the v.a. a. can't decide for -- v.a. can't decide for the veteran where he or she should get the care. the veteran is in total control of their care. there are no reviews, gatekeepers or consultations, the veteran just goes. but under the v.a. mission act, as it stands today, a v.a. clinton -- clincian must help. v.a. must -- when consulting with a veteran on where the veteran should go for health care. consider, that's not a very tough or obligatory rule, and that doesn't leave much room to put our veterans above all else. my concern here is that when this bill is signed into law, rules will start to be written and the number crunchers are going to influence every rule to meet the bare minimum of the required language. just in case anyone is interested in an example, let me briefly remind the chamber, that the original choice act intended to care for veterans who live 4. facility. how was that rule initially written? community care was based on 40 miles as the crow flies. that's right, as the crow flies. it took intense

could be that v.a. provided in v.a. hospitals and may notians of those facilities will have to see cuts underhe way the law is made to make sure community care is funding. could cause cutto programs acros the program including those that help veterans with job training. even expansion of caregiver assistance for veterans of all generations, a key part of this bill, sported by everyone here, could face cuts if v.a. hits those spending caps. all of us here, it's the job of this committee to be the authorizing committee. don't get me wrong. i'm not going to put the pressure where the white house was or the appropriators but the fact of the matter is, after this vote, the care givers program has zero dollars in it. no doars in it. th're going to have to come from somewhere. and a budget that the chairman has rightfully told us has increased four-fold in the last 10 years, we're going to have to come to gripwith that. i'm not suggesting you cut it. i'm just suggesting we budget honestly on this so we don't run into this nigh

v.a.'s untimely processing of claims is well documented. the negative impact of those challenges on recruiting and retaining community providers is also well documented. however, those challenges have a negative effect on our veterans. three years ago this june, the v.a. medical center in minneapolis, minnesota, initiated a review of past processes on veteran in-patient co-payment charges for the years 2011 to 2015. following that review, thousands of veterans in minnesota and wisconsin were charged co-payments for services that they had received as much as four years earlier. receiving a large bill out of the blue for care that was received, in some cases years ago, understandably caused great concern and upset among veterans. the v.a. billing account blingt act would prevent -- accountability act would prevent that. the v.a. mission act that the house passed last week included several provisions that would make it easier for the v.a. to process and pay claims accurately and on time. this

v.a. and other federal agencies to ensure all veterans have access to safe and affordable housing, clearly we need to be using every tool in our toolbox to end veteran homelessness completely. that means supporting both the housing programs and wrap around services necessary to heal and to house our veterans. today's legislation will allow veterans who have struggling with with homelessness to remain eligible for job services while utilizing v.a. housing programs. this will help more veterans break the cycle of homelessness, support themselves and their families, and get back on their feet. again, i thank the chairman for championing this issue together and the national coalition for homeless veterans for highlighting this problem in testimony before the committee and for their support of the bill. i urge my colleagues to support the bill and i thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back of the the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. walz: reserve.

the v.a. mission act removes those arbitrary time and distance requirements that limit eligibility for outside care. it replaces those one-size-fits-all policies with a conversation between veterans and their own doctors about what works best. this will empower more veterans to access the care they need when and where they need it. it also allows v.a. professionals to offer telemedicine and partner with community care providers, creating a more comprehensive network to keep veterans from falling through the cracks. it consolidates seven separate community care programs into one streamlined path. and it expands support for military families by broadening the v.a.'s comprehensive assistance for family caregivers to include veterans of all generations. these are just some of the reasons why this bipartisan, bicameral bill has earned the support of 38 veterans advocacy organizations. in a joint letter they call if an "historic opportunity to provide care for. president trump agrees, so does a larg

the average v.a. medical facility building is more than five times older than the average building in the not-for-profit system in this country, with some v.a. facilities being much old than that. for example, the v.a. medical center in my hometown of johnson city, tennessee, was built in 1903, to care for civil war veterans. it is still seeing patients today. since being named chairman of the veterans' committee a year ago, a year and a half ago, i've made it a priority to travel to v.a. facilities across the country. while many of them are doing great work, they're operating out of facilities that were designed and built to meet antiquated health care needs and delivery models. those facilities are increasingly impossible to manage and maintain in accordance with modern standards in the ever-changing shifts in the veteran population. not to mention that demand for care is growing progressively more costly and complex in tennessee and across the country. the asset and infrastructure review or a.i.r.

