Ted Poe: “American warriors have died in lands far, far away. We honor them this Memorial Day. But now, other American warriors…”

“American warriors have died in lands far, far away. We honor them this Memorial Day. But now, other American warriors are dying in the United States waiting for VA health care. They are ``dying in line.'' According to whistleblowers, at least 40, maybe more, have died before they could see VA medical personnel. And it gets worse. Allegations are the VA then secretly hid the long delays and told employees to ``cook the books'' so it looked like there were no delays at all. Incompetence, secrecy, death. Reports indicate the VA may have known about the ``death line'' for years. Rather than fix the problem, the death line scandal has grown to include Colorado, Texas, Arizona, and Wyoming. Immediately, Mr. Speaker, give veterans the option through a voucher to see a private doctor. Fire the people that caused this. Put others that committed crimes in the line for the stockade, and fix the problem. Mr. Speaker, American veterans should not wait in line just to die. And that's just the way it is. ____________________”