"it will be dead on arrival if it lands here in Congress."
"I do not think we should nickel and dime them for their care."
"I think our veterans already paid, and proposals that just simply balance the VA budget on their backs are, you know, as far as I am concerned, dead on arrival."
"I think the best thing to do is to completely overturn the 2003 ban."
"I appreciate that. Again, once we get the 2009 bill passed, hopefully tonight, we do have money in there for some pilot projects on homelessness."
"There would be a real risk to just everyday average families."
"Mental health is something that I have talked about for a long time."
"Making sure those veterans can access care is one of the many problems we're still struggling to address."
"Many tell me they have to drive several hours--through snowy and icy conditions in the winter time--just to see their doctor."
"The VA's studies have found that rural veterans are in poorer health than those living in urban areas where care is more accessible."
"We created an Office of Rural Health within the VA to improve the delivery of care to rural veterans."
"So this is a real challenge."