but what v.a. should have done when this complaint was giving to david shulkin, the former secretary that was fired, his responsibility was to say that our criminal investigator or investigators in the inspector general's office found that it had no merit. he decided to get with carolyn clancey that is responsible for the state of the veterans administration and have the office of the medical inspector investigators look into a matter that they're not even qualified to investigate. >> neil: when david shulkin was running things there, did he ever talk to you or anyone on his staff talk to you? >> i accessed communications with shulkin on numerous occasions. i had an exchange with former secretary shulkin about this particular manager. >> neil: what did he say? >> he said he would look into it. he was concerned about the issues raised about the profanity-laced tirades from -- >> neil: but leading the profanity laced -- it is. it's nasty stuff. i don't want to get into the weeds of that. but on the c

it marks a major step forward for the v.a. system and the millions of heroes who rely on it for services. the bipartisan reform legislation before us builds on the earlier progress of the veterans choice act of 2014 and reaffirms a clear message. delays at the v.a. cannot stand between veterans and the medical care that they need. the shortcomings of a federal bureaucracy do not free our nation from its promises to all our -- our all-volunteer forces. veterans deserve prompt, thorough care, period. in a few short years since the creation of v.a. choice, the program has seen important success. more than two million veterans have taken the opportunity to see private providers when the v.a. system couldn't meet their needs. in kentucky it helped more than 23,000 veterans in 2017 alone. thanks to the leadership of chairman isakson, this new legislation builds on this significant progress, continues it, and improves it in ways that will help veterans even more. the v.a. mission act will clear the path for veterans to receive greate

the v.a. was in a crisis, at a time in which they were created to serve was created by the department of veterans' affairs. and the problems were highlighted in senator mccain's home city, home state at the phoenix v.a. in which a number of veterans may have died as a result of inability to access health care in a timely fashion. the solution to the problem exhibited in other places across the country that included fake, false waiting lists in which the v.a. had determined a list that was not really real but demonstrated that veterans who thought -- who had no idea they had an appointment to see someone at the v.a. had an appointment to camouflage the slowness of the department of veterans' affairs resulted in a unanimous decision by the united states senate to create a program called choice. choice kreets the opportunity for -- creates the opportunity for a veteran, under certain circumstances, to access health care at their home in their home community at the veteran's discretion. this progr

our veterans are looking to us to make the v.a. stronger, not weaker. the workers of the v.a. are depending on us to give them what they need for their mission. automatic budget cuts will not accomplish that mison. i ask my colleagues on both sides to help us help our veterans and help our workers. vote no on the motion on ordering the previous question so my bill h.r. 5805 can be made in order. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back. the gentleman from massachusetts reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. woodall: i yield myself such time as i may consume. first time on the floor with our new colleague from pennsylvania and i appreciate his service to our country. in general, i feel your pain. it's a good bill and not a perfect bill. i have been here seven years and i come down here time and time again to find good bills and i'm frustrated that we can't get it there. and what i will share with you, mr. speaker, what i have determined the reason is is because you folks do not agree with me is why i have dec

