"And what was truly shocking and confirmed stories that I had a hard time believing when I was told by veterans when we first took office was that more than one-third of the veterans surveyed who tried to obtain a mental health care appointment could not obtain one at all."
"This bill would simply require that the VA contract with an independent third-party to assess true wait times."
"Well, something just didn't add up."
"We cannot ask the VA how the VA is doing and always expect an honest answer."
"I am a big believer in that which is accurately measured tends to improve."
"I do not think you have a compelling case against the Ask Veterans Act."
"It is not rocket science to design these surveys. It is not incredibly expensive."
"When we brought that to the VA's attention, and when we hammered the VA frankly on this huge gap in service, that helped the VA to prioritize resources where they were most needed."
"I agree we do not want to duplicate efforts and spend more money."
"I think we have to insist on consequences and accountability and performance."
"I have yet to hear a compelling answer to Mr. Lieu's questions about why we can't unify within a single system."