Beto O'Rourke

I think we share a common interest and goal in ensuring every veteran is served and treated with the utmost dignity and respect, gets the greatest quality of care, and the best outcomes.

It's clear to me that this has not been a priority for the VA.

I'm grateful to hear from almost every Member of this Committee their assurance that they are not opposed to union representation at the VA.

The veterans that I spoke to...said that they had received excellent timely care.

I'm also mindful of the fact that too many veterans in El Paso and every community in this country are unable to get an appointment.

I want to see a real commitment in writing on paper to which we can hold you and the Secretary accountable for.

So if I could--and I'm sorry to interrupt you, just as my time expires, if I could sketch out a scenario...

I came to the floor this evening primarily to talk about issues and opportunities at the VA and the successful confirmation of our new Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Dr. David Shulkin, but I would be remiss in not thanking my colleague…

I thank the gentleman from Minnesota and the ranking member of the full committee of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee for being here tonight and talking about not just our challenges, but some of the hope and opportunity that we have…

Yesterday, our country and the community that I have the honor of representing, El Paso, Texas, lost one of our best: Dr. Joseph E. Torres, who was 93 years old at the time of his death, still practicing dentistry in the community of El…

I thank the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham) for bringing her State's experience and perspective to bear on this issue and for being a champion for the best in our traditions and our values. I would like to build on…

With the President's recent announcement that through an executive action he would commit resources and national attention and focus on building a wall with our neighbor to the south-- Mexico--and given some of the rhetoric that we have…

I thank the gentleman from California for sharing his community's perspective and for reminding us that, when it comes to Mexico and our shared connection with Mexico--the U.S.-Mexico border-- we have much more to look forward to than we…

I thank the gentleman from New York for his comments-- again, bringing his experience to bear and, right from the beginning, introducing legislation, not just criticizing or complaining, but offering an alternative. It reminds us that, if…

We have the lowest levels of northbound apprehension coming across our southern border in modern history. We have more Mexican nationals going south to Mexico today than coming north to the United States. We have less than zero migration…

This Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in El Paso, Texas, hundreds of my fellow citizens will come out to San Jacinto Plaza to join us in celebrating, supporting, and defending those DREAMers who, across this country, are 700,000 strong, who were…

Those who have truly borne the cost of the wars that we have waged since 9/11 have been the men and women who wear the uniform and their families--fewer than 1 percent of the people in this country. For the rest of us, we have deferred our…

Thanks for having me at the hearing today. Just to close the loop on your earlier question about block buys and oversight.

This is Nesbly Nayeli Saenz. She lives in my community, where she is raising a 14-, an 11-, and a 6-year-old U.S. citizen family. She is actively involved in the success of our community. She works two jobs, and she recently came out with…

I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts, our new ranking member on the committee, for yielding and for his work on this important bill. Mr. Speaker, there are few things as important for us in this Congress to work on as creating more…

Please meet Daisy Arvizu, who was one of over 300 El Pasoans to join us at a DREAMers town hall that we held in downtown El Paso at the Community Foundation Room with the Border Network for Human Rights and Las Americas Immigration Center…

Because of the inaction of this Congress, our President, in 2012, deferred action on childhood arrivals to this country, young boys and girls who were brought here at the tender age of 3 or 5 or 6 or 7, who are now flourishing in our…

I am so grateful to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) and could not agree more forcefully with his words. In addition to these, again, inspiring examples of what the DREAMers mean to us as a country and what they mean to the…

I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster) for being here this evening, for standing up for some who, especially right now, feel that perhaps their government is not with them and perhaps these commitments that were made to them that…

I can't thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro) enough for taking the time to be here for his leadership on this issue. Not just after this election, and not just since he has been in the House of Representatives, but really his whole…