the v.a.? after years of talk, is washington taking action? we're on it. barely enough time for this man to take a bite of turkey. but for cyber criminals it's plenty of time to launch thousands of attacks. luckily security analysts and watson are on his side. spotting threats faster and protecting his data with the most securely encrypted main frame in the world. it's a smart way to eat lunch in peace. sweet, oblivious peace. almost $800 when we switched our auto and home insurance. with liberty, we could afford a real babysitter instead of your brother. >>hey. oh, that's my robe. >>is it? when you switch to liberty mutual, you could save $782 on auto and home insurance and still get great coverage for you and your family. call for a free quote today. you could save $782 when liberty stands with you. liberty mutual insurance. >> live from america's news headquarters. good afternoon. i'm leland vittert. subtropical storm alberto putting a damper on the gulf coast. the storm is slamming the sou

yet the v.a. a national right now is threatening me with a red flag that goes on my medical file, my permanent medical file to warn people i am trouble because they won't give me no medicine and i won't shut up because i keep complaining. because i tell them, you're wrong. if the medicine was good for 15, 20 years, why now is the medicine no good? who owes me, you know what a mean? somewhere i got damaged. if i've got a problem, then they gave it to me. host: danny, thank you. we go to houston, texas. good morning. caller: how are you doing? veteran. like the caller before, i was in themarines before panamanian invasion. i was stationed at camp pendleton. i got process to get out. i get ready to discharge out and they dropped me like a hot potato. i said i wanted to commit suicide, the whole works. i came back to houston. all of the money they give the v.a., these people are incompetent. they don't have the interest at heart for the veterans. why do they hire these people that do not really care a

if the v.a. can't meet standards, the v.a. can go outside of the v.a.nto communities where v.a. medical centers and assets are and saying what is in the private community, what assets, what doctors does the v.a. have and use the best of both to provide care. >> neil: and you're a veteran. thanks for your service, sir. but you've seen that they've had an opportunity to change their ways hasn't worked. i'm wondering if giving them another chance to get it right if that will work. why not this private opportunity available for soldiers right now, veterans right now, because they have been through it many times. >> neil, we have a system in the country where we have a shortage of medical providers. for instance, the v.a. in denver, i was there not long ago in the psychiatric area, mental health. they were 60 providers short. when you have a situation like that, you want the best from the private sector and the best from the v.a. sector to provide the highest quality of care. it's not easy. but i'm excited. yesterday was a big step forward. >> neil: do you t

to the v.a. and into the soldier's personal lives we have so many things that we can address and fix for these guys and we need to start the conversation so that's what i'm hoping to do i'm hoping to start the conversation at least pushed into the forefront around this memorial day season good good for you i like that and now you've spoken to college was about as you said you're traveling across the country twenty two veterans and making mile marker and like i mentioned yourself or a veteran but what's curious what really interesting is what was the most. prizing thing that you learned to realized in the process of making this documentary. one of the most unfortunate things that i learned through this process is that guys who get a bad conduct discharge guys who come home from war who served honorably in combat and transition poorly and to garrison life they can easily be discharged from the military under an other than honorable or bad conduct discharge because of their behavior in garrison what

or trapped in the v.a. system sure thing is a great question and one of the first and foremost things we can do is education with all things like mile marker is is designed to be a conversation starter it's in hopes to educate people and then after that activate them because there's so many people out there that care about veterans but they might not know how to actually help them so mile marker shows you a lot of different options on how soldiers. try to fight with these issues and fail and where you can step in and really have a conversation communication is key you have to communicate with your veterans you have to try to understand what's going on in their head and you have to get it out of their head so that really leads us to treatment which is first and foremost one of the most important things we can do in treatment doesn't have to be between a veteran and a doctor a treatment can be between two vets having a beer watching the sunset and talking about what they went through one of the most striking

neither the v.a. nor the national park services currently are able to provide this benefit for veterans buried in those cemeteries. the act simply amends the law to require the department of the interior to provide an outer burial receptacle under the control of the national park service. justice would be provided -- just as it would be provided if they were buried under the veterans administration. this provides the reimbursement of a veteran survivor who provided a receptacle for use in the national park cemetery. f the 14 two are still active. andersonville. and andrew johnson national cemetery in tennessee. i'm pleased to have introduced this alongside fellow georgian, senator johnny isakson, to ensure they receive equal burial regardless where they rest. in doing so we will ensure all veterans and families are receiving the benefits and respect they've rightly earned. i urge support from my colleagues on this bipartisan measure and common sense piece of legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro

