more rice using less land, energy and water, using cutting edge technology and land leveling and yield and in technology for using less chemicals. much more so -- much more efficient than 20 years ago. while providing critical water foul habitat for hundreds of species. i know personally because i've leveled many of these fields myself. america's rice farmers continue to serve as leaders in the farming community by producing a healthy, conservation-friendly, rice crop that generates jobs, economic opportunity. i ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing september as national rice month. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015 the gentlewoman from new jersey, mrs. watson coleman, is recognized for 60 minutes as

the designee of the minority leader. mrs. watson coleman: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. watson coleman: thank you, mr. speaker. it is truly an honor to serb here in the united states congress but we sully that honor when we waste the american people's time with misplaced priorities and manufactured crises. mr. speaker, congress has one fundamental responsibility -- funding the federal government. but unfortunately, republicans in congress insist on undermining these responsibilities at virtually every turn. mr. speaker, republicans already insist on maintaining reckless pressure funding to choke services for middle class

and working americans, seens -- seniors, veterans and children. instead of replace -- of passing responsible budgets that meet the ever-changing needs of our nation, republicans continue to kick the can down the road through continuing resolutions which waste time and shortchange american people. but if that wasn't bad enough, now we are facing a complete federal shutdown because republicans insist on holding federal funds for women's health care hostage. congress has just four legislative days remaining to pass a funding bill, mr. speaker. the american people are fed up with this brinksmanship. it's time for taos run the country like adults. let's remember why this is happening. republicans have pledged to shut down the entire federal government because of

objections to abortion services by planned parenthood. never mind that not a single scent of federal money funds abortions by planned parenthood. never mind that planned parenthood provides health care and education to more than 2.6 million americans, both men and women, each year. never mind that 97% of planned parenthood's health services are unrelated to abortion. republicans would rather ignore these truths and instead rely on a series of distorted videos secretly filmed by discredited and shady anti-abortion activists. so instead of using this time to talk about creating jobs, building infrastructure, reducing college debt, re-authorizing the voting rights act, i am forced to stand here on the house floor to remind the american people

about the dangers we face with yet another republican shutdown. here are a few ways that this shut down would harm the american people. a shutdown would close more than 400 national parks and monuments. it would increase backlog for veterans' pensions, compensations, and disability claims. delay tax refunds and federal home loan applications. prohibit the national institutes of health from accepting new patients. shut down e-verify screening for businesses to limit hiring undocumented workers. shutter head start programs for low-income families and children. and close federal courts. the impact of the 2015 shutdown is hard to quantify but we don't have to look too far back to estimate the potential impact. in 2013, republicans shut the

government down for 16 days in a failed attempt to defund the affordable care act. at shutdown furloughed 850,000 federal workers for a total of 6.6 million days. the 2013 shutdown cost $2 billion in lost productivity. standard and poor's estimated that the shutdown cost the u.s. economy $24 billion and stalled the creation of more than 100,000 private sector jobs. $4.4 billion in tax returns were delayed. small businesses and private lenders had to delay loans due to lack of access to federal social security numbers and income verification tools. knowing that we -- what we

know, mr. speaker, it is inconceivable that we could walk into this type of catastrophe by choice. that must be why the speaker of the house in 2013 called the shutdown a very predictable disaster. mr. speaker, i'd much rather be predicting solutions than disasters. that's why i look forward to working with my colleagues in the congressional progressive caucus to stave off this irresponsible and dangerous shutdown. again, this is the one thing our constituents sent us to washington for. to fund the government. this is our job. i implore my anti-women's health colleagues to set aside their partisan bickering and work with us to keep this government open. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. for what purpose does the

gentleman from pennsylvania eek recognition? mr. thompson: i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. earlier this month, i visited brookfield, jefferson county, located in my district to congratulate local officials for securing funds for a long-awaited project. the historic brookfield town square is one of the most important pieces of the community's long-term plan and is part of a successful fundraising effort. the historic brookfield town square will be located next to the jefferson county courthouse on land once occupied by a vacant, run down building. the funding for the project includes more than $300,000 raised by the community through

the efforts of historic brookfield, showing a real desire on behalf of the residents to beautify their community. this represents a great public-private partnership, with the final $150,000 in grant money clearing the way for the project. i'm proud to work with leaders this bring this project one step closer to completion. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the gentleman from michigan, mr. sean scheck -- mr. benishek is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. benishek: before i begin, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of preventing veteran suicide. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. benishek: thank you.

i rise today to recognize september as suicide convention month. i want to thank my colleague, kirsten cinema, for joining me in -- sinema for joining me in this tissue in putting together this hour. this is an issue important to me that should be unacceptable. a veteran in this country commits suicide every 65 minutes. 22 lives extinguished every day. as the father of a veteran a doctor who worked at the v.a. hospital in northern michigan and chairman of the subcommittee on veterans affairs, i know the challenges of military life don't end once our service members return from active duty. the wounds of war may be no less visible but very important to those suffering from them. the stigma of post-traumatic

stress disorder and loss of fellowship, returning veterans also face a crisis of confidence at the moment they should feel nothing but relief and rest. corning did make a real impact early this year when we passed this eclay hunt save act, which is helping the v.a. put the very best mental health care professionals to work for our veterans. in creating peer support groups to help catch those transitioning service members who may otherwise fall through the cracks. however, so much more needs to be done. i'm grateful to my colleagues for standing with me today for our most vulnerable veterans and their families. i look forward to hearing what they have to say and working with them to end veteran suicide. i'll now yield to my colleague, r. abraham, for three minutes. mr. rain -- mr. abraham: the gentleman is

-- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. abraham: i rise today with my colleagues to raise the awareness of the veteran suicide prevention. let me underscore the word prevention. prevention because veteran suicide is a public health ragedy and as a doctor, i know it's a preventable tragedy. for too long, ptsd has been stigmatized and it's time trow move that stigma. 22% of americans who commit suicide are veterans. that statistic is unacceptable to me and it should be unacceptable to the american people. our nation's heroes should come home to readily available mental health care. they should not have to wait days, weeks, or even months to receive treatment. veterans should not have to wait at all. the clay hunt save act, which was signed into law already

this year, was an excellent first step in giving veterans options, but there's more work to be done. as a member of the veterans affairs committee and a veteran myself, i will continue to fight for a more streamlined system to treat our veterans suffering from ptsd and continue to work to reform the v.a. system, to be a system that puts the veterans first, not the bureaucrats. hank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the yields. mr. benishek: at this time i yield five minutes to my colleague from arizona, ms. sinema. ms. sinema: thank you for joining me today as a co-host of tonight's special order. september is suicide prevention month, a time for our nation to raise awareness about the persistent surge of suicide. tens of thousands of americans each year purposefully die by their own actions.

