currently those in the v.a. rehabilitation programs needs adaptations made to their home due to their disability, then it's up to the rehabilitation counselor, someone who has no specialty, make such arrangements for these adaptations. in addition to the lack of core competency in home adaptations, these counselors have experienced a significant and steady rise in their job counseling caseloads. so they're focusing on this home construction takes away from their primary function as a row vational -- vocational counselor. this has resulted in deficiencies for veterans who now have to wait in line and it's costing taxpayers more money. while these are masters degree level counselors who provide great services to our veterans every single day, they don't have the expertise to understand how to build a ramp, fix a grab bar to a wall or how to implement other home adaptations. this bill would simply transfer these ramp, fix a grab responsi specialty adaptive housing program where they deal with these kind of construct

and to give the authorities in the v.a. the ability to terminate, fire, if you will, for cause an employee that is not doing the job they should be doing for our veterans. so we had to hold the standard of accountability up a little higher for our employees in the veterans administration. we're magnifying choice so veterans can have more choice. we don't want the government to hire all the lawyers and doctors and physicians assistants to service the v.a., we get them in the private sector as well. the 21st century g.i. bill, we finally made sure the g.i. bill applies to everybody, not just world war ii or vietnam war-era veterans, but veterans of all conflicts and of all types. we have done everything we could to see to it the benefits we promised them would be there when they left the military are there for them in retirement and in their later life. the sacrifice they make is great and the sacrifices we have made to save our veterans is great. today veterans come home from the battlefield 90% of the time when they are woun

would break would bring literally send the v.a. broke and. they don't want to pay it so the waiting in the decades a lot of those soldiers will die in time. and they won't have to pay anything. call for help and. get the middle finger. the new model is. delayed and i hope he does. the veterans that i speak to are both mad and they're bewilder some of them are so sick that they don't know if they wake up in the morning and i'm not exaggerating every year is something every year is something that's taken away from the quality of life that he has and that we have as a family. i mean unique. in that i would can just walk into a restaurant and sit down and he will have a meal. because he's sitting there he's trying to. keep him sound busy on his phone in time not uncomfortable for. the simple things that. we take for granted. that he doesn't have. our heart. what. what would it what is that it took a nothing like what does it hold. it's going to get worse. i'd like to think the future is bright. but that's my optimistic guy trying to i think all ch

would break would bring literally send the v.a. broke and. the waiting in the decades a lot of those soldiers. there comes the book for. the simple things that. we take for granted here. that it doesn't have. our heart. what it took on a big leg but does that hold. it's just going to get worse. i'd like to think the future is bright. but that's my optimistic guy trying to i think a lot of times go on myself because if i read about the disease that i know. it just gets to dress or worse. so i don't know i mean maybe i get a miracle and god heals me and my wife is wonderful and she and a trifle on like nothing is ever let up in. bed right now it's too much take care of my husband take care of every other. woman's has friend and. man's wife who served who did their duty because they believed in it because they believe that it was the right thing to do. that's all we're asking. there's absolutely a moral obligation to fix it when these veterans come home and they're saying no matter what they're saying we have an obligation as the american public

the v.a.'s undersecretary for health 18 months, leading the nation's largest integrated health care system with more than 1,700 sites of care serving 9 million veterans. before he began his service with the v.a., dr. shulkin held numerous chief executive roles at the morristown medical center and the atlantic health care center, accountable care organization, served as president and chief executive officers of the beth israel medical center in new york. dr. shulkin has held numerous position leadership roles including at the pennsylvania university of health, he's a fellow pennsylvanians. a lot of you know i'm a pennsylvanian. i always acknowledge that. temple university hospital, medical college of pennsylvania hospital. he's also held academic positions including chairman of medicine, vice dean at the drexel university school of medicine. a board certified intern, he's a fellow of the american college of physicians and has been named one of the 50 most influential physician executives in the

