senator isakson: i appreciate the question.e recognize that there will be some statutory changes that need to be made and the v.a. has been agreeable and looking at the care the veterans need as being another standard. you know, if the veteran lives within 30 or 40 miles of a v.a. facility, but that facility doesn't offer the health care he needs -- say it is for a prosthesis or burns or for an eye damage or something like that -- we think the veteran ought to be able to go to the closest private facility that can meet that treatment. it is called the care the veteran needs, not just how far they live away from the facility, but the care they need. we are going to statutorily change that when we come back in june. that is another improvement when it comes to veterans' access and the choice act. matthew daly: you worry, though, senator that if you do that, one of the reasons they put those restrictions in was because of the costs. that that could cost billions of dollars and we are already talking about billions for the denver h

isakson: i apologize. sen. blumenthal: i want to thank all of you for your thinking through these issues in such a constructive and positive way. i was taught as a trial lawyer never ask a question if you don't know what the answer is going to be but i want to ask an open-ended question. given that the choice program and the choice and accountability act creates this fund of $15 billion, my view is that the potential rate on this money and the effort to use it as a kind of slush fund to pay for cost overruns in aurora and orlando and new orleans and las vegas where in fact in total there have been $2.5 billion in cost overruns is a real threat to veterans health care. we can debate how much private care should be provided and how much it should be through v.a. facilities but there is no question in my mind at least at v.a. facilities are an essential part of the health care mix of opportunities that we provide to our veteran. therefore to say we are going to defer projects and delay construction on those facili

senator isakson: i appreciate the question. we recognize that there will be some statutory changes that need to be made and the v.a. has been agreeable and looking at the care the veterans need as being another standard. you know, if the veteran lives within 30 or 40 miles of a v.a. facility, but that facility doesn't offer the health care he needs -- say it is for a prosthesis or burns or for an eye damage or something like that -- we think the veteran ought to be able to go to the closest private facility that can meet that treatment. it is called the care the veteran needs, not just how far they live away from the facility, but the care they need. we are going to statutorily change that when we come back in june. that is another improvement when it comes to veterans' access and the choice act. matthew daly: do you worry though, senator that if you do that, one of the reasons they put those restrictions in was because of the costs. that that could cost billions of dollars and we are already talking about billions for the denv

senator isakson, you are recognized for five minutes. senator isakson: sergeant major overstreet you may have been last, as a former staff sergeant we all know the n.c.o.'s run the military. we appreciate what you do very much. million reickhoff, i want to associate myself with your testimony. the focus on secretary mcdonald, a lot of the problems at the v.a. were not of his making. solving them have been put in his lap. he's going to need a lot of support. the last conversation i had last night about 11:00, by cell phone was bob mcdonald. we are trying to work through the difficulty to get us through the denver project and get v.a. out of the construction business and back in the health care business. let the corps of engineers do the constructing and make sure we learn from the bad mistakes in aurora. your testimony was telling. alexis was injured as a coast guard, serving in the coast guard, is that correct? was injured in 1999, is that correct? >> that's correct, senator. senator isaacson: there are no caregiver benefits to her? >> t

first, "newsmakers," with senator johnny isakson. the denver project, already $1 billion over budget, what impact does it have on other projects. go that conversation with senator johnny isakson. [video clip] sen. isakson: it is more than one billion -- >> it is more than $1 billion over budget. it is hard for people to believe that it is that far over budget and unfinished. do you think it symbolizes the fact that the v.a. has trouble getting anything done? sen. isakson: it is a disaster. i took a committee to review the facility. when the present ever asked me what i thought of the hospital, i thought it was a camel. they said, what do you mean? there are too many cooks in the kitchen. not enough accountability. the v.a. does not need to be building anything. their job is to provide benefits to our veterans. one thing that we will do this year is removing the authority from construction away from the v.a. and to the corps of engineers whose job it is to build. >> following up on that, the senate version of the spending bill for the