they are our neighbors and our friends. our sons and our daughters. and too often, they are the men and women who have served our country honorably in the united states military. an estimated 22 veterans lose their lives to suicide every single day in our country. that's one life lost every 65 minutes. typically, time in the house chamber is split. republicans have one hour, and democrats have another hour. but congressman ben schick and -- benishek and i believe this issue is too important to be overshadowed by partisan politics and that's why we joined together today with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to show our commitment to solve this problem together and to find real solutions for our country's veterans. this is the third year that we've assembled in this space

to raise awareness and to send a clear message that the epidemic of veteran suicide must end. we have so much work left to do. and so today we demonstrate our ongoing support for the individuals, organizations, and agencies devoted to preventing the epidemic of veteran suicide. today, we challenge the v.a. the department of defense, and our fellow lawmakers to do more. we are failing in our obligations to do right by those who have served so honorably. finally, we send a message to military families who have experienced this tragedy in their own families. your family's loss is not forgotten. we work for the memory of your loved ones. we will not rest until every veteran in this country has access to the care that he or she needs.

i've often shared the story of a young veteran in my district, sergeant daniel summers. sergeantsomers was an army veteran -- sergeant somers was an army veteran with two tours in iraq. diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, he took his own life after struggling with the v.a. bureaucracy and not getting the help he needed in time. together with his family we worked to develop the classified access to care act, to ensure that all veterans, including those who served with classified experiences, can get immediate access to the mental health care they need in the appropriate care setting. i've recently testified before the house veterans affairs committee on the need for this important legislation and i'm grateful for the committee's support for this legislation. i'm grateful for my co-sponsor, congressman dan benishek.

i'll continue working with the committee to ensure that no veteran feels trapped like sergeant somers did and all our veterans have access to appropriate mental health care. my state, arizona, is ground zero for the v.a.'s failure to take care of our veterans. it's been over a year since we learned about the veterans at the phoenix v.a. hospital who were kept on secret waiting lastes, forced to wait months, ep years before seing a doctor, unable to access the care they needed. . these revelations were shocking and sickening. arizona veterans died while waiting for care. that's absolutely unacceptable and frankly it's un-american. so in arizona we took immediate action when we learned from brave whistle blowers about this tragedy. not waiting for the vehicles phoenix vicks a. to fix their problems, we came together as a community to make sure veterans

got the access to care they needed. since last summer we held six veteran clinics helping vellrans and their families get access to the benefits they learned. our team helps veterans getting access to benefits, housing, and education. we established a veterans mental health working group for community providers, veteran service organizations, and the local v.a. to bring them all together to work to improve access to services. our group meets bimonthly and made important progress. west are some examples of the good that can come when people setaside partisanship and put veterans first. that's what's needed from all of us in this chamber and the agencies we work with to put aside partisanship and solve the problem we face to end the scourge of veteran suicide in this country. i yield back to the member from michigan. mr. benishek: thank you, ms.

sinema, i appreciate your comments and concern for this significant problem. i would like to take a moment to outline something that i have become aware of in my time here in office. while this problem is very monumental, there are many small things that the v.a. can do right now to make a difference. one of these changes could be made by the v.a. immediately, and i would like to read a letter i received recently from an american legion representative in my district that illustrates the problem better than i could. quote, dear dr. benishek, here's the situation. recently i encountered a suicidal veteran who had severe ptsd, 100% disabled. he called me on a wednesday hysterical and said he was contemplating suicide. he was traveling around with his wife in the car at the time. i thought this was a very dangerous situation. after several back and forth conversations with him, i found out he was not taking any meds and had not seen his v.a.

psychiatrist in a long time because as he put it, the psychiatrist was not helping him. he didn't seem to care. he insisted that he stay at whirlwind, the american legion veterans facility, but i told him we needed his psychiatrist' ok. as a veteran myself i thought i should try to help him best i could. so i called the v.a. suicide hotline to get answers on to how i should handle the situation. here's the problem. i called the iron mountain v.a. the call started out saying if you're having a medical or mental health emergency, please hang up and dial 9-1-1. if you're having thoughts of hurting yourself and want to talk to a mental health professional, please hang up and dial 1-800-273,-8255. if you're thinking of committing suicide, you are already frustrated to the point you would be glad to talk to anyone, even someone at the v.a. can you imagine a veteran in this position having a paper and pencil in hand to write the number down? he's unable to get the correct

number the first time he must redial the v.a., go through the spiel again, and hopefully write the number on a paper the sec or third time before he can try dialing. once dialed, the phone -- voice comes on the phone and says if you are a veteran push one. and so on. when i called the hotline after i push one, listened to music for several minutes before a voice came on the phone she told me she was not a veteran nor did she know much about ptsd veterans. what i needed as advice on how to handle the veteran i was working with, which she did give me. how many veterans have committed suicide because of the v.a.'s red tape? here's a solution, when the v.a.'s called and the veteran is contemplating suicide or hurting himself, you should be able to push line to get a direct line to the suicide hotline. it should automatically register the call is coming through the v.a. system, and yes, it's a veteran calling. end quote. this constituent was able to get the veteran he referred to the

help that he needed, but he raised an incredibly good point i brought up repeatedly with the v.a. the v.a. told me it would take six months to change from an 800 number to simply dial one. this is unacceptable. i call on the v.a. again today to make this change immediately. i'd like at this point in time yield two minutes to my colleague from nebraska, mr. shford, for two minutes. mr. ashford: thank you very much for the time. mr. speaker, i rise today to discuss the subject many of our veterans and their families understandably find great difficulty in discussing. veteran suicide as we have already heard is a major problem in our country. have all heard the numbers,

an estimated 22 veterans commit suicide every day. that's one life every hour. please keep in mind those horrific numbers have names. the names of men and women who put themselves in harm's way in order to keep each and every one of us safe. earlier this year we passed the clay hunt suicide prevent of american an estimated veterans act. it addresses the need for more mental health care experts inside the v.a., along with expanding the time available to veterans to seek mental health care through the v.a. the new law also calls for evaluation of all v.a. mental health care and suicide prevention practices to determine what is working and make recommendations on what is not. this is a major step in the right direction, but we must continue to do more. i am proud to say, mr. speaker, that in omaha we are currently working with the department of veterans affairs to create a center of excellence, a national model for veterans care that will include top flight mental health care and other services so much needed by our veterans

and our community. that treatment would cover posttraumatic stress disorder, zpregs, anxiety, and problems relating to other people. the debt we owe the men and women who serve this country is a debt that can never be repaid. but we must continue to ensure that we keep our promises to our veterans and support their very unique health care issues. i yield back. thank you, mr. speaker. mr. benishek: thank you, mr. ashford. i would like to yield two minutes to -- four minutes to my colleague, mr. costello. mr. costello: i want to thank the gentleman from michigan for hosting this special order to raise awareness for an issue that impacts constituents in all of our congressional districts. we can all azreegree that as members of congress we need to prioritize our veterans. and we also need to raise awareness about the invisible wounds many of them face. i'm speaking about posttraumatic

stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression, which can and often does lead to thoughts of suicide. we also need to make sure that the loved ones of these veterans have the support they need so that they may best help those who are suffering from these invisible wounds. i have been here nine months. the house has taken some very positive steps to help veterans since i have been here and improving suicide prevention programs. it's been said by several members already here on the floor today the clay hunt suicide prevention act, a commonsense bill that is going to increase access to mental health, by creating a peer -- pier support and community outreach pilot program, and boost mental health care by requiring a mental evaluation of v.a. mental health and suicide prevention programs. it's proof when we put party politics aside around here, we

can get good things done. we should all be proud of that. i'd like to direct members' attention to h.r. 2915, the female veteran suicide prevention act, which has been just passed out of the veterans' affairs committee and time to bring this bill to the floor. it will direct the v.a. to identify mental health care prevention programs and metrics that are effective in treating female veterans as part of the eval wayive process required by the clay hunt act, and it would require the v.a. to accommodate a veterans' obligation to not properly disclose classified information. suicide prevention programs are key to maintaining continual engagement with veterans and communities, as well as to raise awareness and help intervene when necessary. i would also add let's keep in mind the economic opportunity subcommittee on veterans' affairs which i serve on with many other hardworking members who are working in the consensus oriented fashion. we need to make sure that the transition assistance program is working for our veterans.