bill also created the v.a. home loan program which helped build 1/5 of all single residences in the united states between 1944 and 1993. part of the motivation of why the g.i. bill residences passed that fear of what happened with the bonus army after world war sr. they didn't want to see that repeated in world war ii. the g.i. bill and the veterans readd judgment assistance asket 1952 were put in place to help those that were newly discharged, particularly coming home from the war. all you may have heard of general omar bradley. he's the only secretary whose picture hangs in my office to this day. he was the v.a. administrator from 1945 to 1947. but they brought him back in 1956. so nine years after he left being the head of the v.a., to chair a committee. the president's commission on veterans' pensions. what he said was, at that time, was our present structure of veterans programs is not a system. based ecreation of laws largely on precedents built up over 150 years of piecemeal development. so the commission

so we have no resolution right now the v.a. still denying our cases we have attorneys for sure you have the money there we're going to see we're just were we are are you know just hopefully we'll make it to a long enough time to us i can make with a ten year golden rule on the v.a. system itself to me and said it about for ten years or for me it's no benefits that's why after ten years i don't get the benefits that they deserve i think the v.a. should take more. be more responsible with these guys because they have already put their lives on the line for us why would we. not give them the proper medical attention that they need why give them an appointment three months out and then. send it through you know prolong it even more to maybe. eight months nine months a year and then even fighting for their benefits if they don't. then book person twelve months of them coming back and he doesn't get a diagnosis forget it they're screwed because they don't see it at its service related service connected the burden of proof is on the ve

the military the v.a. or are supposed to take care of their veterans. and are supposed to provide good health here and a good troops issued the military and the military and v.a. has failed miserably on doing this and not only going to burn pit issue but you know a lot of mental health issues and everything else there are many people who are working with the v.a. who feel that that studies have been either augmented belated have been prone to bias in favor of. results that my air birds that's having psychosomatic problems instead of physical problems. or the one else seems wrong. why don't we all just don't hold. anything that he's yet to see. he still comes to educate and in detroit equals betrayal. when so many find themselves worlds apart we choose to look for common ground. about your sudden passing i've only just learned you were yourself and taken your last turn. out to caught up to you as we all knew it would i tell you i'm sorry i could so i write these last words in hopes to put to rest these things that i never got off my chest. i remember when

of time so i can make with the ten year golden rule the v.a. system itself means that about for ten years or for me it's no benefits that's why after ten years i don't get the benefits because or i think the v.a. should take more. be more responsible with these guys because they have already put their lives on the line for us why would we. not give them the proper medical attention that they need why give them an appointment three months out and then. send it you know prolong it even more to maybe. eight months nine months a year and then even fighting for their benefits if they don't. then book person twelve months of them coming back and he doesn't get a diagnosis forget it they're screwed because they don't see it act it's service related service connected the burden of proof is on the veteran they have to be able to service connected it doesn't matter whether you have it or not or the condition can did it happen during the day you enter to the left that's the big window that you have to fight for. iraq afghanistan war injury is our generatio

the time that i can make with the ten year golden rule the v.a. system itself means that about fourteen years or filmic it's no benefits that's why after ten years i don't get the benefits that they deserve i think of the a should take more. be more responsible with these guys because they have already put their lives on the line for us why would we just in war injury is our generation's agent orange. if you look at the historical precedents with agent orange for decades it was not acknowledged and then after decades it was studied and then finally soldiers were trained. so it still goes with iraq afghanistan war longing for we can't wait that long poor the parapets to reckon that it's not the pace that the guys are in the females are dying from the burn pits it's a lot faster the illnesses are showing up in the symptoms a lot sooner he put in his time he sacrificed he gave everything that it was possible to get and. and move proud of that and we don't regret that and he doesn't regret that and we would serve again so it's not the service that's a

