>> he talks about his time working for then congressman mike pence and what it's been like to work for president donald trump. watch the interview sunday at 7:30 p.m. eastern on c-span. next week congress returns from its memorial day holiday work time. the senate returns money to debate president trump's judicial nominations for u.s. district court in kentucky, texas and alabama. the u.s. house is back to states to work on his first federal spending bill for 2019, funding the energy and veterans affairs departments and house operations. live coverage of the house on c-span, and the senate here on c-span2. next winter from deputy veterans affairs secretary thomas bowman. he spoke of the national coalition for homeless veterans annual conference earlier today. it runs about 45 minutes.

[applause] good morning. it is a distinct pleasure for me personally and professionally to introduce our speaker. as many of you know, i had a career here in d.c. i i was on the house of veterans affairs committee staffer staf. i was on the senate committee staff, and 19 years at the department of veterans affairs, most of which i served as the director of homeless veterans programs. so for those of you who are outside of washington, for all the real work gets done, i will tell you that inside washington there are people who make things happen, and one of those people is one of the people that i hear to be with this morning. tom bowman has a long and distinguished career. you've got his bio in your book. he's a proud marine corps

veteran, 21 years of active service, 30 years total. but more importantly to what we do here, he is a man who listens, understands, evaluates and takes action. when i was at the va i worked directly with secretaries, deputy secretaries and chiefs of staff on a daily basis. and i can tell you there is no finer person that i work with them tom bowman. i will tell you he's going to make some remarks, but unusual for top leadership officials come he's going to actually stick around for a a little bit and take some questions from you as well. so be thinking about that. but it is a distinct honor and pleasure for me to introduce tom bowman, the deputy secretary of veterans affairs. [applause]

>> it truly is a pleasure for me to be here. i am wearing a flashy tie. there's a little story behind that that i will share with you in a minute, but listening to pete talk about our time together at va, it was because you want to talk about a class act and a real advocate for homeless veterans and keeping the leadership focused on program actual execution, it was piqued daugherty. it was real pleasure to work with him. [applause] pete, before that, as i was parked in front of the library there, i found this on my car. [laughing] to that of which is kind of give it to you -- [laughing]

that was easy. i think pete for the introduction. i want to acknowledge some folks who are here, especially check, we work together in years past -- chick. he has been not only a tremendous advocate for veterans writ large across the country, and i thank individuals like chick are represented here who i don't know most of you, but i do know of the reputation that your organization has in the community. i do have some prepared remarks. i'm going to kind of deviate from them because this is going to be my last public event as the deputy secretary. i announced my retirement on 15

june, but it's only my retirement from the va. i do plan on staying very active in the veterans space, especially in the world of homeless veterans. so it's a real pleasure for me to be here, and i can think of no finer organization to kind of part my public ways as the deputy secretary and being here for this organization. departing for my prepared remarks, one of the things i'd like to hopefully dispel is, i know over the last year there has been some consternation,, some confusion about whether or not the department of veterans affairs is truly committed to a homeless veterans and program for homeless veterans. let me straight in the record if anybody has some confusion about

it. we are and there is going to be a continuing focus and funding in support of homeless veterans. [applause] despite the fact that there is some movement in place right now regarding a new secretary, will have a new secretary and we'll have a new deputy secretary. and the department is going to be in good hands. this this is a process that youl are aware of that, political appointees come and go depending on what the person or the professional circumstances are. but the department remains. you have 300 360,000 employeesn the department of veterans affairs across the country. 260, 270,000 more kind of

oriented more in the health arena with the veterans health administration. but all focused on one thing, and that is taking care veterans. their ability to do that is, in my opinion, based upon the years that i've been working at the va but also as an active duty officer, my last roughly four years at the pentagon, that we come in the country but we especially in the department of veterans affairs i believe are at an inflection point. there is something happening at the va to move us any direction of where do we really need to be as a department? what programs do we really need to have into the future? and that assessment is going on right now in any number of ways.