a need to make sure that from veteran's hiring preference program that that's working. we need to make sure we are utilizing the best the private sector has to offer for work force development training for veterans returning to civilian life. we know that there is an unfair stigma associated with those who may need to seek assistance with mental health. part of the value of why we are here today is to raise awareness and help predues that stigma and say, we understand that there are challenges for veterans returning to civilian life. we are here to help. we want to raise awareness. we want to make sure that the programs that we have in place are working and we are going to continue to do that. i applaud those who helped organize this special order here today. i'm honored to participate in it. i yield back. mr. benishek: thank you.

at this time i'd like to yield four minutes to my colleague rom illinois, mrs. bustos. mrs. bustos: thank you, mr. benishek. i want to also thank the gentlelady from arizona and also mr. benishek from michigan for convening this important discussion this afternoon. as i'm sure we agree we need to continue shining a light on the epidemic of veteran suicide so we can push to improve the resources available to the grave men and women who have served our nation. i come from a region of illinois called the quad cities. for more than two decades my seat was held by one of the strongest advocates for veterans who has ever worked in these chambers. i'm talking about the late and great congressman lean evans. congressman evans was a veteran of the marine corps who served this body from 1983 all the way to 1987. i was proud to call him my

friend. as a veteran, he understood the challenges that many of our returning heroes confront after they come home. congressman evans was a tireless advocate for expanding resources to our veterans and providing the mental health services that many of them need to make a successful transition back to civilian life. today after more than a decade of war, this generation of veterans faces a new set of challenges. we have an obligation to those who have served our nation. as my friend, the gentlelady from arizona, highlighted earlier in her remarks, an estimated 22 veterans commit suicide every single day. that's nearly one every hour. and we all know the statistics driving this epidemic. military suesides are at their highest rate in 10 years. veterans make up 20% of our suicides decide making up only 10% of our population.

30% of veterans have considered suicide. 37% of iraq and afghanistan veterans have been diagnosed with ptsd. and of the approximate 22 veterans who take their lives every day, roughly five actually get care through the v.a. health system. it's easy to get lost in the statistics. their numbers. but behind each and every one of those is a real human being. a veteran with a real story that we must tell. we have a duty to help them. we all know how hard the department of veterans affairs is working to keep up with this ongoing and persistent challenge, but we have to do more. that's why i proudly supported the clay hunt suicide prevention for americans veterans act, which was signed into law earlier this year. once this legislation is fully implemented, it will take critical steps toward curbing the yepped of veteran suicide by improving the v.a. resources and increasing oversight of programs

designed to help our veterans get the care that they deserve. this is an important step towards stemming the ongoing crisis of veteran suicide, but it is not enough. this is why i have called on the appropriations committee to increase funding for veteran suicide prevention programs and outreach services. i hope all of you will join me in demanding more action for our veterans. if congressman evans were alive today, he would not rest until all of our veterans get the care and the support they have earned for protecting our nation. and neither should we. thank you, i yielding back the remainder of my time. >> i yield two minutes to mr. goodlatte. mr. goodlatte: i rise to recognize a problem that's facing our veterans.

it's estimated than on average 22 vets commit suicide, each day. that's more than double the rate for the civilian population. the clay hunt suicide prevention for american veterans act was signed into law to help combat this serious problem. i applaud this step forward but our work is far from over. we must continue to ensure that those veterans who are suffering know that they are not alone. they have families friends, and resources ready available to help them heal and move forward. these men and women have given so much to this great nation, it's our duty to walk with them during and after their service. i remain committed to providing the highest quality medical care and resources for these brave men and women who were wounded in the course of defending our freedom. i look forward to working with my colleague to improve timely access for medical services to

ensewer our veterans in crisis receive the help they need and i thank mr. benishek and ms. sinema for organizing this special order hour. i yield back. mr. ben scheck: thank you. at this time, i yield three minutes to my colleague from ichigan, mrs. dingell. mrs. dingell: thank you, mr. benishek. want to thank comewoman sinema, and congresswoman bustos, all three of them, for hosting this special order on something we all care about. september is suicide prevention month and it's important we draw attention to this critical issue. the facts are stark, my other colleagues have already mentioned them. but a veteran commits suicide every 65 minutes.

that means that 22 veterans a day are dying. today, we honor those that we've lost already and the families who suffered so much and are left behind. these veterans were true american heroes who served their country and came home to -- tormented. we can never forget the sacrifices they have made. it is great on this evening to see my colleagues on both sides of the aisle here to talk about this issue because it is my sincere hope that we can come together and rededicate ourselves to doing what's right for our veterans and making sure that we're dedicating sufficient resources to veteran's care. sunday night in michigan, i'll gather with the family and friends of those who have commit -- of those veterans who have committed suicide in michigan. they have built a cross for each of those lives to try raise awareness in our community.

in addition, at a meeting i held with my mayors where normally we're talking about infrastructure or roads, 2/3 of the meeting was spent talking about veterans and the emotional issues in our community as we see them struggling. the mayors and i have formed a task force we started a veterans court following the model of other places, trying to raise awareness so in the community we see one -- when someone is struggling and put out a helping hand. and i've had my next door neighbor's young son tormented and needed help, and when he called he couldn't get it. we all need to come together. these brave young men and women served our country. when they came home from world war ii and korea, we celebrated them. we thanked them from our service. we formed a community around them. these young men and women are fighting for us. they're fighting for freedom, they're fighting for world

security. we have an obligation to help them when they come home. to help get them the resources they need. they have memories that haunt them. they have memories that torment them. this month, this suicide prevention month, we're dealing, we have to take the stigma away from mental illness. we have to recognize that young people need help sometimes and we have to be there for them. so tonight, i thank my colleagues for organizing this special order so that we remind people that those who have served us sometimes need that helping hand and if we can prevent it we must. any young person from taking their life because of the service they gave this country. thank you, mr. speaker. mr. benishek: mr. speaker, nearly 10 million americans have serious mental illness. millions go without proper treatment or care because our nation's mental health system is broken, not only for our

veterans but for our nonveterans as well. my next speaker is dr. timur fi of pennsylvania, the author of helping family the mental health care crisis act, h r. 2645. this will overhaul our nation's mental health care system, adding grants for more psychiatrists, authorizing intervention programs and fixing current nationalized shortages of crisis mental health. i'd like to yield my colleague dr. murphy of pennsylvania five minutes. mr. murphy: i thank the gentleman for organizing this very important special order. i'm going to tell the stories of three service members that i've known in my time in the navy, and my work at walter reed hospital. one is a soldier who tried to kill himself. put a gun to his head, pulled the trigger, the gunfired but it didn't kill him, it left him partially blind and with a

significant head injury. he struggled through his life, continues to live, but the things that caused him to do that have not left. the second marine that i knew, his son -- the son of a friend, died recently. we went to his funeral, saw him lying there looking so peaceful. , i was called er upon by the family to go visit him because he had been in his room for months, covered the windows with camouflage, bottles and bottles of medication littered his room, holes punched in the walls and he health abandoned. there was nothing more we could do for the soldier who had killed himself, there were some things we could do for the soldier who harmed himself.

