Patty Murray

I want to know what you are going to do to restore emergency services and surgical care for the veterans that rely on the Spokane VA.

I think it is absolutely vital, so thank you.

This has been ongoing forever and it is not being resolved, and it is a huge issue for our Spokane veterans.

Last year, I introduced legislation to expand the caregiver support services the VA offers and to make the full program available to veterans of all eras.

We also support S. 469, the Women Veterans and Families Health Services Act of 2015, a bill introduced by Senator Murray.

I understand the need for additional dollars. You're right. We need to make sure that both the victim and the perpetrator have an answer.

Okay, we look forward to seeing that very soon. And thank you.

We discussed during the hearing the importance of increasing funding for the Office for Civil Rights, reducing the backlog of complaints and supporting every effort to improve student safety at colleges and universities around our Nation.

Feeling insecure and unsafe should not be one of them.

I was actually pleased to see that your budget proposed a significant increase for the Office of Civil Rights (OCR)

We should be ashamed of ourselves, and we should want to do better for our kids and for our Nation's economic competitiveness.

The report noted that its recommendations will require significant resources.

If we exacerbate or perpetuate those gaps, we are part of the problem.

I oppose those cuts, just as a bipartisan majority of my colleagues do.

The President's budget proposal would invest in students, educators, schools, and communities to make sure that every American has access to high-quality education from the cradle through their career.

That is unfair. That is un-American. This is a step to try to rectify that problem.

It is worrisome for our competitive global workforce in the future, because other countries are investing.

I am pleased that your proposal will help make college more affordable by increasing investments in the Pell Grant program.

Unfortunately, I believe that that budget proposal, and the one that passed the House, fails to support investments that we do need in education.

I believe that we should be investing more in children, not less.

That compromise is a strong step in the right direction to fix the badly broken No Child Left Behind law.

Now, Democrats and Republicans both agree that sequestration is terrible policy.

I am very hopeful that Democrats and Republicans can work together to make investments we need to make.

I believe the only way to create sustainable economic growth is from the middle out, not from the top down.

I do not have any additional questions. I just wanted to thank the Secretary for his very thoughtful and insightful work, and I look forward to working with you.