there was over the last, what, six or seven months of the issue of the veterans choice bill and the difficulty in coming to agreement, and then having it pass. but we now have the nation act. and so we now have a piece of legislation that is going to help redefine the issue of choice in the community, healthcare choice in the community. now, why is that important? i think the reason it's important is because it's going to help to solidify the understanding and the reality that the va and its hospitals d outpatient clinics and its veterans centers, that is not the total picture of va healthcare. it is also what occurs in the healthcare that is provided by

providers in the community. and i think what you are going to find over the next three to five years is, not a redefinition, , but i think some greater clarity on exactly when somebody says va health care, what that mean? i know that when pete and i come when some he said va healthcare, what first came to mind was the hospitals, outpatient clinics, the veterans centers. and then we needed veterans go to the community. but that community provider system was not looked at as an integrable part of va healthcare. it was a default, what we would look to because we couldn't provided inside the campus. here we are 15, 18 years down the timeline and i think where we are at now is giving greater

definition, greater clarity as to what we expect of health care being provided in the community. and funding it to help address the real needs out there. and homeless veterans are a part of that need. and you all and this organization helps define the focus for that particular cohort of veteran, and their families. 15, 18 music when people said a homeless veteran, a homeless veteran was homeless living in tents. i spent a number of years living in florida, in and hernando co, and there were tent villages for homeless and integrated in those homeless tent villages were veterans. and they were not well taken care of the healthcare system that we had.

in va in tampa and saint pete. i was part of that and we didn't do as good a job as we should. we are doing much, much better now than we were then. why? because of organizations like yours. you all are the adequate chambers to make sure that we in washington see, hear, and feel the needs, the unique needs that need to be addressed by the homeless veteran and their families. 15, 18 years ago that small phrase, and their families, was never part of the dialogue but now it is. that's progress. it's real progress because on the hill, now legislators when they say, and to think of homeless veterans, it is now homeless veterans and their families.

because there is an echoing out of come if you're going to dress a homeless veteran you are also going to be able to help address what may be a dysfunctional family, what may be a disruptive family just by the simple act of helping that homeless veteran. another point that i'd like to make is that some people say that the va is broken because of all this bad press. the va is not broken. it is not broken. it's changing, and like any large department or healthcare system, we have problems. but let me ask you this. how many private healthcare systems are as open and transparent when a problem

occurs and the department of veterans affairs? you tell me one -- is united health? they are good. they're a wonderful system. is humana? they are not going to push out into the public arena the fact of the errors and their mistakes. they may become known, but what is our obligation? our obligation is to be transparent and to make the problems known, because once we make them known, they are going to get corrected. and why are they going to get corrected? because organizations like yours are the guardians to make sure that the department does pay attention and does follow through. and the congress relies upon you all to be their echo chamber. you informed and as to what's working or not working right. we are a better department

because of organizations like yours. i think that you take it personal, make it personal, as an organization. if we are not doing what we're supposed to be doing, we want to hear about it. your obligation is to make sure that we hear about it. i think that is where the va is beginning to move. some people say it's broken because of the culture. i think that's worn out right now. the culture that we had that va is, we have a significant employee force that wants to do the right thing for veterans and their families. and the definition of the right thing is ever-changing. if you take lincoln's phrase to care for him who have borne the battle and for his widow and for his orphan, the word care to is the most important. because you look at it, back

then what was they care being provided for the veteran? many times it was to take them off the battlefield, try and bind up their wounds and then they were just sent home. and then it began to develop that there was a greater sense of obligation that the country had to take care of them, and the word care begin to have a broader definition than just minimal healthcare. it was pension and benefits. i think the last inflection point of significance was right after world war, as world war ii was ending and general bradley was tasked by president truman to come up with a manner, means and method, how to upgrade the veterans administration to be able to take care of all of these returning soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines? they have needs.