but there was a lot we could do for the soldier who hid himself. when soldiers, sailor, airmen, marines, and coast guardsmen look down the road to suicide there's multiple reasons. very often it's because they have faced unspeakable horrors of war. perhaps they've had multiple deployments, strain within the family, the less of social relationships, divorce, job complications, which whittled and chipped away at their strength. perhaps they lost that sense of belonging that they had with their platoon or their company, that friendship with those who faced battles with them that helped prop them back up. in many cases, it is dealing with a traumatic brain injury, the multiple blast explosions, the primary, secondary, terriblery wounds they have -- tertiary wounds they had. left them with psychological disorders. sometimes those psychological

disorders pass to fregs, the helpest e-- helplessness and hopelessness that come with clinical depression when a person finally says there is no treatment that can help me, i might as well give up. first let me say to veterans, mr. speaker, that there is treatment that can help. there is reason to hope. it is important that veterans seek out a therapist and if that therapist doesn't seem leek a good mix, seek another one, if that one doesn't seem like a good mix, seek another one. keep going until you find the right person. it's important that veterans understand their life is worth living. yes, you are suffering in the moment. but you can't stop pursuing treatment. don't seek the permanent solution to the temporary problem. there's always another way out. besides suicide. now we make this more complicated for veterans as we do with the rest of the community of people suffering

from mental illness, we simply don't have professionals out there to help. we have family members who don't see the signs ofer drinking.nd but the health care provider even without permission of the soldier can listen and it is important that family members contact someone even when that soldier says i don't want. very often that's the disease speaking. that's the part of the illness saying, i don't want to give up, or i don't have a problem. loved ones can call for help. but we need other things taking place as well. we have to have families who can help that person get out of a crisis. we have to help the family understand the need to remove the means of suicide if it is a firearm. if it is a weapon. if it is drugs. but what we need to do and what my bill to help families out of

mental health crisis is change the die neam -- dynamics of what our country is doing, abuse i policies, anti-family policies which prevent people from getting help. what we have to do is make sure we have more access to treatment. we need more psychiatrists and psychologists. as plainly as that. by the thousands and tens of thousands. we do not have enough. even when someone tries to seek help it's difficult. we need more hospital beds for those moments when a person needs a respite, some place to go away from the crisis of everyday life. we don't have enough. we have 550,000 psychiatric beds in the 1950's, we have less than 40,000 now. part of that is because we have medicaid rules out there and other rules that said, we don't want hospital beds anymore. i don't want to see people go back to the old asylums but sometimes a person with a sense of helplessness and worthlessness needs a place to go to recover, to get better.

we also have a v.a. system which has said you're not going to continue some of these drugs. your drug isn't on our form lair list. you're not going to take it anymore. i brought legislation in that says if a department of defense doctor prescribes a person medication and it is work, the v.a. should automatically, without question, carry that medication and provide ease of access for it. one of the reasons we have the clay hunt suicide prevention bill is because he couldn't get the medication that worked. it is our fault. we have met the enemy and he is us. as one character famously said. the general accounting office also tells us we have a disorganized system. 112 federal agencies, 112, supposed to deal with mental illness. the g.a.o. tell us they don't keep track of data. many of these agencies haven't gotten together since 2009 to coordinate services. 20 homeless programs, programs

scattered throughout the federal government. we make it the most difficult for those who have the most difficulty. sometimes what we do, though, we re-authorize programs at work but make no mistake it is not enough. anyone who thinks that congress has been adequately addressing the needs of the mentally ill especially mentally ill veterans, we are naive. we are deluding ourselves into thinking that because we did something, we did the right thing. so let me speak honestly. congress' lack of comprehensive action and its snail's pace in dealing with this shares the blame. we are not passive in this. we are active. co-dependent in this crisis inflicted upon americans. when we are in this chamber and we hear another tragic story, someone who has perhaps killed many people in the community and then killed themselves or

they did suicide by cop, we have a moment of silence and so we should. as we grieve over the loss of innocent life. but that moment of silence should not be accompany with silent behavior. what we need is moments of action and strong action at that. not only do we have the soldier suicides, we have 41,000 suicides in this country in the last year. 4 ,000 drug overdose deaths. homicides by those with serious mental illness. people with mental illness who are the victims of crime and homicide. and then we have that slow motion death of the homeless, seriously mentally ill who themselves succumb to so many chronic illnesses but there's not even a statistic, we don't count them. if people want to help, if members want to do something, here's an action plan. become co-sponsors of the helping families in mental health crisis act, h.r. 2646.

don't sit idly by. don't say some other member can do this. let it be someone else's problem. it is not. it is ours. and as a nation wouldn't we do better to act instead of grieve? to turn a blind eye? to hope that someone else takes care of it? worse yet, to be caught up in the politics, partisan politics and games that plague this chamber that says i'm not going to let this party have a win or this party have a win. in the meantime, people are dying. and we sit idly by. suicide is a plague in our nation. and our veterans. in a plague, and as said sam jewel -- samuel 16, the last, the least and alone. we must change this system that makes it difficult for those who have the most difficulty. we must remove abusive federal

policies that say you can't see two doctors in the same day, you can't have more than 16 hospital beds, it's ok to have federal programs and grants going out there for absurd things like making co-ladges, telling people to get off their medication a website to help people in boston when it's cold deal with the anxiety of snow a $425,000 website for 3-year-olds with singalong songs. a $22,000 painting that sits in the office of the substance abuse administrator to give them awareness. the only thing i'm aware of is a waste of money. . if this congress gets its act together and admits it, if our leadership says we can run lots of bills real quick and we could suspend the rules and bring bills to the floor at a moment's notice, i have had this bill sitting around for three years. we have revised it and revised it again. we have the support of multiple organizations across the country whether they represent parents

or consumers or professionals. and another day goes by and every few seconds another person commits suicide or drug overdose death and we go home at night and sleep snuggley in our beds. it doesn't have to be this way. if we have more providers, if we have a federal government and a congress that says we must be guided by wisdom and compassion and faith that says we will not wait anymore, and will take the collective voice of every member of congress to do that. a few hours ago we had the holy father, pope francis, speak in this very chamber. his words still echo in this community. but he called us to do things together, to be motivated by love, to be engaged in a dialogue and conversation. and that is a conversation we must be having about mental illness as well. to say we can no longer put this

off. i hope members, if they are really concerned about veteran suicide, i believe we are, if they are really concerned about the problems of serious mental illness, as i know we are, if members are tired of moments of silence on those times when we come together for a few minutes of compassion and we recognize that's not enough, and i know we are, then i hope every member, every democrat and republican, talks to their sleered had, talks to their committee members, talks to each other and say move this bill. make something happen. by the way, let me close with this. the story i told you has a good ending. the soldier i visited with his home with the windows covered with camouflage with medications throughout the house and holes punched in the walls from his anger, we did get him help. he got stabilized. he took those barriers off his windows. he let the bright light of the world shine in again. he engaged with people again.