according to the v.a. d the office of suicide prevention, 20 veterans commit suicide every day in the year 2014. 18% of all american adults suicides that your work committed by's -- veterans even though they are only 8.5% of the population. male veterans with a 19% higher risk for suicide compared to the general population while women veterans were 2.5 times as likely to kill themselves compared to the female civilian population and suicide rates were highest among young veterans aged 18-29. that is that fortune.com. hearing about your experiences as a veteran, bill in new york. caller: thank you for taking my call. i was with the marine corps. in beirut when the suicide bomber hit my arm compound. i was lucky that i survived. when i got out, i went to the v.a., i cannot say anything bad about the v.a. as they took great care of me. anything i needed, they took care of me and i still go to the one in northport where they give me great care. i am surprised a lot of people have problems with the v.a. as i nev

the report would also describe the v.a. -- the steps the v.a. will take to reduce the number of incorrect addresses in the department's databases. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. walz: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. walz: and i feel like we're on a roll, mr. speaker. we should stay here all day. bipartisan, commonsense legislation improving the lives of veterans. kind of feels like what we came here for. and again, i rise in strong support of another one of those. h.r. 37035, as amend, the veterans fair debt notice act, introduced by the gentlelady from maine, ms. pingree. again, you heard it from the vice chairman, if a veteran incurs an overpayment in benefit, the v.a. send out a series of letters knowifying him or her of this debt and the steps that can be taken to address the issue. the letter is time stamped when

while the v.a. has made it a priority to address this problem, there are still many combat veterans left without access to v.a. mental health care services. here is what we know. an average of 20 veterans commit suicide daily. a veteran -- v.a. evidence suggests a decrease in suicide risk among those who have received v.a. health care services, and in may, 2017, the government accountability office found that 62% of the over 91,000 service members who were separated from misconduct from 2011 to 2015 had been diagnosed with ptsd, t.b.i. or other conditions that would be associated with misconduct. 13,282 veterans 23% or received an other than honorable discharge, leaving them without access to v.a.'s critical mental health care services. as a marine corps combat veteran, i'd like to live by the rule we never leave anyone behind. unfortunately, the military routinely use the other than honorable discharge to rid itself of combat veterans who were designated as having disciplinary problems and who often

was deputy guest administrator for the v.a. at the time the vietnam veterans memorial was dedicated. has been marked by tremendous variations in the mood of the nation. americans still have a difficult time in dealing with that war, with its affect on our society and with the legacy of .hose of us sent to fight it but no one can debate the service and the sacrifice of serving. fell while that theortunate circumstance by which the more than 2 million veterans returned did not lend itself to the type of welcome given to the veterans of other , or even to those of us who were prisoners in vietnam. but with this long overdue week of activities, and especially , america isdication saying welcome home. here, in this great city where the nation's affairs are buildings newhese and old, that give us a sense of ,ur history and our destiny washington, also a city of , stonets, landmarks statues, testified to the deeds of those who have shaped the nation we have become. vietnam veterans memorial is unique, vastly different from the monument

nathan: well, alison, the deeper we dug at the v.a. the more we discovered this is a growing problem. veterans are getting bills, scary bills of tens of thousands of dollars. mostly due to change in the accounting system. but as we discovered in in this case, the numbers were just plain wrong. the petty officer served in the navy, naval r 1985. but it was ethnic cleansing and sniper fire he saw while deployed in 1999 in bosnia that haunted him for years. >> i -- -- [inaudible] >> it took a while to admit he had post traumatic stress disorder. >> i had ptsd. it took me almost ten years to submit myself to the v.a. and say can you help me? >> the memories echoed by his wife. >> if this hadn't changed we might not be together. i don't want the kids to be subjected to this. >> the private doctor wrote to the v.a. backing him up. he has ptsd. but the v.a. disagreed and denied the claim. to add insult to injury they sent him a bill for more than $22,000. why? the v.a. didn't ex hit the phones to get answers for him. >> mr. sevino, good to see