we passed the v.a. mission act by a wide bipartisan margin. having already passed the house, this truly landmark bill will now head to the white house where the president will soon sign it into law. it will bring more options and greater flexibility to veterans who spent years driving long distances to the nearest v.a. care facility only to face long lines and waiting lists when they got there. it will bring more peace of mind for veterans of all eras and their families who faced uncertainty and limitations as their needs for care have evolved. this legislation continues, expands, and improvethis the successful veterans choice program that has already helped millions of veterans nationwide including more than 23,000 kentuckians last year alone. thanks to the stalwart leadership of chairman isakson and the veterans affairs committee, the hard and fast time and distant thresholds that kept too many veterans out of choice programs will soon be gone. the providers we trust to provide topnotch care for our heroes will have greater guidelines for pr

i have -- i do understand the v.a. i know the v.a.t they are doing for veterans. but i still think it can be improved. i think programs like this and new creative ideas will kind of break up this bureaucracy and give veterans better care, especially after learning from the vietnam war what these new iraqi afghan vets will learn from all the years of supporting the vietnam war veteran. rob: we have heard the horror stories of the things that have gone on at v.a. hospitals. we seen the stories time and time again. the president is going to sign this veterans choice bill. allowing veterans to get private care if they choose to do so. how important is that for people coming back to these wars to see that somebody really does care to do this, to put more money into this. >> yeah. it's very important. i mean, we live in such a different time. with the information age and veterans are allowed to come back and, you know, the transportation hubs today. so veterans are going farther away from where these v.a. centers are. so this will help vete

which is why this president is fighting for reform and accountability at the v.a. in keeping with his campaign pledge, the president donates his salary on a quarterly basis to further important projects. today the president is donating his quarterly salary to the department of veterans affairs. acting secretary of veterans affairs is here to accept the check. i'd like to bring him up to say a few words about how these funds will be used. make sure i give you the all-important actual check. mr. which willky: thank you very much, sarah. good afternoon. before i address the president's generosity, i want to say a couple of things about what happened in the house yesterday. i want to send my thanks and the thanks of veterans affairs to the chairman of the house veterans' affairs committee, dr. roe. and thank him for the bipartisan coalition that he forged together. the vote yesterday was overwhelming. 347-70. this is long awaited legislation. this takes seven community care programs that we have been using for the last 15 to 20 years and condenses them into one. it als

the v.a. choice legislation. $5.2 billion to make sure that care for our veterans is not interrupted. this has been a big problem for so many of them and they can access private care and there will be reimbursement for them if they can't find quality care through the v.a. the right to try legislation passed. dodd frank. what is that? that helps consumers make more i want choices for themselves in the marketplace. that was an overreaction of overregulation after 9/11. and i have to say, this president focusing on -- he is getting josh holt back. the second time in 17 days we have had americans brought back here, reunited with their families. the economy could not be better. all-time low unemployment numbers among african-americans hispanic. and 18-year low among women and the economy just continues to grow. the tax cuts are in place. the regulation is lower. and this president, on the brink, again. of bringing conversation and coordination between north korea and south korea for the first time

we also did something else for the v.a., our veterans. we got the v.a. accountability act. what that is? do you know what that is? we all love unions and civil service. for years and decades they've tried to get accountability so people would treat our vets badly. you have people who would -- it would be terrible. they would be terrible to our vets. you could not fire them. they would steal, rob, you could not fire them. i had what was called the v.a. accountability act. nobody thought i could get it through. nobody. because of the unions. and because of civil service, which is very powerful. we got it through. i signed it couple of months ago. right? and now, when somebody steals or when somebody who is a sicko hurts our great veterans, we look them in the eye and we say -- jim, you are fired. get out of here. and they are gone. v.a. accountability act. i'm proud of that. nobody talks about it. by the way, these guys don't talk about it. they never talk about it. they never talk about it. they don't even talk about it. something good happens, they don't want to talk. it is

current law requires the v.a.