he has hope again. that is a story that comes because people step forward and helped him. the people at hospitals and military hospitals can do that. let's make sure that the others like him who we have not discovered yet, who are still hiding in their rooms, we get to them before their lives are taken. this is what we should be doing as a nation. failure to do this means we are culpable as this tragedy continues. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. mr. benishek: i'd like to thank my colleague for his passion on this issue. i now would like to yield two minutes to my colleague from california, mr. peters. mr. peters: thank you, the gentleman, for yielding. and i thank congresswoman seny ma and congressman benishek for his leadership on this issue which is also of prime interest to me. this epidemic of suicide in the veteran community. san diego has the third large yrs -- largest population of veterans in america. one of most important jobs we

have in congress is honor their service by keeping our promises to them. september is suicide prevention month. a time to focus on ending the scourge of veteran suicide that has hurt families and communities across the country. combating suicide takes the full spectrum of services, including employment, education, drug and alcohol abuse treatment, and ending the stigma around mental health. san diego, i'm pleased to say, the nonprofit sector there, has stepped up. we have been at the forefront of finding innovative ways to approach veteran suicide by providing services and developing cohesion in the local veteran community. that came together after the vietnam war to increase collaboration among government, private groups, and community partners. saying's the home of in my district, 0800, an organization doing work to assist easing the transition of active duty and civilian life. it's a community based nonprofit that taxist existing service structure, works with service members before they leave the military, to get them set and provide the case management

after they return to the civilian world to ensure the benefits and services that veterans have earned are provided to them. another organization, the three wise men foundation, founded by combat veteran nathan flemp, utilizes community engagement and workout trainings to help veterans in combat and struggle to reinvate after coming home. as a powerful article by phillips in the "new york times" highlighted, many veterans are turning to each other to survive. to quote, feeling abandoned, members of the battalion have turned to a survival strategy they learned at war, depending on one another. weefed her the devastating statistics of veteran suicide, but thus far the response has failed to properly address the situation. we have a responsibility here in congress to do more than we have. the statistics don't tell the heartwrenching stories that so many of us have heard from parents, spouses, and loved ones of a veteran who has taken his or her life. one such couple that congresswoman sinema and i know have been honored to work with

dr. howard and jean summers, after losing their son, have become tireless advocates to fix and reform the broken health care system at the department of veterans affairs. we know that bipartisan reforms to the v.a. can make a difference. the clay hunt act showed us that. it garnered a new generation of mental health and suicide prevention services, and the veterans choice act will bring accountability. allowing for faster service, closer to the veteran in need. the fixing and inefficient v.a. requires more than just increased funding. requires real changes to get veterans care and new and flexible ways. we need to allow the v.a. to better use innovative technologies like wireless medicine that allow veterans access to care from the comfort of their homes which can save lives and decrease cost to taxpayers. we need to break the stigma around mental health, particularly posttraumatic stress. the service connected injury needs to be treated with the same grambity and resmect as the physical injury that so many of

our valiant war fighters have battled. so thank you again, congress member sinema, congressman benishek for their advocacy on reforming the v.a. we have much more work to do. and i appreciate the opportunity to be here today and work with you on it. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. mr. benishek: how much time do we have left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has eight minutes remaining. mr. benishek: mr. yoho, could you speak on this subject for us for a short while as well. mr. yoho: i'd like to take a moment to thank my colleagues, representative sinema and dr. benishek, for their leadership to arrange such a special order on such an important topic and for the invitation to speak this afternoon on suicide prevention awareness. september is suicide prevention awareness month. it is so important that we have an open and honest dialogue about the issue of suicide. the more we talk about, we

increase people's awareness and they are there to help people in need. there are alternatives and they do not have to suffer in silence. from comedian robin williams to bullied young kids to the brave men and women of our nation's military, returning from the battlefield, suicide does not discriminate. emotional pain and despair can set in and take root in the minds and body of all ages across all demographics. often the signs of suicide go undetected which leave those left behind asking, why did this happen? and what could i have done to prevent this tragedy? today a disproportionate amount of our nation's veterans are falling victims to suicide. after all, they have given to this country, it is tragic and unacceptable that our nation's veterans often suffer in silence until it's too late for those around them to help. by shining a light on veteran suicide and all suicides, we as a nation can start to understand the urgency to which we need to solve and prevent this epidemic that our veterans, their families, and their friends

struggle with. not recognizing the signs early enough all too often leads to a loss of life, and this is an important thing that we as a nation need to come together and form a strong support system in place so that those in need will reach out and not be stigmatized. and again i want to thank our colleagues. with this i yield back. mr. benishek: thank you, mr. yoho. mr. cartwright. mr. cartwright: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i want to thank particularly representatives sinema and benishek for bringing up this special order hour. for my own part i speak for the northeastern part of pennsylvania. pennsylvania is home to nearly one million veterans. these are brave men and women who serve this nation, a nation that has, regrettably, not always served them. many of the veterans suffer from mental illness. a study, as you-all know, has been released that found that 22 veterans commit suicide every

day. this is unacceptable. as somebody who deeply cares about veterans' issues, i was proud to introduce legislation in the last congress that would fast track the hiring of psychiatrists who have completed a residency at a v.a. facility, and i was gratified the president has incorporated many of those i december in his policies. initially in this congress i plan to reintroduce the vet rants mental health accessibility act. an important piece of legislation that aims to provide for our brave service men and women when they return from combat with both easily visible and difficult to detect wounds. while the physical wounds are evident immediately, the mental health ones may take longer to manifest themselves. here's the problem. as many as 30% of operation iraqi and enduring freedom veterans face the possible diagnosis of a mental health disorder. but after five post service

years, if a condition is not diagnosed, vet wans would go to the back of the line -- veterans would go to the back of of the line. they missed their statute of limitations. they go to the back of the line. this could mean the difference between life and death. unfortunately mental health disorders are harder to diagnosed. may take much longer to manifest. and many veterans might delay seeking treatment. putting it on them to self-diagnose and report within that five-year span. we should not hold mental health disorders to the same timeline as a broken leg. the veterans mental health accessibility act would ensure no veteran be denied mental health treatment, no matter when combat related mental health disorder first appear. i believe we owe a great debt to those war fighters who serve our country through military service, including those who stood ready at a moment's notice to fight for our free trade