when i went to the v.a. i was told there was no supportive housing services for women veterans the children. i was a single mother. they couch surf. 70% of the homeless veteran population are single mothers. i know a lot of people look at homelessness as a guy on the street, but there are a lot of us that are homeless because we're trying to keep our family together. that was my situation. that just let me know about the lack of resources through my individual experience, bush later spurred me to create final salute -- which later spurred me to create final salute. host: printable masters degree in human resource management and leadership from webster university. now runs his organization called final salute. what was the specific moment that you said i have got to do this? guest: i am born and raised in chicago. one day i was watching the oprah show and she had a homeless woman veteran on her show that was living out of her car. she was a combat veteran. this is several years after my situation happened. i s

and to give the authorities in the v.a. the ability to terminate, fire, if you will, for cause an employee that is not doing the job they should be doing for our veterans. so we had to hold the standard of accountability up a little higher for our employees in the veterans administration. we're magnifying choice so veterans can have more choice. we don't want the government to hire all the lawyers and doctors and physicians assistants to service the v.a., we get them in the private sector as well. the 21st century g.i. bill, we finally made sure the g.i. bill applies to everybody, not just world war ii or vietnam war-era veterans, but veterans of all conflicts and of all types. we have done everything we could to see to it the benefits we promised them would be there when they left the military are there for them in retirement and in their later life. the sacrifice they make is great and the sacrifices we have made to save our veterans is great. today veterans come home from the battlefield 90% of the time when they are woun

withovement at the v.a. the choice program is how do you leverage the principles that the health insurance companies had themany years, but that department did not have fully fledged. there were issues with infrastructure. that is a little bit of a challenge that the v.a. faced. when i walked in -- i came to the department three years ago and started working as the assistant deputy and then the deputy undersecretary two years ago, these were some of the headlines i was faced with about the veteran choice card being smoke and mirrors, having problems, the choice program leaving veterans frustrated. again, of all of these different headlines about the issues that existed with the program. we will talk a little bit about the process we went through to create positive change but i will tell you upfront that all of the stories are not rosy today either. there has been a lot of forward momentum and positive movement but, we still have a way to go to get the program and the concept internal and external, working wel

the v.a. could have done to help him? >> he served in the air force but he was dishonor i consider him a criminal. while i don't know the motivation why anybody would do such a horrific act and whether there was a component of mental illness, i consider this an evil man who would do what he did. the v.a. does not care for dishonorably discharged people who have left the service. >> so he wouldn't have been able to seek mental health help at the v.a. >> no. one of the first acts i did as secretary is i extended mental health services to those other than those who were honorably discharged. but when you're dishonorably discharged as this gentleman was it's because you committed a crime and did something horrific, so we do not take care of them in the v.a. system. and frankly people who have worn the uniform don't want to be associated with somebody like that. >> in the next hour we're going to hear from shulkin why some are waiting for care. >>> harvey weinstein could soon face criminal charges s

the v.a. does not care for dishonorably discharged people who have left the service. >> so he wouldn't have been able to seek mental health help at the v.a. >> no. one of the first acts i did as secretary is i extended mental health services to those other than those who were honorably discharged. ed as thenou're dishonorably it's because you committed a crime and did something horrific, so we do not take care of them in the v.a. system. and frankly people who have worn the uniform don't want to be associated with somebody like that. >> in the next hour we're going to hear from shulkin and others are. >>> harvey weinstein could soon face criminal charges stemming from allegations o sexual misconduct. cbs news learns that manhattan's district attorney cyrus vance will start proceedings against weinstein. de la huerta says she was raped twice. 14 investigations are reportedly under way in new york, london, los angeles, and beverly hills. weinstein has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.