senator isakson, you are recognized for five minutes. senator isakson: sergeant major overstreet, you may have been last, as a former staff sergeant, we all know the n.c.o.s run the military. we appreciate what you do very much. million reickhoff, i want to associate myself with your testimony. the focus on secretary mcdonald, a lot of the problems at the v.a. were not of his making. solving them has been put in his lap. he's going to need a lot of support. the last conversation i had last night about 11:00, by cell phone was bob mcdonald. we are trying to work through the difficulty to get us through the denver project and get v.a. out of the construction business and back in the health care business. let the corps of engineers do the constructing and make sure we learn from the bad mistakes in aurora. your testimony was telling. alexis was injured as a coast guard, serving in the coast guard, is that correct? was injured in 1999, is that correct? >> that's correct, senator. senator isaacson: there are no caregiver benefits to her? >> t

senator isakson, you are recognized for five minutes. senator isakson: sergeant major overstreet, you may have been last, as a former staff sergeant, we all know the n.c.o.s run the military. we appreciate what you do very much. million reickhoff, i want to associate myself with your testimony. the focus on secretary mcdonald, a lot of the problems at the v.a. were not of his making. solving them has been put in his lap. he's going to need a lot of support. the last conversation i had last night about 11:00, by cell phone was bob mcdonald. we are trying to work through the difficulty to get us through the denver project and get v.a. out of the construction business and back in the health care business. let the corps of engineers do the constructing and make sure we learn from the bad mistakes in aurora. your testimony was telling. alexis was injured as a coast guard, serving in the coast guard, is that correct? was injured in 1999, is that correct? >> that's correct, senator. senator isaacson: there are no caregiver benefits to her? >> t

. >> chairman isakson, ranking member blumenthal, i would like to thank you for the opportunity to present our views on the veterans choice program. before i begin i want to say the vfw opposes va's change to the way veterans choose to use the veterans choice program. veterans must have the opportunity to explore their private sector options before rejecting their va appointments. this change is a bureaucratic convenience that will negatively affect veterans experiences. the vfw continues to play an integral part in identifying new issues the veterans choice program faces in recommending reasonable solutions. yesterday we published our second report evaluating this important program which made 13 recommendations on how to ensure it accomplishes its intended goal of expanding access to health care for america's veterans.

senator johnny isakson from georgia has the republican response. he talks about the benefits of trade legislation and the importance of t.p.a. or trade promotion authority. president obama: hi, everybody i'm talking to you from the d.c. public library where i met with a group of promising middle school students. we spent some time talking about their lives and how we all care about their success and how that starts with a good education. one thing i announced here is a new project by libraries and major publishers to provide more than $250 million in free e books for low income students. we also issued a challenge to mayor's, libraries, and school leaders to help every student get a library card so they can expand their horizons in a place like this. it's all part of our connect ed initiative to connect 99% of america's students to high speed internet because no matter who you are, where you live, or how much money you got, you should be able to action the world's knowledge and information just like anyone else. in a global economy, we got to help

announcer: on this weekend newsmakers johnny isakson is our guest. he is the chair of the veterans affairs community and talks about ongoing efforts to reform the v.a.. senator isakson: i am an optimist, and i would say succeeding is not the main goal of the v.a. statutory changes needed as well as leadership changes. that's why i have said we need to have bob mcdonnell's back and get the force of congress behind him to make sure he does the accountability measures necessary. i want to underscore this -- we have some of the finest health care professionals and technicians in the world. our problem is more the administration and accounting level of the v.a. that is the delivery of health services. that is where the problems come from for phoenix, and that's where the problems need to be created. while they are significant problems, they are correctable. announcer: you can watch newsmakers tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. coming soon, we will have -- we will hear from robert mcdonald who gave the commencement address at the unive