agreement. as long as i'm a member of congress, i will be working to increase knowledge on this subject, to correct the shortcomings of the v.a. system, and to ensure that the men and women of our armed forces who bravely serve this country receive all the benefits to which they are entitled. thank you. i yield back to the gentlewoman from arizona. or dr. benishek. mr. benishek: nice comments there, i appreciate t i'd like o yield to my colleague on the veterans' affairs committee from indiana. mrs. walorski. mrs. walorski: i want to thank the distinguished gentleman from michigan and the distinguished gentlelady from arizona for yielding. in honor of suicide prevention month, i rise today to increase awareness on some of our bravest and most at risk, our veterans. many of our troops face struggles we couldn't imaginement every day 22 veterans take their own lives and i have experienced this same pradgetragdy in my district. in 2013, a constituent in my

district, a former marine, who served in vietnam, began to experience pain over his entire body. after visiting four v.a. clinics and facilities, doctors could not diagnose his condition. instead prescribed morphine for ongoing and oftentimes excruciating pain. to help manage the undiagnosed condition, doctors recommended he enter a nursing home. unfortunately he discovered he did not meet the eligibility requirements. later that day has wife was told she had one hour to pick him up or they, the v.a. works send him home in a cab without clothes since did he not have any in the hospital to wear. two days later, the pain proved too late to bear. he took his life. his story details the urgency our nation's heroes deserve. instead of ending in heartbreak, veterans and their families need to know their lives count. which is why we must improve veterans access to physical and mental health care. together we can change this system to prevent tragedies like this from happening again. thank you. i yield back the balance of my

ime. mr. benishek: thank you, mrs. walorski. i really appreciate your comments. i think dr. murphy brought up a good point when he was speaking. we just recently in this house passed the 21st century cares act, h.r. 6. that was endorsed by a wide variety of professional organizations, the american organization of cancer research, the cure alliance, we passed this bill on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 344-77. this is a piece of legislation that's going to change the way we do research at the m.i.h., change health care for all -- at the n.i.h., change health care for all americans. there's no reason we shouldn't be able to pass a mental health care bill similar to that with a wide bipartisan effort. and even what we're going here

today, ms. sinema and myself, leading a bipartisan discussion with members of congress, that's a way to move forward. i would like to yield to ms. sinema, if she'd like to add a few more words in that regard. ms. sinema: thank you, mr. benishek. i know we'll be continuing in our next special order to allow more of our colleagues time. i want to close by saying we are so lucky. are we out of time? the speaker pro tempore: under the speak ears -- under the of ker's announced policy january 6, 2015rks the gentlelady from arizona is recognizedful ms. sinema: thank you. we have some colleagues joining us for the -- to continue the conversation we've been enjoying for the last hour.

we know there are brave whistleblowers around this country who have told us and the nation about the problems at the v.a. if it weren't for brave whistleblowers we might not have learned about the tragedies at my v.a., the phoenix v.a. and we could have lost even more lives than we have already. in order for v.a. to it must put veterans' lives first and change the culture. we mousse continue to speak out. brn don coleman has seen the ole v.a. can play. a decade ago he received help from a v.a. counselor to help him overcome a drug addiction and get his life back on track. he started working. he approached his supervisor after over the course of a single week five suicidal

veterans walked out of the phoenix v.a. hospital without getting the help they needed from the emergency room. after coming forward with his concerns about how the v.a. handled suicidal patients, he was placed on administrative leave for, quote, adverse behavior, and his program was shut down. of e should fear the risk losing his or her job for speaking out, and that's why we introduced the v.a. accountability act, a bipartisan bill to hold poor performing employees increase and protection for whistleblowers. empowering whistleblowers helps our veterans and their families get the answer i they deserve and the v.a. must respond to the challenge with a culture of accountability that protects veteran, not its own bureaucracy. brandon testified before the senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee earlier this week on improving accountability within the v.a. he is committed to fixing the v.a. to ensure that all veterans get the same help he

got. i'd like to take some time now to turn the podium over to mr. russell of oklahoma who has five minutes to speak. thank you for joining us, congressman russell. mr. russell: thank you, mr. speaker, and congresswoman si ma. it is a serious issue that our nation faces -- congresswoman sinema. it is a serious issue our nation faces when we consider what our veterans face and we see them become casualties in a battle with the mind. those of us who have burdened the battle of -- battle carry the weight of that burden the rest of our lives. as a warrior, i have seen the worse things that human beings can do to one another. i've had to take human life. i've had to watch fellow warriors lose theirs. i've caressed wounded brothers

as they have been bleeding. we recall these things and carry these things and as warriors we attempt to process it all when we come home. when we do come home, others attempt to interact with us. not quite knowing how that interaction should play out or how to treat the americans that we really are. and so as we address this issue of veteran suicide and as we stand here to speak in support of the many good measures that we have heard today, mr. speaker, i would also like to provide a couple of things worth noting that we could reach out to the community at large, to our states, to all of america, for the population that deals with returning

battle veterans. purpose matters. we don't want to come home as victims. we don't want to be put in some special class. we have maintained the stresses of bat, we have fought our nation's wars. but purpose matters as we come home. if that purpose is somehow denied us because of fear of capacity or fear of being able to interact with other americans in employment or whatever it is we put our hand to, then we will miss a great opportunity early on to engage returning veterans in things that will help them heal. secondly, we should treat our returning veterans as the americans that they really are. we somehow unintendedly imagine them as damaged goods or maybe they've had something happen to

them that does not make them quite like we are, and that is a mistake. when we look at the stresses of battle and how that shapes our lives, we must remember this, that post-traumatic stress is treatable. and as we deal with those who have faced battle, as they struggle through this, it's important to note that the returning warrior has not lost his mind or her mind. it's treatable. one can easily relate when you think about in my home state, maybe surviving a tornado or maybe across america being in a horrific car accident, or losing a loved one in some capacity. it creates stress on the human being. yet no one in that scenario would say, well, they've been through quite a lot so i'm not sure they can engage with the

public anymore and be employed or i'm not sure they'll be able to hand they will daily stresses. instead, we look at them and we realize that these life altering experiences, whether it be through accidents, car accident or a tornado, we say, wow, that's terrible. but you know, they've bounced back and they've done a good job recovering. we need to think of it in the same capacity. i'm no physician. but i am a warrior that has come home. for the warrior as he does come home, or she, mr. speaker, we must urge all of our warriors, especially as they face insurmountable pressure about, does life have a purpose to not live in -- to not live in isolation? and we must understand that the adrenaline of survival at our peak in battle that is all around us, every sense alive to

protect us as we survive, that physiologically that doesn't instantly change when we come home. those levels of adrenaline stay and we crave them. this is why a returning veteran may ride his motorcycle as 120 miles per hour or pursue dangerous activity. and as the warrior processes it, he must understand as well, it takes time to abate that and to adjust. i also want to point out, mr. speaker, that our returning veterans should band together with their fellow warriors. and above all, don't quit. only we can take ourselves out of that fight. to all of us, i think it's best to recall what solomon tells are ecclesiastes, that two better than one because they have good reward for their labor for if they fall, the one