for the v.a., our veterans, we got the v.a. accountability act. you know what that is? the power thatha they have comei couldn't get it. for years and decades, they've tried to get accountability so people would treat our vets better. you had sadists, you had people that would be terrible to our vets, and you couldn't fire them. you had people that would steal, they'd rob, you'd catch them, you couldn't fire them. and i had what's called the v.a. accountability act. nobody thought i could get it through.ob nobody. because of the unions. i had to say, and because of civil service, which is very powerful. we got it through. i signed it a couple months ago. and now, when somebody steals, or when a some sicko hurts our great veterans, we look them in the eye and we say, jim, you're fired! get out of here! get out! and they are gone! they are gone! v.a. accountability act. i'm proud of it. nobody talks about it. by the way, these guys don't talk about it. they never talk about it. they don't even talk about it. something good happens, they don't want -- it's mostly good, i w

he's acting v.a.w, so i think it's more -- so i think he's been adequately vetted and i think he's pretty well respected. i think this is sort of trump conceding that let's make a normal week instead of my personal white house position and announcing it in a trumpian way, i suppose, without giving a heads-up to him or anyone else. it's a little irregular, but in a way this is a victory of the system you might say over trump. we may end up with a competent v.a. administrator. >> we're lucky to have you on a friday night. come on back. all is forgiven. bill kristol in colorado springs tonight. we sure appreciate you taking time to be with us. thank you. >>> coming up for us on this friday night, a live update from texas after the nation's latest school shooting. that's when we continue. the first survivor of alzheimer's disease is out there. and the alzheimer's association is going to make it happen. but we won't get there without you. visit alz.org to join the fight. ♪ most people come to la with big d

the v.a., our veterans, we got the v.a. accountability act. do you know what that is?ervice. but the power that they have couldn't get it. for years and decades they have tried to get accountability. so people would treat our vets badly. you had people that would be terrible to our vets and you couldn't fire them. had you people that would steal. they would rob. you would catch them. you couldn't fire them. i had what's called the v.a. accountability act. nobody thought i could get it through, nobody, because of the unions, hey, i understand. and because of civil service, which is very powerful. we got it through. i signed it a couple of months ago. [cheers and applause] right? and now you will when somebody steals or when some sicko hurts our great veterans, we look them in the eye and we say, jim, you're fired. get out of here. get out. and they're gone. they're gone. they're gone. [cheers and applause] v.a. accountability act. i'm proud of that. nobody talks about it. by the way these guys don't talk about it they never talk about it. [crowd boos] they don't even ta

i believe the v.a. serves a we should support it in that role. i believe veterans deserve we st in that role. i believe veterans deserve excellent insurance anywhere they want to go throughout the state. gov. romney: i think the doctor is right on that. my own view is that these people who have served our country, who have put their lives at risk, in many cases have been injured physically, mentally, deserve the best. it is a national embarrassment we have people that need health re who have served in our military, particularly mental health care, and they can't get treatment. they wait in line as long as a year. it is inexcusable. for the reasons i have mentioned, i think it's appropriate to say, if you want to go to the v.a. hospital, terrific. for you, thatmate is wonderful. but if you want to go to another primary care physician or tertiary care or a mental health professional, you have a voucher to take to that individual as well. you do not have to stay within the v.a. system unless you want to. let's make sure we don't continue to delay th