. >> chairman isakson, ranking member blumenthal, on behalf of the dav and our 1.2 million members, all of whom were wounded, injured, or made ill from war time service, thank you for the opportunity to testify on temporary choice program. while it is too early to reach conclusions about this program, we are beginning to see some lessons. as of last week, almost 54,000 choice authorizations have been made and 43,000 appointments have been scheduled. by comparison, about 6 million appointments are completed monthly inside va and another 1.3 million appointments are completed outside va using non-va care programs other than choice. a number of reasons likely contribute to this lower than expected utilization of the choice program. since last spring, va has used every available resource to increase its capacity to provide timely care that may have shifted some of the demand away from choice. va was slow in rolling out choice cards and in educating its staff. we also hear troubling reports of a significant lag time between when a va clinician determines a veteran is eligible for choice and

isakson: i want to pay tribute to two great georgia georgians. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. isakson: it is not often that anyone comes to the floor in the senate to praise a journalist one way or another. but on the 31st of may the anchor of wtoc will retire. sonny dixon is a rare breed because he's actually been in equity willed office sesqui for years in the georgia legislature, some of those years with me. i know him as a friend, a professional and i know him as the best aping korman, period. he's been a recognized for the associated press ad ward for his professionalism, skill and knowledge. it is a privilege for me to being a million to on the floor of the senate his 18 years of service, his ten years of service in the georgia legislature and his lifetime of commitment to the state of georgia, the betterment of its communities and to savannah. as we take this moment in time to pause i want to pause and congratulate sonny dixon on a great career and recognition that's well-earned. i also want to talk about roy roberts of walt

senator isakson, you are recognized for five minutes. senator isakson: sergeant major overstreet, you may have been captioning performed by vitac >> we all know the ncos really run the military. so we appreciate -- we appreciate what you do very much. mr. rieckhoff, i want to associate myself with your testimony. your five points that you made at the end were very telling. and in particular the focus on secretary mcdonald. he was -- a lot of the problems at the va were not of his making, but solving them have been put in his lap. he's going to need an awful lot of support. the last conversation i had last night at 11:00 was by cell phone with bob mcdonald. we're trying to work through the difficulty to get us through the denver project and get us new footing and get va out of the construction business and back in the health care business, but the core of engineers do the constructing and make sure we learn from the bad mistakes made in aurora. colonel norton, i want to talk about alexis for a second. served in the coast guard, correct? i

senator isakson, you are recognized for five minutes. senator isakson: sergeant major overstreet, you may have been captioning performed by vitac >> we all know the ncos really run the military. so we appreciate -- we appreciate what you do very much. mr. rieckhoff, i want to associate myself with your testimony. your five points that you made at the end were very telling. and in particular the focus on secretary mcdonald. he was -- a lot of the problems at the va were not of his making, but solving them have been put in his lap. he's going to need an awful lot of support. the last conversation i had last night at 11:00 was by cell phone with bob mcdonald. we're trying to work through the difficulty to get us through the denver project and get us new footing and get va out of the construction business and back in the health care business, but the core of en

isakson: i rise -- could i propound a question of the majority leader. i prefer to propound the question first. as i understand the african bill and the trade enforcement bill will be in tandem together and not subject to amendment an then we'll go to t.p.a. and t.a.a. which will be open to amendment, is that correct? mr. mcconnell: the senator from georgia is correct. mr. isakson: in that case i will not object but i ask unanimous consent senator coons and i be able to make a one-minute statement. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. isakson: in the committee on the act we put an amendment to ensure a review of trade practices vis-a-vis poultry and other issues important to the united states. we would have offered an amendment on the floor had it been possible without this u.c. but with this u.c. coming forward and not objecting we have gotten permission to talk to ambassador froman who has assured us an out-of-cycle review whenever necessary to review the trade practices of south africa vis-a-vis poultry and i commend him f