will lift up his fellow. woe to him who is alone when he falls for he does not have another to help him up. again if two lie together then they have heat but how can one be warm alone? and if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. as we attempt here in government to bind up the wounds, we also must realize it's not the goth's sole responsibility. as -- the government's sole responsibility. as an american community, we need to bind together as those wounds are bound up to heel. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back my time. mr. sinema: thank you so much, representative russell, for your thoughts and your participation. i'd like to yield three minutes now to representative lamb born of colorado. thank you for -- lamb borp --

lamborn of colorado, thank you for being here this evening. r. lamborn: i want to thank my colleagues, ms. sinema and mr. benishek for being here and i want to thank mr. russell for his hard-earned insight he is has shared with us. it is critical to raise awareness for veterans' suicide prevention. unfortunately this comes too late for one of my colorado springs families. i'd like to tell you the story of noah a former marine who served with honor in iraq and afghanistan. i won't use his last name but his parents offered the use of his picture. after leaving marine corps he began work on a business degree at university of colorado, colorado springs, and started his own online business he comes from a military family, his dad having honorably served for 23 years. he chose to put off college to serve this great nation. unfortunately, his parents are appalled by the care their son

did not receive from the v.a. they believe their son would still be alive had he received better care. they believe that -- let me back up. he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and received a 50% disability rating due to ptsd. on april 2 of this year he went to the colorado springs v.a. clinic where medical notes from his visit state that he had had suicidal thoughs. he was prescribed a psychotropic drug and sent on his way. he was not referred for suicide prevention. he was not offered counseling. and there was no followup from the v.a. he went missing may 4 and was found dead from an apparent suicide on may 12 of this year. as you can imagine, his family is devastated. they are asking a lot of serious questions. i had the opportunity to ask some of their questions on their behalf during a june 10 veterans affairs subcommittee on oversight and

investigations. during the hear, two top level officials stated they would look into the case and, quote, make sure that this family had been reached out to directly, unquote. however, a month after the hear, no contact had been made. and my office had to once again engage the v.a. on behalf of this grieving family. the v.a. has since stated noah should have been seen within two weeks of his medical appointment and they are modifying proceed wrurs to hopefully make sure this doesn't happen in the future but it should not take the death of a marine to get procedures right in regards to suicide prevention. we owe it to our veterans to get it right the first time. hopefully this special order and the added aware for veterans' suicide will help prevention another tragedy like noah's. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. ms. civin ma: thank you, congressman lamborn for your contribution. before we --

ms. sinema: thank you, congressman lamborn for your contribution. before we end, i'd like to recognize mr. benishek for dnd and thank him for co-he'sing this evening. mr. benishek p.c. -- mr. benishek: yes, it was great. i want to thank all my colleagues who came down to speak. mr. lamborn discusses a case he's familiar with in his district. and that story moving each and every one of us. and as emblematic of the 22 suicides that occur every day amongst our veterans. there are stories as moving as this one and as tragic as this brings up the fact that this patient was seen at the v.a. and was not helped at the v.a. we need to make sure that the veterans administration and this administration put ours

veterans not on the backburner, as something that's ongoing, but makes this a crisis. this is an emergency. this needs to be dealt with now. not with reassurances from bureaucrats that it's all going to be better or we're changing our policies. they've been changing their policies for a long time and nothing has happened. this needs to be an emergency esponse. as friends and family members of our veterans and those serving our country, there are some things we can do. we can work to recognize the symptoms that could indicate serious problems. and identify where and how to get assistance when we may need it. to all veterans struggling with whether to take your own life, know that there is no shame in asking for help. you are not broken, and god has

not forgotten you. you have volunteered to go to war for us, and we have failed to provide you adequate support when you have returned home. that is changing and i beg you to reach out to your local v.a., your veteran center, your veteran's service organization or your congress to ask for help. i mean, i had two calls today on my cell phone, which i give my number out freely, from veterans that did not get appropriate help at the v.a., and i referred them, you know, to my staff to get the ball rolling, get moving. together we can begin to turn the tide on veteran suicide. everyone, though, can help fight this epidemic and be there for those that were there for us.

hank you, to my colleague from arizona, ms. sinema, and i yield back. ms. sinema: we have one more i son that's come down and turn it over to representative coffman of colorado. mr. coffman: thank you. rise today to have an unrelenting support to our nation's veterans who are living silently with depression, posttraumatic stress disorder and profound emotional pain. it is absolutely vital that we as a nation address the crisis of veteran suicide. as a marine corps combat veteran, i can tell you firsthand that returning home to civilian life can be a difficult transition. -- used to the

constant daily support of their comrades find themselves alone. many need help that too often isn't there. and some utes are hit particularly hard, like the second battalion seventh marine regiment, a group that saw intense combat in afghanistan and has continued to suffer casualties to suicide years after they return. they have seen a suicide rate 14 times higher than that of all other americans. it's essential that when our men and women in uniform return to the civilian world and need to reach out for help, somebody reaches back. we need to ensure that veterans get the mental health care they need, when they need it and not after waiting weeks or months for an appointment. we need to ensure that veterans who need medication get it and veterans who don't need

medication aren't unnecessarily prescribed drugs with volatile side effects. and we need to ensure that when a veteran calls the v.a. veteran crisis line, somebody is available on the other end to listen. but i don't believe this is a problem that begins and ends with the department of defense or the department of veterans affairs. veterans are in all communities, our schools, our places of worship and our social clubs. all americans should be willing to lend a hand when a veteran may be suffering silently. i share the sentiment expressed by v.a. secretary mcdonald earlier this year, and i know it's a statement in which my colleagues on both sides of the aisle would uniformerly agree, quote, losing just one veteran to suicide is one veteran too many, unquote. thanks and i yield back -- i yield back.

ms. sinema: thank you, mr. coffman, for joining this evening. before i close with a closing statement, i want to take a moment and honor and thank congressman benishek, not just for the work he's done tonight and the work he's done on the veterans' committee but the work he's done in the last three terms. we are sad you are retiring. we have one more chance to do this special order again next year and i look forward to that time. so thank you for your help and for your service. congressman benishek has not just been a partner to me and the work we've been doing to help and support veterans, he's been a leader in the veterans' committee, in his conference and in this house of representatives. i know when he leaves this body he will continue to be a shining light for veterans around this country. thank you, congressman. i want to close with a story about a veteran in my district. we recently received a call from david, a constituent of mine who's an army veteran and a survivor of two suicide attempts.