especially people with ptsd, unique injuries veterans experience, the v.a.s the best place you can go. i think that is why i voted against it. i will continue to see if the truth comes out. bob mueller testified when he was the fbi director. i was terribly impressed with him then and have been. i do not think there has been a man with more credibility and in the whole government's fear i have ever met. he just dates to do his investigation. -- he just needs to do his investigation. in that harm when it pertains to the law? he has indictments, everybody around trump. manafort was his campaign manager working without pay. when you work without pay and have millions of dollars of houses and real estate, and he goes into the republican convention and manafort is taken , takes outplatform the part that says we should give the ukraine government out of theapons republican platform. why did he do that? the russians did not want him to get those weapons. manafort has deals with these former ukraine leaders put out with the revolution. he is making major money. why w

the veterans, the v.a. secretary will be at this press briefing, acting v.a. secretary, robert wilke. we know that the veterans choice program is out there just announced, a day or so ago, for our veterans to be able to choose some of the doctors and medical care on their own. that's been a big issue within veterans affairs after we've seen scandal with our military members formerly waiting on long waiting lists. might what about they talk about. that's a huge point. i bring that up. john roberts, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> harris: let's bring in andy biggs, from arizona and the house judiciary committee and member of the american freedom caucus. i'm glad you're here for the ride. let talk about what's happening with the special counsel situation. one year later, your thoughts. >> well, i can't believe that we're still one year later. you have to remember that it's one year with the special counsel the fbi was involved for almost a year ahead of that. we're looking two years. i think robert mueller's investigation is over, he needs to pull the plug,

also gives the v.a. working or aren't being used and really give a veteran -- it's all about choice. that's what the president promised. vets are not dumb. we know where we want to get care. let us choose. >> the criteria to make is that choice, that does that worry you. i called, i couldn't get through, so now i can say i'm delayed. delayed enough to use my private physician? >> part of the problem is you still have a gate keeper who says you can have choice or not have choice. the v.a. has not done choice well so far. because that call maybe they get choice, maybe they don't. the v.a. doesn't pay for it and now they are stun stuck fore bill. the acting v.a. secretary who will be the v.a. secretary next believes in choice. have you got to streamline it because so far the v.a. bureaucracy has fought this. they have said okay, we will give you choice but on our terms. when you decide that you really want choice, then you make the process easy so vets can actually -- ainsley: v.a. wasn't doing their job. k

we want to see smart reform for the v.a.o see support for health care and education benefits like the post 9/11 g.i. bill. we want the see sort for women veterans like myself who push forward for women this the battle campaign for many years. >> you have a go silent campaign in just five minutes, correct? >> in just five minutes we ask for everyone to go silent, remember those fallen to remember those of us who did not make it home. i'm thinking of many of my brothers and sisters who didn't make it home with me. even going back to world war ii, my own grandfather was killed in action. he is now appeared in a florence cemetery. those are the ones we want you to go silent for in just five minutes. >> where did you serve, melissa. >> i served in iraq. i served also both in the civil service as well as on active duchltd i spent the majority of my career working for the department of department. i'm also -- it is a family business for me. i'm military legacy. my grandfather who was killed in action. my father was killed in vietna

v.a. is here to show his fellow professionals that he's still in the game and is still to be taken seriously. to build up all the automation on a say probably factors that will allow. most of. us to feel oh ya feel me oh yes how are you. for a. last question. it's. said that most of the men on his cell phone is david no mudd. clearly troubled by our camera the blue v.a. quickly calls his assistant to go reassure him. use it the way you did you. need. to treat just like it just at the. moment the buses. but he has no rights regarding our footage to. cite the likes of. david no mudd isn't just anyone he's the man with three hundred picasso's the head of one of the most powerful families in the art world the numb ods renown dealers. here's their stand at art basel by calder mirror who's fun tanos because. and also a roy lichtenstein and his own two feet all of them stars of modern art. in the mud collection is valued at almost three billion dollars thousands of works most of which are stored