. >> hello, this is united states senator johnny isakson from the great state of georgia. in my state of georgia, 1.2 million jobs are directly related to international trade. in the last 10 years, georgia's exports to our trading partners grew by 69%. with negotiation on trade deals that are ongoing, we expect that to just continue. next year the panama canal is opening to the larger shifts of the 21st century. we are accommodating those larger ships bringing goods and services from the rest of the globe to america. this project will make the city of savannah, the state of georgia and the entire southeast a hub of exports and imports. we're losing all of those goods and services they carry going elsewhere around the world. i'm thrilled the trade promotions and accountability act is coming to the floor of the second. it will promote american workers and jobs by setting out clear objectives mandating by congress that the president must achieve in international trade agreements. the legislation will go for six years and require presidents from either part to consult with con

jobs book, rather, by walter isakson. this will be the second or third. >> there have been a few films. >> there have been a few films. this is the one that everyone was waiting for because of the isakson connection. >> ashton kutcher not necessarily the most convincing steve jobs? >> no. you know, i should throw in there this is a universal pictures release which is somehow involved in our parent company. >> the name sounds familiar. thank you very much. >>> it's 5:20. christina loren, that's a familiar name as well. she joins us with a look at the forecast. >> new week, not what you would typically associate with this time of year. 5:21 is the time. you know what? we are getting deeper and deeper into the month of may. a lot of people graduated over the weekend. many more will be graduating this upcoming weekend. we have memorial day, the unofficial kickoff to summertime. talk about temperatures running between 10, even 15 degrees below average for today. so right now we're in the 50s. your low temperatures are actually

thanks in large part to senator isakson's input on the system.reference though represents an agreement. after considering taa in the preference though we will move to legislation designed to strengthen enforcement and approve the trade facilitation of the border agencies. trade enforcement act of 2015 puts in place the right tools to keep out counterfeit products that threaten american innovation and the health and safety of the american people. the bill helps bolster exports by ensuring other countries apply with -- comply with u.s. trade bills to protect international property rights. this is a bipartisan bill that would help advance americans attending create better jobs and strengthen our economy at home. after we had debated and voted these three bills we will move to consideration the bipartisan congressional trade priorities and accountability act and then to the new trade authorization. this represents a bicameral effort to empower trade negotiators and a role in crafting u.s. policy. it was introduced by senator wyden and myself in the s

[applause] [applause] >> last week, johnny isakson said that to mark memorial day senators should lostn you or who have given their lives for our freedom. the senate is not in session this week. >> madam president, as chairman of the veterans affairs committee, on the eve of memorial day i think it is a good that we pause for a moment, we debate as democrats and republicans on the floor on currency, trade, national security, the issues of the day in a contentious debate. we do so freely and without fear of retribution. we know when we go home at night we are peace and comfort knowing we are in a safe nation. those who have sacrificed and given their lives so that america can exist today. i think it's only appropriate that each of us pause to give a prayer for our soldiers who have risked their lives and given their lives for our country. i make an effort to go to american cemeteries all over the world to make sure we are still honoring those who sacrifice the weather should be honored. i want to share a brief story. on memorial day in may 2007, i went with members of the senate into th

isakson: welcome back to the senate veterans affairs committee. darren selnick advisor for concern veterans for america. joseph violante director of disabled american veterans, mr. bill rausch who is missing in action right now for awol. political director for iraq and afghanistan veterans of america. carlos field taste of the veterans of foreign wars and we welcome all of you and we will start with you mr. butler. mr. butler: chairman isakson six and ranking member blumenthal and distinguished members of the committee on behalf of our national commander michael hamm in the 2.3 million members of the american legion we thank you for this opportunity to testify regarding the american legion steel of the progress of the veterans choice program. the american legion supported the access to choice and accountability act of 2014 as a means of addressing emerging problems than the department of veterans affairs. v.a. waits for medical care have reached an unacceptable level as veteran struggled to reset access to timely health care within the va health c