what is it going to take to get the v.a. recognize medical cannabis as a legitimate help aid for our veterans coming back with ptsd? thank you. >> i have a lot of patients over the years that have used marijuana to help with symptom relief, to help go to sleep, to decrease nightmares. i think that really what it will take are more and better randomized controlled trials. and if we have good science, then i think you'll see more and more people in the medical community advocating for marijuana to be used. but we need the science. >> all right, michael blecher and keith armstrong. thank you both for being here tonight. [ applause ] >>> for our next segment, we are going to focus on the period of anti-war activism, and we have a couple of wonderful panelists to introduce you to. first is eva jefferson patterson, patterson is the president and a co-founder of the equal justice society. eva, come up. [ applause ] and our second guest for this segment is will kirkland. he is a united states naval academy graduate, class of 1965, w

the v.a. of course does carefully track the discharge status of all transitioning service members. as you know, with the bad conduct disorder, he would not be taken care of by the v.a. >> not just dishonorable but bad conduct also would exempt him from care? >> yes, that's correct. >> but the military put him into the facility that he escaped from? >> yes, that's true. >> how do you reconcile that? he's not subject to care but was put into care by the military? >> there are systems of care. as a physical i believe everybody deserves to get access of care. >> and you extended to those not immediately eligible. >> yeah. chris, it's very confusing if you're not from the military culture. there are many levels of discharge. about 85% of active service members will leave with an honorable discharge. 15% will have other than honorable, which is not a conviction of a crime the way this gentleman had a crime. but it really is a behavioral issue. and many of those issues are related to conditions that servicemen and women had during conflict like post-traumatic stress. so we have extended e

v.a. benefits. mr. speaker, before the rate of veteran suicide increases any more, it's time to right this wrong and permanently authorize mental health care services for some of our nation's most vulnerable veterans. when someone puts on the uniform, they take an oath to defend our freedoms. we in turn as a nation promise to make sure they receive the care and the services they need after returning from the battlefield. as we approach veterans day, i encourage my colleagues to keep that promise for these conduct 918.ans and support h.r. thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, chairman roe and ranking member walz for your support of this legislation.

when i went to the v.a. i was told there was no supportive housing services for women veterans the children. i was a single mother. they couch surf. 70% of the homeless veteran population are single mothers. i know a lot of people look at homelessness as a guy on the street, but there are a lot of us that are homeless because we're trying to keep our family together. that was my situation. that just let me know about the lack of resources through my individual experience, bush later spurred me to create final salute -- which later spurred me to create final salute. host: printable masters degree in human resource management and leadership from webster university. now runs his organization called final salute. what was the specific moment that you said i have got to do this? guest: i am born and raised in chicago. one day i was watching the oprah show and she had a homeless woman veteran on her show that was living out of her car. she was a combat veteran. this is several years after my situation happened. i s

as legislators are like we did this week with several pieces of legislation, helping veterans with the v.a. so they have more access for telemedicine, technologythat makes available in diagnosing for veterans. the victor act would consider the travel veterans have to get for transplants. when it be better for them to be close to home instead of traveling long distances? lastly i will mention the veterans crisis study line act. when a veteran is in crisis and contemplating suicide, as happens so much, 20 to 22 veterans per day giving up, when need to have the crisis line act in place to better modify the crisis line to be effective for them. so there is someone there they have immediate help they need to get through that time. these are some of the things we can do for veterans as we wish them a happy veterans day, and thank you -- thank them for their service. >> mr. speaker, all gave some and some made the ultimate sacrifice. this saturday is veterans day, as we pause to honor the brave men and women from our communities who have served for our country. veterans represent the best in amer

the sec of the v.a. is focused on this as well and i think he's doing a good job of moving in the right direction and finding other ways to manage pain. there's a lot of other ways to do it other than just a strict prescribing and overprescribing of the open yachts. there is acupuncture, there's mindfulness based techniques helping people deal with chronic pain. so there's a variety of other ways to do it before you jump straight to the opiates. the v.a. is beginning to pursue some of these now and i they it's important they do that. not just in the v.a. but around the country. we did get into this culture over the last 20-plus years of pain management primarily through these prescription drugs. then the prescription drugs have become strong earn stronger, and that's what led to where we're now. host: you mentioned the assessment of the head of the v.a. i wonder if you could give me a sense of the head of your party, your democratic caucus. we talked before about your efforts-e effort to challenge nancy p

