bob stump, chairman krishnamoorthi smith, chairman steve boyer, chairman bob filter and innocent under chairwoman patty c murray, chairman bernie sanders, chairman johnny isakson, and now you. and all circumstances i want to be a productive member of this committee and want to work with my colleagues to see the good things happen for all veterans, and i have in some instances when we say things like that, we have the senseha that we are jut talking. i am not just talking and you were not just talking. we have no option and the desire to do anything other than the way we operate in the past, and we will continue to work with you in that way to serve our nation's veterans. mr. mcdonough, welcome. no mission is nobler than the one you will lead if confirmed, so i thank you and your family for your willingness to re-enter government service. we are going into this new congress with new leadership and a new administration. the challenges we aim to address on behalf of our veterans will be a mix of those existing, ongoing issues we still struggle to sort out, alongside new challenges and new opportunities for our cou