bob mcdonnell, in this past week's "newsmakers," -- johnny isakson in this past week's "newsmakers are [video clip] >> there has been a culture in the v.a. that is a push by culture. they did not want change or oversight. v.a. health care is the second-largest agency of the federal government. it is almost -- you have heard of too big to fail -- it is almost too big to succeed. it is time that we give them the tools to do the hiring and firing necessary. i think he is the man for the job and hope he will take the initiative. host: we will have another exit coming up. a few more minutes with your phone calls. we will go to sarah, joining us from north carolina. caller: good morning. i just want to say that -- you say, is "america" supporting -- i think that americans should support. on the tax form, it should give you the option of supporting the troops. rather than buying yellow ribbons that we stick on the cards, made in china, we could actually support our troops. i think that our troops went to overseas, and did not just fight for v.a. hospitals, they should get a free pass for all

and on "newsmakers" is memorial day -- this memorial day weekend, we are joined by senator johnny isaksonpublica

chairman isakson ranking member blumenthal and the committee, we're committed to making the choice program work and to providing veterans timely and geographically accessible care, using care in the community whenever necessary. i'll talk shortly about what we're doing and the help that we need from congress to make all of that happen. first, i want to talk very briefly about access to care. most mornings at 9:00 a.m., for the last year, senior leaders from across the department gathered to focus on improving veterans access to care. we've concentrated on key drivers of access, including increasing medical center staffing by 11,000, adding space, boosting care during extended hours and weekends by 10% and increasing staff productivity. the result, 2.5 million more completed appointments inside va this year than last. relative value units, a common measure of care delivered that measured care delivered across the industry are also up 9%. another focus area for us improving access has been increasing the use of care in the community. in 2014, va issued 2.1 million authorizations for care in

dave brought up johnny isakson the chairman of the center it -- senate veterans affairs committee. he was a guest on our "newsmakers" program. he talked about the legacy of the war, this being the 40th anniversary of the fall of saigon. here is him talking about vietnam veterans in an interview this weekend. [video clip] >> i am a product of the vietnam era. i lost some of my best friends. i remember the sacrifices our country went through. vietnam era veterans found the v.a. was the only safe haven should go to. we own those veterans everything. the sacrificed and risked their lives. we need to make sure in the latter years of their life they are getting what they deserve. number of suicide increases is not in the iraqi and new veterans, it is in the vietnam veterans. we owed them just as much. i will see to it that they get it. host: if you want to watch that full interview with johnny isakson, republican from georgia, you can go to c-span.org. here is the front page from today's newspapers around this country. several stories about veterans and memorial ceremonies. this is the d

isakson: i rise -- could i propound a question of the majority leader. i prefer to propound the question first. as i understand the african bill and the trade enforcement bill will be in tandem together and not subject to amendment an then we'll go to t.p.a. and t.a.a. which will be open to amendment, is that correct? mr. mcconnell: the senator from georgia is correct. mr. isakson: in that case i will not object but i ask unanimous consent senator coons and i be able to make a one-minute statement. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. isakson: in the committee on the act we put an amendment to ensure a review of trade practices vis-a-vis poultry and other issues important to the united states. we would have offered an amendment on the floor had it been possible without this u.c. but with this u.c. coming forward and not objecting we have gotten permission to talk to ambassador froman who has assured us an out-of-cycle review whenever necessary to review the trade practices of south africa vis-a-vis poultry and i commend him f

isakson: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. dakota zach respondingmr. isakson: his language is precisely the language introduced by the committee here in the senate, which we were going to send to the house which got lost in the negotiations. the technical lift is the only reason it wasn't already a part of it. i wholeheartedly endorse everything the senator said and pledge to him that if the house does not adopt the language when it goes to the house, we will take it up immediately with it comes to -- in the senate when we have our next markup meeting in the veterans' affairs committee and take care of it. i want toern pally acknowledge senator bennet and gardner for all the work they've done. we went to colorado together to visit a v.a. hospital, which is the genesis of where this motion comes from. i'm glad we're reaching a resolution. the motion will be made shortly to adopt the house decision will ensure that the denver hospital remains open until we can resolve the problems. i commend the senator on his language and confirm everything he said has