the v.a. hopes to implement the changes by next october. five unidentified va hospitals were used as part of the study. anna-lysa gayle, abc 7 news. nancy: this just in -- the pentagon must admit transgender recruits no later than january 1. that is according to a federal judge who clarified the order blocking most of president trump's transgender band. the judge said the military must follow the policies previously established. jonathan: more funding is needed to target the violent ms-13 gang. and report found 9% of county residents between the ages of 16 and 24 are at risk. gang recruiters are targeting montgomery village, wheaton, in silver spring. they are trying to add more money to the anti-gang soccer league. minutes andries miles apart, but are they connected in montgomery county? that is what the police are trying to figure out tonight. tim: investigators say the robber walked through these doors and said he had a bomb. then another bank, another robbery. only abc 7 was there when detectives interviewed people inside of two montgom

and that's the v.a. health system i'm a veteran and i and i do not go to the v.a. hospital because i think it's it's it's a joke i use the word the president. we need to fix it i have a cousin that's a pilot there was in the air force actually when the navy is a wounded veteran and purple heart and they want to allow him to go to the v.a. hospital i think every veteran that served should go to the v.a. hospital and not have to pay a penny well that's why i think this wealthiest economy in the world this country should have health care as a right health care should not be relegated to large corporate. pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies everything that seems contrary to everything it's about money while we talk about health care i'm remembering jesse i feel his jesse sick at home he can't be with us and our town halls and jesse get well soon let me share with you a picture from his twitter feed so this is jesse so you know exactly where his politics lie he's looking very happy there with the president of the united states but he said the last time that

the v.a. was a leader to do research on veteran caregivers are rammed the aids-related conditions of dementia but the challenge to get research conducted is to have awareness of what needs to be studied so awareness also funding available to implement studies on a specific population n or r disease or clinical condition area as we look toward better solutions to improve the care we can provide for a specific population then care givers are that offshoot population served so we're hopeful by bringing attention and crafting the blueprint we could get this facilitation to fill in those knowledge gaps. >> i want to reiterate the things expressed to each of you for your testimony. this cannot be easy or the way you want to spend your day providing testimony in a senate hearing if i was struck by the personal reflections each of you had of the challenge of caregiving with your own experience the very you said early about getting the diagnosis was a sucker punch and what that was like for you or anyon

the the military the v.a. are supposed to take care of their veterans. and they're supposed to provide good health care and a good transition out of the military and the military and the v.a. has failed miserably on doing this and not only on the firm put issues but you know a lot of mental health issues and everything else there are.

v.a. colleagues, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. i do not think i've left anybody else. the department of army engineers of two missions, to honor the dead and care for the living. in accordance with a solemn promise made by abraham lincoln in his second inaugural address, we at the v.a. keep that promise 365 days a year. in this pastor, we've made great progress in also keeping

we are paying the v.a. to do. if i take my veteran off and put my conservative hat on, my fiscal conservative heat on, this is a band-aid fix to a tourniquet problem. i look at it as just a campaign win, the effectiveness isn't there. oh, and by the way, the v.a. doesn't pay out very well. so, if you do go find a doctor under that program the chances of keeping them or getting them paid are pretty slim. there is a lot more still to do. i hate to be raining on the parade but see some effective and actual changes that make lives better. ainsley: katie, i want to ask you, u.s. marine corps veteran and vice president of operations at self-made. do you think the president is following through with his promises and what about the v.a. hospitals? how are they now. >> i do think he ran on the platform to fix the v.a. is spot on. shulkin made inroads in accountability, modernizing the v.a. access to care. everything is headed in the right direction. i do believe in what he said, there is still a lot of time that need

