Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

The VA is an organization of people and those in leadership will shape the culture of the organization.

Thank you for your leadership in sponsoring S.635, which would designate a segment of Illabot Creek in Skagit County as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Well, it is a big challenge, but I am really glad that you are going to take that on because I think there are a lot of opportunities left simply because the two groups--veterans and the people who employ veterans, our private…

This tendency to downplay problems does the VA a serious disservice.

I think we can all agree that our veterans are best served when the VA and Congress work as partners.

Ultimately, the VA and the Labor Department are organizations of people, and those in leadership roles will shape their cultures as well as their policies.

last week President Obama outlined a change in strategy to increase troops in Afghanistan by an additional 30,000

OK. Well, we have had experience in the past where the VHA has recognized the need for increased resources.

OK, good. I look forward to hearing about your progress and what we can do to help.

If we are not working with the spouses and the families, we often lose a lot of the resources.

I spoke about the need to overhaul the bureaucratic culture at the VA.

One of his top priorities is to transform the VA into a truly 21st century organization.

But when our men and women transition from the battlefield to the civilian world, they often find that their skills are not understood by civilian employers.

America's working families deserve nothing less.

I will leave the record open, for any members who want to submit a statement to the record.

I appreciate both of you, in your testimony, speaking to the need for strong partnerships as we work to make sure that our workers of today have the skills they need.

Helping workers and employers access the information and services needed to be competitive is a win for everyone.

We all want to see stronger evaluation and greater accountability.

We also want to be sure that we encourage innovation and risk-taking because nobody knows best.

Earlier this week, we learned that nearly 330,000 people are unemployed and looking for work in Washington State.

I believe, now more than ever, that building a competitive and skilled workforce is the issue that will make or break us as a nation.

For the last 11 years, WIA often has not had the level of evaluation and reporting that it should.

Thank you very much to all of our witnesses today. This hearing has provided invaluable insight as we move forward on reauthorizing WIA.

We have a lot of work to do. There are a lot of Veterans who have skills they earned in the military that do not count towards traditional business credentials.