Political Quotes

“I would like to engage in a colloquy of the subcommittee leadership. First off, I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for agreeing to work with me on an issue that is very important to former servicemembers. After a decade at war, many women servicemembers, for instance, are at risk for reproductive and urinary tract problems. This risk results from deployment conditions and a lack of predeployment women's health information. In addition, the nature of the current conflict and increasing use of improvised explosive devices have left servicemembers with blast injuries that include spinal cord injury and trauma to the reproductive and urinary tracts. The result is a severe impact to these servicemembers and their ability to create and raise a family upon their return from the battlefield. According to the Department of Defense, between 2003 and 2011, nearly 2,000 women and men suffered these life-changing battle injuries during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Disabled veterans have already paid much too high a price in service to our country. They should not have to pay a higher cost when they come home to try to start a family. The Department of Veterans Affairs cannot provide the care that they need. While the Department of Defense and TRICARE are already able to provide the necessary treatment to servicemembers with these injuries, the VA services are not able to meet the complex needs of severely injured veterans.…”