. >> chairman isakson ranking member blumenthal members the committee on behalf of the va and the 1.2 million members all of them are wounded injured or made ill from their wartime service thank you for the opportunity to testify on temporary choice program. while it is too early to reach a conclusion about this program we are beginning to see lessons. as of last week almost 64,000 choice authorizations have been made and 43,000 appointments have been scheduled. by comparison about 6 million appointments are completed monthly inside the egg and another 1.3 million appointments completed outside va using non-va care programs other than choice. a number of reasons like to contribute to lower than expected utilization of the choice program. since let's bring va has used every available resource to increase its capacity to provide timely care that may have shifted some of the demand away from choice. ea was low in rolling out choice cards and in educating its staff. we also hear troubling reports of a significant lag time between when the va clinician determines the veteran is eligible fo

on newsmakers, georgia senator johnny isakson discusses efforts to reform the department of veterans affairs and other issues affecting america's veterans. newsmakers, sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> tuesday, the senate commerce science, and transportation committee held a hearing on the reauthorization of the federal aviation administration. faa administrator michael weber testified on efforts to modernize the system and next generation initiatives. this is just over two hours. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] sen. thune: this hearing will come to order. good morning. today the commerce committee concludes its series of planned hearings on reauthorization of the federal aviation administration with an examination of the nation's air traffic control system. let me begin by thanking aviation subcommittee chair a out and make a member cap well for taking through several valuable hearings on the way to t

isakson: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. isakson: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order the time from 11:30 until 12:50 will be equally divided with the majority controlling the first half and the democrats controlling the second half. mr. mcconnell: madam president, i have four unanimous consent requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. i ask unanimous consent these requests be agreed to and printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: now madam president, since the unlawful leaks of n.s.a. programs opponents of our counterterrorism program have painted a distorted picture of how these programs

. >> chairman isakson ranking member blumenthal members the committee on behalf of the va and the 1.2 million members all of them are wounded injured or made ill from their wartime service thank you for the opportunity to testify on temporary choice program. while it is too early to reach a conclusion about this program we are beginning to see lessons. as of last week almost 54,000 choice authorizations have been made and 43,000 appointments have been scheduled. by comparison about 6 million appointments are completed monthly inside va, and another 1.3 million appointments are completed outside va using non-va care programs other than choice. a number of reasons like to contribute to lower than expected utilization of the choice program. since last spring, va has used every available resource to increase its capacity to provide timely care that may have shifted some of the demand away from choice. va was slow in rolling out choice cards and in educating its staff. we also hear troubling reports of a significant lag time between when the va clinician determines the veteran is eligible

isakson: mr. president thursday a week ago i had the privilege as a member of the finance committee serving on the markup of the trade promotion authority and trade adjustment and assistance. this past saturday, i was given the opportunity to give the republican response on the radio saturday and i talked about trade promotion authority. i have been privileged to be a ranking member and chairman at one time of the africa subcommittee. i have traveled back and forth to the continent of africa, seen the opportunities of trade and business and exchange with the african people. i came to the congress in 1999. in that year, i voted for trade promotion authority for president bill clinton a democrat. later, i voted for trade promotion authority for president bush, a republican. and i proudly will vote for trade promotion authority for president obama a democrat, because trade is not a partisan issue. it should not be nor should it ever be trade a partisan issue. it should be an issue of the american peo

support of republican colleagues: senators portman grassley crapo and burr and eye sock son and -- and isakson. this provision ensures a level playing field for american business. it is nowhere to be found in the majority leader's package. any trade package needs to ensure we aren't importing products made with child labor. that is why the finance committee passed an amendment with overwhelming bipartisan support to close a 75-year-old loophole that allowed products made with forced labor and child labor into this country. 75 years that loophole stood. we passed that amendment 21-5. we had the support of republican colleagues. senators grassley and crapo and roberts and cornyn and thune and toomey and portman and heller. again, mr. president this bipartisan package that's come to the floor this bipartisan provision is nowhere to be found in the majority leader's package. that is why i call on my republican colleagues, many of whom i've named almost every one of them on the finance committee, voted for either the currency amendment or the level the playing field amendment or the prohibition on