they need to be very integrated back into the community. and if you take a look at what he organized and structured a back then, and compared to where we are right now, it's the same organizational structure. the three administrations, the g.i. bill, home loans, the affiliates, va medical center and medical schools. that was all designed and thought of at the end of world war ii. we still have that structure. it has been enhanced. it has been matured and it still is going to change. the culture of va is you change to be able to accommodate the specific needs of the veterans of today, yesterday, and anticipate what are going to be

the needs tomorrow. [applause] you all will help shape that need of tomorrow. especially in the realm of the homeless veteran and their family. be aggressive about it. don't be timid. make it personal. if you take anything away from my remarks today, is your mission, make it personal. because the more personal it is to you as individuals as well as an organization, the greater clarity and the greater impact you are going to have in the congress as well as in the department. make it personal i don't know how many of you have heard of

the speech by admiral burke raven, make your bed. let me see a show of hands of people -- that's maybe a little less than half of the room. i strongly recommend, all you do is google make your bed, and it's about 19 minute set of remarks from 2014 by admiral mikel raven who was head of u.s. special operations command at the point that he was retiring. shortly after made that speech he retired and became a chance of university of texas system. i'm a graduate of university of texas, the same rotc unit that -- [laughing] holcombe, horns. [applause] the same rotc unit that admiral burke raven, now come he graduated probably seven or eight years after me but he commanded the same rotc unit that i did, and you saw how

successful he is, and i take all the credit for that. [laughing] because of the leadership lessons that i left for him to follow through on. i have been able to communicate that to them yet but he's an absolute wonderful man. you will enjoy listening to his remarks. and what it is it's how to change the world. that's his theme. he gives ten points to it. i'd like to talk to you about a couple of them but it's well worth your time watching him present. because i think the lessons of their that he speaks about are not only lessons for you individually, but they become a template of how many of our homeless veterans, many of them i think, are coming out of

homelessness and reengineering their lives based upon the simple principles that the admiral talks about in there. the first when he says his make your bed. you wake up in the morning. ever since i saw that, i had been intimidated because vocationally i -- not occasionally, most of the time i didn't make my bed. but after listening to the admiral, gee, it just takes me a minute or two and i made my bed. at his point was if you make your bed you know you have accomplished something, if the rest of the day has nothing to fear. do you come home, look at the bed, so not bad, i'm good. you have success. he talks about challenges. he talks about failure, and success can be borne out of

failure. we are all going to fail in one way or another. i've had any number of failure experiences. so have you all, but each one of them kind of gave you an insight into how you can turn that failure into a success. and i think many of our homeless veterans are beginning to do that, more so now than in the past because of the programs that the va has, and that will be developed into the future. influenced and shaped by people like you. so don't hesitate, you want to try, and as you try if you fail you are not successful. you get up and continue on. and that was his message, because there will be a success, and that success may be for one person but that one person then can generate three or four other

people just by reason of their experience and what you did. what you individually did to change that one persons life. and then that one person can influence three or four others and then they influence ten to 12 others. and that happens. that is happening today. it's going to happen tomorrow in the world of homeless veterans. our part is to make sure that every day at the department level, every day that we make sure that people who are involved with the homeless veteran programs and execution of those programs, that they do their job. and they do it willingly. if there's one cohort that i fit in my experience, my ten to 12 years in the va, whether is really a heartfelt mission dedication, it's in the realm of homeless taking care of homeless

veterans and their needs. i mean, it's heartfelt. because each of those veterans has a story, and each of those veterans are experiencing failure. but from that failure, , and yo, your organization, you individually, taking it personally, are going to change the lives of many, many more homeless veterans. i think it's part of the reason why when we start talking about the number of homeless veterans decreasing, our goal is functional zero and that's kind of a bureaucratic term. there will always be individuals who are experiencing homelessness or near homelessness. so we are to get better at trying to see those individuals before they become homeless. that's where we want to be. what are the indicators? and then we have programs there into the future. we are going there. we are going to be much better

at predictive analysis, but it's going to be organizations like yours that will have to keep us as a department focused on moving in that direction, making sure the right amount of resources are dedicated to it. the extensions of programs that we have, come that that is just as in va, the veteran courts, the treatment courts. those are extensions and i think they were motivated at the beginning with i think the first court was in buffalo, and then since then with over 500 around the country. there are going to be more. there are more judges who want to have either calendars under docket or actual courts if they can get the resources. to help address the veterans who

come in, many of whom are from the world of homelessness or will find themselves moving into homelessness if the program that they are being offered, or should be offered in the corps system isn't there. we as a country, i think, are looking at homelessness and veterans taking care of veterans homelessness to me is how the country can lead the way in helping to address the homeless issue writ large nationally. how will we do in va can become a template for kyrgyz around the country. and you all to me are the messengers, not only going out but also what you learn out there that isn't being done exactly right, can be done better and you bring the message back.