steve: v.a. hospitals under fire yet again.eran was sent for treatment. they have gone viral. that outraged vet joins brian next. how do you become america's best-selling brand? you introduce the all-new ford ecosport and surprise people with how much they can get in a small suv. that means more standard features and more upgrades for a lot less than expected. the all-new ecosport. it's the big upgrade in a small package. from ford, america's best-selling brand. see what you can get for under 20 grand with the all-new ecosport. see what you can get for under 20 grand you totanobody's hurt, new car. but there will still be pain. it comes when your insurance company says they'll only pay three-quarters of what it takes to replace it. what are you supposed to do? drive three-quarters of a car? now if you had liberty mutual new car replacement™, you'd get your whole car back. i guess they don't want you driving around on three wheels. smart. with liberty mutual new car replacement™, we'll replace the full value of your car. liberty

the v.a. and john kelly and what's happening in the relationship between the president and the chief of staff after our reporting roughly 24 hours ago that morale is eroding and that the president and the chief of staff are not happy with each other. sanders from the podium disputed that and interestingly said that kelly is not being considered to lead the v.a. that is interesting only because that bubbled up. some of our sources in and around the white house said to us that might just be floated as somebody's idea to make mischief. that was confirmed here today. >> very comprehensive. i always appreciate that. always great to see you nature have yourself a great afternoon. we'll pick up where you left off on the story of dr. bornstein. i president trump's long time doctor, the one he went to before he became president is speaking about what he describes as a raid on his office. he says the president's long-time -- this is a doctor. he says the president's long-time body guard keith shiller sh

you don't have to stay within the v.a.. system as well let us make sure that we do not continue to delay the provision of health care for these people. country.served our it is inexcusable and it is something that i will work very hard to change, to make sure that people have the kind of alternative paths that dr. kennedy mentioned. moderator: we go to someone else for a question to governor romney. >> thank you. i would like to know what you can do for utah that your opponent cannot in a dysfunctional and divided congress. we have already talked a bit that. would you be willing to work with others to find common ground on pressing issues like taxes, immigration? four are you not inclined to compromise on policy differences . mitt romney: i don't compromise on principles. i had the occasion to serve as a governor in a state that was pretty democrat. led was 89% democrat. it was obvious to me, to get anything done, i had to find common ground, and we were able to do that from time to time and make some real progress in that

the v.a., there are also those who live too far from a v.a. facility, cannot afford the long wait period, or have very specific medical services that are best provided outside the v.a. system. the v.a. missions act provides this community-based care option and pays for it with discretionary spending, which means congress has more control, more oversight, and more responsibility. the v.a. mission act includes a provision from a bill i authored , the veterans transplant coverage act, to ensure that no other american hero is denied organ transplant coverage, again, through the v.a. this is inspired by the nelson family of texas. mr. nelson, a veteran, required a transplant. his son was a matching live donor. however, the v.a. would not cover medical costs for the donor. mr. nelson's son, even though -- donor, mr. nelson's son. even though this was a life-saving transplant for mr. nelson, i'm sad to say that mr. nelson had to liquidate almost everything he owned to pay for the medical expenses. we

v.a. accountability act. i'm proud of that. nobody talks about it.the way, these guys don't talk about it. they never talk about it. they never talk about it. they don't even talk about it. something good happens, they don't want to talk. it is mostly good, i will tell you. they don't want to talk about it. this month is just like i promised during the campaign. the united states officially opened the american embassy in jerusalem. applause]d president trump: good. that's good. you know, a quick story. i really understand now why it was never approved. everybody that ran for office, everyone in both parties said, we are going to open the embassy in jerusalem. we are going to recognize jerusalem as the capital. we are opening -- this was their campaign -- the politicians -- this was their campaign. over and over. many, many presidents. goes, they are fired. i guess they are fired. they are not here. but not one didn't. that was terrible. you see them campaigning. embassying to open the in jerusalem. over and over. now it is time. one of them went. the