president trump has signed the v.a. histleblower protection act to ensure our veterans receive the highest level of service, and this pattern that this president has taken steps to end the pattern of mistreatment at the v.a. we have suspended more than 1500 employees for negligent behavior. as the president has said, we will not rest until all america's veterans receive the care they so richly deserve. [applause] beyond health care, president trump has signed legislation to expand the post-9/11 g.i. bell -- g.i. bill. i am glad to report that veteran unemployment has fallen by nearly 40% since president trump was elected. it is lower today than at any point since the year 2000 and we are just getting started. [applause] today our veterans continue to serve our nation and careers -- in careers ranging from business to education, from law enforcement to public service. and it seems wherever they go, their lives are characterized by that same sense of duty and the courage and selflessness forged during their years in our ar

it's important that the house pass the paws act and allow the v.a. to exam the efficiency and effectiveness of providing veterans with service dogs. while talking about service animals, i'd also like to recognize eli's fund, an initiative in texas a&m university created in memory of late lance corporal colton rusk and eli, his service dog, that provides financial support for service animals of active duty service men and women, med clad retired veterans and service animals, and retired military animals to help with veterinary medical bills. it's important military animals continue to be cared for in etirement. mr. speaker, i'm proud to represent the corpus christi army depot, considered the jewel of the army depot system. c cat is currently the largest rotary aircraft repair facility in the world. instead of buying new helicopters which cost $17 million or more, they repair and rehabilitates the current fleet, often at less than half the cost of new helicopters. c cad saves taxpayers millions of dollars while ensuring the u.s. army maintains a superio

president trump has signed the v.a. bility and whistleblower act to ensure our veterans receive the highest level of service, and and the e then of ms. -- and pattern of mistreatment at the v.a.. dwe have suspended more than 1500 employees for negligent behavior. wethe president has said, will not rest until all 's veterans receive the care they so richly deserve. -- beyondlth care, health care, president trump has signed legislation to allow veterans to choose -- to pursue the education of their choosing. unemployment has fallen by nearly 40% since president trump was elected. it is lower today than at any point since the year 2000 and we are just getting started. today our veterans continue to serve our nation and careers ranging from business to education, from law enforcement to public service. and it seems wherever they go, their lives are characterized by that same sense of duty and the courage and selflessness forged during their years in our armed forces. earlier this week i heard the remarkable story of one such

but doctors at the v.a.ng it show signs of improving because the federal government still classifies marijuana as an illegal drug with no medicinal value. >> if the weed works, then get them weed! buy it for them! call that bike messenger in brooklyn! you know, the one covered in tattoos, but not the one who wants to stop and smoke the weed with you. these men and women have suffered enough! or, if you really want to honor our veterans, you can take steps not to create more veterans. because ever since 9/11, the government has had the power to send troops wherever they want in the name of fighting terrorism, even to countries we didn't even know existed until we found out we had troops there. >> the investigation continues into the deaths of the four soldiers killed during a reconnaissance mission in niger, western africa. some members of congress admit they were unaware of the actual number of u.s. forces on the ground there. >> i didn't know there was 1,000 troops in niger. >> you heard senator graham-- he

then the v.a. has to work out an agreement with that financial entity to return those funds back to the u.s. treasury department's general fund. then the v.a. must get a confirmation from the treasury that the fraudulent payment was actually recouped. and then wait until the treasury actually returns the funds to the v.a. before the v.a. will then send that money back to the veteran. in the best-case scenario, this process can take weeks, but i wouldn't be surprised if it would take many months. now, my office has warned various veterans services organizations of the need to notify their members of this danger. i am working with the v.a. to strengthen v.a. policies and procedures. however, mr. barros, given your company's role in failing to safeguard this critical data i would like equifax's commitment to work with the v.a., veterans service organizations and with individual veterans to provide valuable support and services such as unlimited, free credit freezes and monitoring for life. will you mak