one of the other principal points that admiral mcraven brought up i'm going to get my list here, i did make my bed this morning, i want you to know that. oh, yes. so he was talking about hell a week and wednesday of hell week is when they go out to the mud flats, the tijuana mud flats. the individuals who go out there are going to be there for roughly about 12 hours, as a general rule. they are in the water. it's cold and it's all meant to really test the fiber at that point in training to see who else do we need to weed out. who else is not going to be able to demonstrate the strength, the commitment, despite the cold

weather, to despite the pain but they are going to. he talks about how they are in the mud and the instructors are kind of touting them, listen, all we need is 5-fu, five of you to quit and we will take you hold it we will take you out of the mud. there must've been about 40 or 45 people there. so the the instructors are saying, just fine. five of you just need to quit. the admiral was saying they're looking around and they could see that there were about two or three who were ready just, , i mean, bent over in pain. they figured these individuals probably are going to step out. and he said, malcolm he was a participant in that class so he was in the mud. he is there. he obviously wasn't going to be one that quit, but to prevent somebody in that group, he can't

tell you who, somebody in that group new that there were three or four of these individuals who were probably ready to quit. and what that individual did was to start singing. so here you are, four to five hours in, you are colder than you've ever been. you are hungry. you haven't slept in, oh, for five days, and you hear this song start. and the instructors were just coming down hard, you know, who was doing that? you got to stop that. come on, five people. we will take you home. then it was two more voices, three more voices. then present everybody in the mud was singing. and then he says, the night got shorter, the pain seemed to go away, and everybody who is in the mud flats went home eight hours later as a group. the four or five who probably

were close didn't. what was the point? the point there was individually you have your own inflection point. you have your own thought about what is the maximum that you can take, whether it be pain, you know, consternation, but is it really all that you can take? there is always more that you can experience more that you can do. and the point there was find it within, don't quit. his last point was, in seal training there is the bell. now, the bell all you have to do if you want to quit at any point in training is go to the bell and wing it. and then you go, you pack your stuff. you are not humiliated in any way. you have just made a decision

that you can't, this is not what you need to be. this is not what you want to do. you ring the bell. the whole purpose of the seal training is to convince you you don't want or you don't need to bring that bell. you can be successful. you can overcome adversity. you can do more than you've ever done. .. . >> ring to bell to admit that you cannot do more than what you have done. you always rely on somebody else. don't try to do it alone.

find a partner. find somebody to work with. and that's what you all are as an organization. every homeless veteran out there that you impact, that you deal with, every one of them is a potential success story in their own way because of what you do. and it's not that it -- it can't -- not everybody is going to be successful. but we don't know that. it's a question of who has touched them. and you all, through your organization and individually, have saved lives. have saved marriages. have saved children. make it personal. don't give up. you hold the department of veterans affairs accountable for what we offer as programs. you make us successful.

and we will become even more successful based upon what you do and how you communicate that to us. so with that, like i said, this is my last public outing as a deputy secretary. i am probably going to be joining the ranks of those who volunteer, you know, working with homeless veterans. i welcome that. i consider it to be a god send to me. it's my way of giving back, letting me put, you know, action where my last ten to 12 years and helping to develop policy. i want to get out there and be able to live under the same policies that i helped pass. because i think they're good. they're good policies. and they're going to get better. because i'm going to be part of you. so with that, thank you. [ applause ]

. >> all right. thank you very much. i will -- i will take some questions for those of you that may have questions. if i can't answer them, i'll take them down. i'll make sure that an answer gets either to pete or to chic and make sure you get them. >> i wanted to thank you. that's the kind of leadership that has made such a difference. and it produces the camaraderie and support. but you really need leaders. and especially that message goes to the local folks who control the resources that allow us to get the results we do. the hospital directors, the vision directors, the skilled nurses that are there.