v.a. is here to show his fellow professionals that he's still in the game and is still to be taken seriously. to build up all the automation on a say i probably factors are good but last week and most of. those oh ya feel me oh yes how are you doing. very. last question. so that was. the man on his cell phone is david. clearly troubled by our camera hebrew v.a. quickly calls his assistant to go reassure him. use it the way you did you. need. to treat just like it most of them to please him it's the bosses. but he has no rights regarding our footage to. fight the likes of. david no mud isn't just anyone he's the man with three hundred picasso's the head of one of the most powerful families in the art world the numb odds renown dealers. here's their stand at art basel mobiles by calder mirror who's fun tanos and because of those. and also a roy lichtenstein and his own do you think all of them stars of modern art. collection is valued at almost three billion dollars thousands of works most o

which is why this president is fighting for reform and accountability at the v.a. in keeping

nominees, put forward eight bills for the v.a. that donald trump has signed.e has a strong record of supporting veterans which i think he will be talking about during the campaign. it's the white house, if they properly vetted ronny jackson they would have found these accusations on their own. if they weren't true they could have fact checked them. >> if you were the candyman, why did president obama your hero and savior love him, why did he speak of him in glowing terms, if you work for three presidents, you have been vetted. and the issue is not credibility. but can a person -- going out in public and saying that he was the candyman, and the implications of that. >> you have people's lives on the line, that is a bigger part of this thing. >> was he capable of running a jienld, behemoth agency with 13 agency dependent veterans who need to it run smoothly and have choices for their healthcare. that's the question. >> the way jon tester handled that is what people hate about politics. >> i think he felt a responsibility with service members coming to him with t

another is a vacancy at the v.a., which is no small thing. the v.a. is incredibly important.ersy over how ronny jackson went down. the president blaming the top democrat jon tester, but the top republican johnny isaacson is saying he's not playing politics. listen to what he said. >> i did my job and every senator has the responsibility if they're presented with accusations to try to seek the truth. and that exonerates everybody who seeks the truth. so if you're seeking the truth, then you're covered. if you're not seeking the truth, or if you're fractionalizing the truth or twisting the facts, that's something else. but i don't think that was done. >> so he's defending -- >> he is defending him, and sort of tacitly approved of what tester did there in terms of revealing some of the testimony that they were getting from people who had problems with jackson. you're going to see this play out in that race in montana. there are ads already. but the problem is, jackson doesn't have many defenders. >> the republican senatorial committee is taking a different view. they are running

we have got -- we reached out to v.a. for comment.changes that are going to be made. they are issuing a new directive outlining staff responsibilities,'8" joint exhibit requirements, available benefits and procedures for this process. they have conducted mandatory staff training and implemented standardized communications and outreach materials. all sounds good, chris. but are you confident that they're aggressively watchdogging this programming and streamlining it not without a strong leader in there to manage it. look at the caregivers. these are people after the iraq war policymakers started looking these veterans critically injured they need someone to take care of them their whole life. get these folks healthcare and support. so they're not exhausted they can keep caring for these veterans. the program throwing these people out and throwing them in. we can't have that we need to get a secretary in there real reforms. you have been at the forefront for a long time. get a strong leader in there to oversee this or it will probably f

jackson no longer in the running to be v.a.scinating. gary tuchman. thanks. thanks for watching "360" as well. time to hand it over to don lemon. "cnn tonight" starts now. see you time. >>> this is "cnn tonight." i'm don lemon. another night of multiple big stories and we're following all of them for you. >>> our breaking news right now, sources tell cnn president trump's lawyers are preparing for a showdown with robert mueller. that's over the special counsel's warning that he could issue a subpoena forcing the president to appear before a grand jury. that is a battle shaping up and we will bring you all of the latest reporting on that. >>> plus, president trump really seems to have some doctor issues. just one week after that scandal that brought down the white house physician ronny jackson, trump's