For the millions of women across this country who open up the mail every month to see their premiums go up...

Because when the rising cost of health insurance hurts women, it hurts our Nation.

And today we are asking the questions that women and families and businesses across America are asking.

The status quo isn't working.

Our health care system is broken.

I am honored to recommend that the Senate confirm Rosanna Malouf Peterson as the District Court Judge for the Eastern District of my home state.

I have to say I am still--because I talk to veterans--really worried.

when somebody goes over and serves our country and then--simply because somebody does not write something on a form--comes home and is denied their care, to me is just really unjust.

The problem begins in DOD where women--particularly, but also some men who are in combat--experience their records being notoriously incomplete or vague.

One piece of paper lost, one piece of evidence, is too many.

One of the things I hear from veterans all the time is that their paperwork is lost.

Thank you very much for holding today's hearing to discuss VA's disability claims and appeals process.

We still have a lot of work to do, because I think the veterans often see that when they go to file a claim, the deck is stacked against them.

This is extremely important. I am hearing from a lot of women who have been in Iraq, some in Afghanistan, who have come home and do not have the proper documentation saying that they were in combat areas.

I am frequently reminded that a lot of veterans see the VA as their adversary, not as an advocate.

I made a pledge to many of our Iraqi and Afghan veterans coming home that I would never leave a Chamber of Commerce or Rotary meeting without telling them they need to hire veterans.

Mr. Chairman, I look forward to supporting this nominee, and hopefully we can move him quickly through the process once we have the Committee hearing so that we can get him to work for our veterans.

We are now ramping up and we have a number of folks coming home. It will impact next year's budget. It certainly will impact budgets in the out years, so we need to have an honest figure on that.

Salmon are a way of life in Washington state and their protection is critical to our heritage, our culture, and our economy.

I want to congratulate you on your nomination and applaud you for your willingness to take on this challenging and rewarding job.

We need you to be candid. If between the Congressional Budget Office and elsewhere it gets reduced from where you all think it ought to be, we want to know from this Committee's perspective because that communication breakdown means that…

Thank you for your leadership in sponsoring S.635. We look forward to working with you and your staff to advance this important bill.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Senator Johanns this morning, and all of our colleagues, for holding this really important hearing.

I can guarantee that once you are there, you will be hearing a lot from me.

I sincerely hope that, if confirmed, you will work to promote an open and proactive approach to relations with Congress.