president trump has signed the v.a. histleblower protection act to ensure our veterans receive the highest level of service, and this pattern that this president has taken steps to end the pattern of mistreatment at the v.a. we have suspended more than 1500 employees for negligent behavior. as the president has said, we will not rest until all america's veterans receive the care they so richly deserve. [applause] beyond health care, president trump has signed legislation to expand the post-9/11 g.i. bell -- g.i. bill. i am glad to report that veteran unemployment has fallen by nearly 40% since president trump was elected. it is lower today than at any point since the year 2000 and we are just getting started. [applause] today our veterans continue to serve our nation and careers -- in careers ranging from business to education, from law enforcement to public service. and it seems wherever they go, their lives are characterized by that same sense of duty and the courage and selflessness forged during their years in our ar

. >> the president is passionate about fixing the v.a. oing the right things for veterans. he and i met for close to an hour in the later part of the afternoon yesterday talking about exactly how we're making progress. how he can help move this forward. and so we're in constant contact. >> he is still engaged on this? you know how central it was to his campaign. >> the president has always been engaged in this issue. it is something he feels passionate about and wants to make sure that he continues to focus on this until we get this system fixed. >> bill: i hope you come back. we would love to keep up the communication lines with you. do you have more respect for your predecessor now knowing how big this job is? >> i've always had respect for my predecessor and prior secretaries. it's a hard job but a job that's a great honor and privilege to be able to serve the country. >> bill: secretary shulkin. thank you for your time. we'll be in contact. thank you. >> sandra: first daughter and white house senior advisor ivanka trump stepping into t

the multiplier is part of every system just like the v.a. is the system now. i appreciate the credit to the veterans and i share the comments and the compliments that senator carper has made, but the veterans committee is doing the insurance to see to it that every veteran gets the benefits they were offered for health care, they were promised when they signed up. everybody in this room has been a part of that effort in this year, so i want the veterans committee to continue to do what it has been and that's take care of our veterans. bring the legislation to the floor to do so and make sure they have access to affordable and accessible health care. i would object -- i object to the amendment on those grounds. >> no further republican comment. clerk will call the roll. >> could i have 30 seconds to respond? >> i'll give you 30 more seconds. >> i don't serve on the veterans committee. i'm not familiar with the legislation you just scridescri. we all serve on this committee. we're all considering legislation that's going to affect what's going on in the exchange

his leadership and expertise will be deeply missed at the dayton v.a. i wish to thank him, give him all the best, and look forward be doing with his leadership and thank him again for everything he's done for dayton veterans. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from ohio, ms. kaptur, for five minutes. i ask unanimous consent to address the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. kaptur: madam speaker, i rise to pay tribute to a freedom fighter. a beloved mother of her embattled country, ukraine. ina was killed on october 30 in a cowardly act. hitmen fired on amina and her husband, adam, from behind bushes as they drove by. she was fatally struck in the head. the world lost a brave and beautiful soul, but her loss will not be in vain. born in the southern ukrainian ity of odessa, amina was a mother, medical surgeon, a ukrainian police lieutenant, and a muslim activist known for her stance on equal rights for men and women in uniform. she was a born le

the v.a. clinic instead of seeing old caucasian men with meal chairs and oxygen who are in their eighty's. the entire composition of the waiting room changed. full of young women and men of all ethnicities and they're all in their twenty's back from their first year long deployment in iraq. the typical service member came in with an inability to complete a two mile run within regulation time. most of them had already had a traditional work up for pulmonary disease including x. rays c.t. scans plenty function testing all of these studies returned normal or near normal in almost every case. it was subtle because these service members complained of shortness of breath with exertion but their x. rays and pulmonary function tests indicated that they shouldn't have any disability itll that doctors are throwing up their hands and saying what would cause a twenty seven year all man to have a long. long charities or a respiratory condition eighty five year old man and they started pointing to their expo