isakson is former chairman and ceo of cnn. chairman of the broadcasting board of governors. . . >> host: walter isaacson, what is the link between ben franklin, steve jobs, henry kissinger and ada. >> guest: they're all creative minds and that interested me throughout my career. a lot of people write about sports heroes or literary figures, but to me it's people who can combine different discipline like the arts and sciences, the way ben franklin did, the way ada lovelace did and albert einstein. we talk about innovations so often, it's almost drained of its meaning, and i've always liked to write about real people who are in a situation whether it whether it be after world war ii when you have to create a whole new world order like the world bank and the marshall plan or steve jobs who says okay we are now in a digital revolution and have to make it personal. these are people who are able to think different and out-of-the-box. so i want to try to explore the creative mind and how it works. >> host: one of the themes in all of

we also talk about some of the contemporary issues of the day with johnny isakson. senator from georgia. he was talking about -- he is chairman of the veterans affairs committee. and he was talking about some of the news, cost overruns and cost of veterans' care. [video clip] >> they are trying to build a va hospital and it is more than $1 billion over budget, which is really for -- hard for some folks to believe that something can be that much over budget. what do you think about the problems out there? visits and belies the fact that the v.a. has trouble getting anything done? >> it is a disaster. i took the senate committee to denver. we met with the contractors review the progress over the last 14 years. when the press in denver asked be what i thought, i said i thought the hospital was the camel. a camel is a horse built by committee. that is exact what that hospital is. there are too many crooks, not enough people in the kitchen. and the v.a. does not need to be building anything. their job is to provide health care and benefits for our veterans. i can promise

on newsmakers this weekend we are sitting down with senator johnny isakson, chairman of the veteransommittee. he will be our guest talking about veterans' issues heading into memorial day. tune in to c-span on sunday at 10:00 a.m. and six clock p.m. eastern -- and 6:00 p.m. eastern. the usa today editorial board weighing in. just admit it, iraq war was a disastrous mistake. tens of thousands of americans were wounded and $2 trillion was squandered and a war to destroy weapons of mass distraction -- mass destruction that were never found. with the capture of the city of ramadi, isil is firmly in control of one chunk and iran has great sway over another. republican candidates, reluctant to alan nate -- to alienate hawks have begun to admit it. and notable exercise in blame shifting from president obama -- from president bush to president obama. obama's policies have made it worse but arguing that he should have kept troops in iraq longer, his critics skip over the fact that he pulled out on a schedule negotiated by bush. usa today's opinion. bill kristol disagrees writing the opposing

our colleague senator isakson from georgia joined me in an important piece of legislation that really into a program that better meets the needs of those who will most need it, which is those with chronic disease: cancer diabetes and stroke and heart disease. but we'd be protecting the medicare guaranty, not in effect damaging medicaid the way this budget would do. mr. president, mr. president i am going to yield the floor now and just state once again that i hope we can go back to what makes the senate function at its best. bipartisan, we missed that opportunity thus far and i hope we'll return to it. with that, i yield the floor. mr. enzi: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. enzi: i thank the senator from objector or for his -- from oregon for his kind comments and know that as the ranking member on the finance committee that he'll be doing a lot of things to see that will things in this budget happen. and i suspect they'll happen a lot the way they are here. i would like to mention just a couple of things, though, for him to note because he mentioned

isakson is former chairman and ceo of cnn. chairman of the broadcasting board of governors. . . >> host: walter isaacson, what is the link between ben franklin, steve jobs, henry kissinger and ada. >> guest: they're all creative minds and that interested me throughout my career. a lot of people write about sports heroes or literary figures, but to me it's people who can combine