right. all that clinical support that is crucial to get veterans off the street and keep them off the street and alleviate suffering, et cetera. so that's -- i mean, my concern is how -- to make sure the integrated care that's been developed over the years continues in a robust fashion. so that recent act that was passed, i'm very concerned about really how that's implemented. and to ensure that that strong message remains where the local resources are as it goes from the central office to the -- because for years we had such a struggle to get the hospitals represented at our conferences that have that communication. they felt they were outside, you know, what was going on with homeless services. so i would hate to give that up now. because we've struggled to bring them back into our mission. >> right, right. and i don't think that -- we're not -- we're not going to move backwards. okay. part of the reason is is because you're not going to allow it. congress won't allow it if

they're made aware that this is what is happening. i think the attitude of the leadership that is going to be with the va, they're going to want to move forward. i do believe that the va you see today is not the va you're going to see five years from now. change is going to occur. whether it be, you know, kind of assessing the capital asset, the physical plant. you know, we take a look at the demographics of veterans where they used to be just, you know, millions up in the greater new england area. where have they gone? they've moved south. but where was a lot of construction after world war ii? it's the where the veterans went back. and so at some point we have to look realistically at where our footprint needs to be to help address and take care of the veterans of yesterday who are in need of our care but also those of today and into the future.

you all will not let us regress. there's no doubt in my mind. >> secretary, my name is ralph cooper. and i don't know if you remember, but when secretary francippi had his homeless advisory committee with robyn vankuran, i know that pete remembers. and we reported directly to the secretary. our recommendation went to him. and, you know, my fellow founder spoke eloquently about what is going on and what needs to happen in the future. and i just want to thank you for being there for us so that those kinds of recommendations just didn't get skipped over. i mean, the homeless veterans

advisory committee, we had the direct line to the secretary. that was amazing back then. and the results of it are today. god bless you and may you have a fantastic retirement. [ applause ] >> thank you. [ applause ] >> regarding the reports, the advisory committee, my belief is that these reports, copies of these reports should go to capital hill. they go to the secretary because they are advisory to help the secretary and the deputy and the other senior leadership decide, you know, what are the needs of the veterans community. whether it be in the homeless area or whether it be women veteran's. whatever is the specific mission purpose of the advisory

committee. i believe that those reports should go to the hill. and that is -- and i know many of them do. they do. but i think that as you continue on skugt -- executing, you know, the mission you have as an organization in the community, when you work with congressional members and you're going into their offices and briefing them, you know, you can just happen to drop the hint and say have you seen the last advisory committee report that was provided to the secretary. and i'm willing to bet you in better than 50% of the cases, the answer is going to be no. but, again, that's the reason you're there is to help them refocus and ask the department for copies of the recent report. and if congress asks, they'll

get it. they'll get it. questions? >> good morning. first of all, my name is kristi cheatham. i'm from houston, texas. i'm with catholic charity. my first question is about veterans. i feel even though i'm grateful for what the va -- i'm a veteran myself. even though i'm grateful for what the va has done so far, there are a lot of other initiatives for homeless female veterans that i feel that the va can do more. a lot of our female veterans have older children. a lot of shelters can't house a 16-year-old. a lot of the shelters won't even take children. therefore a female veteran is limited in her option. a lot of the grants we receive from the federal government are more male-driven. and some of them allow easier access for male veterans and female veterans. what do you suggest i do or we do to kind of champion those causes for housing for our v

female veterans? and second as far as our female veterans again, is there a type of coalition or something that is making major changes within the va system to be more female-friendly as far as health care? gynecologist and things of that nature. a lot of women we have to wait 30 days to see a female physician -- i mean, to see a gynecologist, which to me as a female veteran, i have the same right as a male veteran. a male veteran can get care today. i should be able to too. so i just want to know -- i want an answer on those two questions. and thank you for your service to the va. i really appreciate everything that you have done. thank you. >> well, let me try to answer both questions. one, i have to say that the va is attempting to do more to accommodate our women veterans. there is a women veterans advisory committee. i would recommend that this organization connect with that advisory committee and make them