david told us, quote, my mind was plagued with feelings that my parents and siblings would be better off without me because of who i had become as a person. i felt savage and inhuman and no matter what good i did, i couldn't face going back to a normal existence. i never felt more alone in my life. through much time and assistance from organizations like the wounded warrior project and mental and physical rehabilitation programs, david gained a new mission in life. he's helping his fellow veterans navigate a daunting system and reintegrate back into civilian life. david wants his fellow warriors to understand that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. his mission of supporting veterans led david to rawly point, a feeks nonprofit working to assist veterans in crisis. it employs veterans like david who understand the unique needs

of fellow veterans, service members and their families. these are the kinds of solutions we need to ensure that no veteran ever feels like he or she has nowhere to turn. we have made some progress. in february of this year, the president signed the clay hunt save act into law, an important step towards improving mental health services for veterans and their families. this bipartisan legislation requires annual third-party evaluations of the v.a.'s mental health care and suicide prevention programs to determine which programs are successful and to recommend improvements. it also requires collaboration on suicide prevention efforts between the v.a. and nonprofit mental health organizations. and it establishes a pilot program using peer support and community outreach to assist veterans transitioning from active duty. we cannot leave our heroes to fight their toughest battles alone. thank you, again, to all of our colleagues who joined us this evening. our thoughts are with all the

families who've lost a loved one to suicide. each of us can do something to raise awareness, to be that light for a struggling veteran in our community. businesses can display signs to let veterans know that help is always available. mental health professionals can volunteer with organizations like give an hour to provide free counseling to veterans and their families. we can all learn to recognize he signs of crisis by visiting veteranscrisisline.net and reaching out to the vets in our life. and here in congress, we can do more. we need a v.a. that provides real and meaningful help to veterans in need, that puts veterans first and works aggressively with community providers to improve the quality and accessibility of care. we need a v.a. that is transparent and open to restore the trust and credibility it has lost. we, we who enjoy freedom every day, thanks to the sacrifices

of our military service members, we must all step up to end the epidemic of veteran suicide. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my ime. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from arizona seek recognition? ms. sinema: mr. speaker, i move that the house do now adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the house stands adjourned unti

lawrence lessig has suggestions to change the political system. and on c-span2's "book tv" saturday night at 10:00 p.m., o'reilly, t bill

the challenges reagan faced following an assassination attempt. author and investor doug casey sits down with "book tv" at freedom fest in las vegas to discuss his latest book on politics and economics. on "american history tv" on c-span3, saturday evening, starting at 7:00 eastern, we're live from gettysburg college to mark the 125th anniversary of president dwight d. eisenhower's birth. discussing his military and political career with his grandchildren, susan, yarn and mary eisenhower. and sunday afternoon at 4:00 on "real america," an archival film documenting the 1963 visit of the king and queen of afghanistan to the united states. which included a meeting with president kennedy and a parade through washington, d.c. get our complete weekend chedule at c-span.org.

>> as we said earlier, the pope addressed a joint meeting of congress this morning. you can see his 50-minute speech tonight on c-span at 8:00 p.m. eastern. this afternoon pope francis' traveling to new york. tomorrow he speaks to the united nations general assembly at 10:00 a.m. eastern. then at 11:30 eastern tomorrow morning, pope francis participates in an interfaith service at the 9/11 memorial. you can see both of those live tomorrow on our companion etwork, c-span3. and right now on c-span, we'll show you the pope's day in washington from the beginning, including his speech to a joint meeting of congress. first his departure this morning from the vatican embassy.

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speaker boehner: your holiness, welcome. eally glad that you're here.

speaker boehner: thank you for eing here. good morning. good morning. good morning. good morning. ood morning. >> thanks so much for the invitation. speaker boehner: i appreciate his holiness coming and ccepting our invitation.

-- tie. to wear the my staff said i should wear a green tie. >> i think his staff chose ell. ok. nice to see you all. >> thank you, guys. > thank you.

the sergeant at arms: mr. speaker, the pope of the holy see.

the speaker: members of congress, i have the high and distinct honor of introducing

pop francis of the holy see. pope francis: mr. vice members , mr. speaker, of congress, dear friends.

i am most grateful for your invitation to address this joint session of congress in "the land of the free and the home of the brave." i would like to think that the reason for this is that i too am a son of this great continent, from which we have all received so much and toward which we share a common esponsibility. each son or daughter of a given

country has a mission, a personal and social esponsibility. your own responsibility as members of congress is to enable this country, by your egislative activity, to grow as a nation. you are the face of its people, their representatives. you are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens n the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. political society endures

when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. legislative activity is always based on care for the people. to this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you. yours is a work which makes me reflect in two ways on the figure of moses.

on the one hand, the patriarch and lawgiver of the people of israel symbolizes the need of peoples to keep alive their sense of unity by means of just legislation. on the other, the figure of moses leads us directly to god and thus to the transcendent ignity of the human being. oses provides us with a good synthesis of your work, you are asked to protect, by means of the law, the image and likeness

fashioned by god on every human ace. -- life. today i would like not only to address you, but through you the entire people of the united tates. here, together with their representatives, i would like to take this opportunity to dialogue with the many thousands of men and women who strive each day to do an honest day's work, to bring home their daily bread, to save money and one step at a time to build a better life for their amilies.

these are men and women who are not concerned simply with paying their taxes, but in their own quiet way sustain the life of society. they generate solidarity by their actions, and they create organizations which offer a helping hand to those most in eed. i would also like to enter into dialogue with the many elderly

persons who are a storehouse of wisdom forged by experience, and who seek in many ways, especially through volunteer work, to share their stories nd their insights. i know that many of them are retired but still active. they keep working to build up this land. i also want to dialogue with all those young people who are working to realize their great and noble aspirations, who are not led astray by facile proposals, and who face

difficult situations, often as a result of immaturity on the part of many adults. i wish to dialogue with all of you, and i would like to do so through the historical memory f your people. my visit takes place at a time when men and women of good will are marking the anniversaries of several great americans. the complexities of history and the reality of human weakness notwithstanding, these men and women, for all their many

differences and limitations, were able by hard work and elf-sacrifice, some at the cost of their lives, to build a better future. they shaped fundamental values which endure forever in the spirit of the american eople. a people with this spirit can live through many crises, tensions and conflicts, while always finding the resources to move forward, and to do so with dignity. offer us a d women way of seeing and

nterpreting reality. in honoring their memory, we are inspired, even amid conflicts, and in the here and now of each day, to draw upon our deepest cultural eserves. i would like to mention four of ese americans -- abraham , coln, martin luther king dorothy day and thomas erton.

his year marks the 150th anniversary of the assassination of president abraham lincoln, the guardian of liberty, who labored tirelessly that "this nation, under god, might have a new birth of freedom." building a future of freedom equires love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and olidarity. all of us are quite aware and deeply worried by the disturbing social and political situation of the world today.

ur world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of god and of religion. we know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. this means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other ind. a delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated

n the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual reedoms. but there is another temptation which we must especially guard against -- the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil. or, if you will, the righteous and sinners. the contemporary world, with

its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps. we know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the nemy within. to imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to ake their place. that is something which you, as people, reject.

our response must instead be ne of hope and healing, of peace and justice. we are asked to summon the courage and the intelligence to resolve today's ny geopolitical and economic crises. even in the developed world, the effects of unjust structures and actions are all oo apparent. our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting

rongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples. we must move forward together, as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for the common good. the challenges facing us today call for a renewal of that spirit of cooperation, which has accomplished so much good throughout the history of the united states.

the complexity, the gravity and the urgency of these challenges demand that we pool our resources and talents, and esolve to support one another, with respect for our differences and our convictions of conscience. in this land, the various religious denominations have reatly contributed to building and strengthening society. it is important that today, as n the past, the voice of faith

continue to be heard, for it is a voice of fraternity and love, which tries to bring out the best in each person and in each ociety. such cooperation is a powerful esource in the battle to eliminate new global forms of slavery, born of grave injustices which can be vercome only through new olicies and new forms of social consensus.