoman from California and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair…

I know the gentleman from Michigan has a deep commitment to providing job training and employment assistance for our returning veterans, and I support the amendment, which highlights the importance of VA programs that provide this…

I understand the gentleman's focus on providing information technology resources for the VA in order to meet the goals of eliminating the backlog. I have no objection to the amendment.

I support the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. Sinema). The amendment was agreed to. Amendment Offered by Mr. Gosar

I agree with the gentleman from Arizona's emphasis on maximizing funding for the Board of Veterans Appeals. The board will be facing an enormous increase in caseload as the backlog of initial disability claims is cleared and veterans…

I commend the gentlelady for her work to improve the services VA provides to our women veterans. You really ought to be commended. I know your work on the authorizing committee is very important to you. Since women comprise nearly 15…

I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, but I am not opposed to the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from Pennsylvania is recognized for 5 minutes. There was no objection.

I agree with Mr. Gosar that eliminating the backlog should be the VA's highest priority. The bill provides the entire administration request for claims processing activities, and I would support your amendment.

I must rise reluctantly in opposition to the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Pennsylvania is recognized for 5 minutes.

I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his dedication and determination to right the situation. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Chester County, Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello).

Exactly 2 weeks ago, the VA Office of the Inspector General released its report on the gross mismanagement and claims manipulation that has long corroded the Philadelphia VA Regional Office. The issues revealed through that report reflect…

I reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment. The Acting CHAIR. A point of order is reserved. Pursuant to House Resolution 223, the gentleman from Arizona and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes…

Reclaiming my time, I will tell you that this budget adequately meets--more than adequately meets--the needs of our servicemembers and our veterans and their families. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

At this time, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Mrs. Roby), who has been a tireless advocate for the needs of the veterans in her community in Alabama.

I urge your support for this request and the many other critical policy provisions that are in the bill, as Israel and the United States face the challenges of the Middle East together.

At these times of global uncertainty and brutal acts of terrorism, it is imperative that we maintain persistent vigilance against the numerous threats facing our homeland. Again, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. It is the right…

I am deeply concerned about the community college program, because the free community college is, well, one, it is not based on need.

I think that everybody who goes to work in morning ought to be entitled to know that they are coming home safe and sound.

OSHA has admitted it has only been able to achieve about a 70 percent compliance rate with the existing silica standard.

And contrary to OSHA's own analysis, independent estimates show that the agency's proposed rule to regulate worker exposure to crystalized silica is expected to cost the construction industry over $4 billion a year to comply with it.

Most small employers do not have a dedicated employee to track changes in statutes and regulations of--and the business owners end up doing this work after hours in terms of compliance.

Instead of penalizing job creators, the Department should instead try to help them.

And it seems like there is some type of discrimination based on type of fuel used, and I think there is a better way to allocate those LIHEAP dollars.

Given the low cost of crude oil, which has translated into heating oil prices being on par with and sometimes lower than the equivalent natural gas price, why would HHS be using valuable LIHEAP program dollars to switch recipients' fuel…