Derrick Van Orden

Outstanding. Well, thank you very much for coming.

My concern is this, and I expressed this when I was running for office, is that a lot of people, unfortunately, folded some of these funds--these emergency funds--into essentially programmatics and they started depending on them knowing…

I also know that it is my responsibility to make things better to the best of my ability.

We must take a multifaceted approach to address the underlying specific needs of each individual veteran.

We have got to find ways to fund these essential programs without putting a huge financial burden on the backs of the taxpayers.

I want to talk to you about this because----

I am a retired Navy SEAL.

This problem is only going to get worse as more veterans receive benefits under the Promising to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act.

There is a program under Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that is specifically designed to help with formerly incarcerated folks getting job training to make sure that they break that cycle of recidivism.

My favorite part of this building is not the rotunda or Statuary Hall or even this Chamber. It is a simple quote painted above a door downstairs. It is, ``When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of…

I would like to highlight a fellow veteran, Senior Chief Mike Day, former Navy Seal, Navy Cross recipient.

I believe the proposals we have here today... are incredibly important to ensuring veterans continue to use the benefits that they have earned.

What this does is it allows members of the Department of Labor to interact with our servicemembers during the Transition Assistance Program.

Where is the rest of the money?

I believe the proposals we have here today, including VET-TEC, are incredibly important to ensuring veterans continue to use the benefits that they have earned.

VET-TEC, you kidding me? It is working. Let us do more of that.

I just think this is a winning program and I would like to see it come to fruition permanently.

I also want to talk about the Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET-TEC) bill, which I think is awesome.

We want to make sure that we can do whatever we can for these veterans to fulfill that, but we still also have to uphold our duty to protect the taxpayers from rampant spending.

If you are eligible for veterans' educational benefits and you fail to meet your obligation, ... they cannot be held financially accountable.

I think that is just the right thing to do.

If you are concerned about turbulence, you ought to be concerned about climate change, because everybody tells me that is going to be making it worse.

My number one legislative priority on the subcommittee is the transition from active duty to veterans.

Last session of Congress, I worked with Mr. Larsen and Mr. Graves to include the Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization Act.

Without it, we wouldn't have corporate planes bringing people to our conventions or individuals coming out for big events.