aware of any resolutions you have, any ideas that you have as it relates to women veterans. and have them once they get it, it's a very active group. i have to say that. it's more active than it was early on. but it is a very active group. the fastest growing co-hort veteran in the veteran space are women veterans. now, across the country, medical centers have attempted -- and not all of them have been as successful as others to try and upgrade the structure, the facilities, the clinics to accommodate women veterans. in washington dc, i went through their clinic over there. i was impressed by the difference that i saw from when i first was over there about ten

years ago. down in tampa, florida, the -- there has been a separate building constructed just specifically focused on women veterans. the idea of the particular needs for a woman veteran to feel comfortable in coming to a va medical center, that is now where the va is trying to have the medical center directors bring their attention. how do we make it more welcoming for the female veteran to come to my hospital? there is a significant amount of funding that is being oriented towards upgrading and creating women veterans clinics at the major -- at our medical centers. where we can't -- one of the problems -- and i have to be very frank with you. one of the problems is staffing it. you can build the most beautiful

clinic. but if you can't staff it, you really haven't provided what the woman veteran needs. so at the same time, then you would attempt to contract with ob/gyn clinicians to come in. i think they're attempting to do that. we're not where we need to be. but we are going to get there because of the focus -- you know, the comments that you just made. because of the focus on it. and because that is the need into the future. i mean, why would, you know, a young woman want to go into the military, maybe even serve a career with a belief that i served my country. my country is going to take care of me when i leave. especially if i have incurred illnesses or injuries as a result of my service. that is an expectation. that is a promise that the country makes. you've heard it.

it's kind of cliché. it's clichéish. but it's true. it's true. it's a promise. we owe it to you. so, like i said, make it personal. and make sure your voice is heard. okay. i just got the look. [ laughing ] >> but, again, i thank you. i wore my special tie here today for you all because this is my last event. my daughter happened to pick this thing out. and it happened one day when i was getting dressed. i was going to go speak to a research advisory group. and i was face timing with my oldest granddaughter. and her sister. she then was, i think, 16 and the younger one was 14. so i'm getting dressed. oh, grandma, where are you going.

i'm going to go speak to research. oh, wow, yuck, boring. [ laughing ] >> and i said, well, no, no. this is really a great group. i'm looking to have some -- you know, a very rewarding experience. oh, okay. what are you going to wear. i'm going to wear a suit and tie. so i did one of these and i was face timing around. and i go, oh, god, no. grandpa. you're wearing that yucky tie. oh, come on. wear that cool tie. and i said which one is that? you know, the cool one with all of the colors. and i said, oh, okay. so i went and got it. it this the one. yes, that's the cool tie. they'll really like you. [ laughing ] >> so that was the goal. so with that, thank you very much. and i look forward to being a part of you.

[ applause ] [ inaudible conversations ]. >> this weekend c-span city's tour takes you to fort worth, texas, with the help of our spectrum cable partners will explore fort worth's literary history. saturday at noon eastern the author explores the history of the democratic party in texas in his book "blue texas". >> above all, it's a story i tell how activist from different groups, african-americans, mexican-americans and whites slowly came together and built an alliance, a coalition for both the civil rights and labor rights and political power.

>> and then we'll visit special collections to see items from the in their shoes exhibit to hear about journalist and author grace hawthorne know for his work soul sister. on sunday at 2:00 p.m., we'll look back to jfk's visit to forth worth general worth square where he gave an impromptu speech to thousands of spectators the morning he was assassinated. >> the other half of that day was in forth worth where everything seemed possible. where ideas were important. where leadership was important. that half of the day is important to remember. >> and then a visit to fort worth stock yard's historic district which was once the location of the largest livestock industry in texas. watch c-span's city tour of fort worth, texas, saturday on c-span 2, book tv, and sunday at 2:00 p.m. on american history tv on c-span 3. working with our cable affiliates as we