v.a. gulf war illness claims. a report by the government accountability office found that the v.a. denies more than 80% of claims for benefits in gulf war associated illnesses. it also found that 90% of v.a. medical examiners have no training on how to conduct gulf war illness exams. >> good morning and welcome everyone. this is a joint hearing of the subcommittee on disability assistance and >> good morning and welcome everyone. o take a moment to thak for holding the hearing with me today on an important issue we are facing, and that is helping gulf war veterans get the benefits they have earned. itching go without saying we have a duty to take care of the men and women who have been wounded while serving in our military. unfortunately, too many injured gulf war veterans are not being taken care of. the v.a. estimates that 44% of gulf war veterans develop gulf war illness, yet 26% of these veterans are receiving benefits. something does not add up. similar 15, 2016, a , the v.a. testifie

v.a. reviews claims from gulf war veterans. a recent government report found the v.a. denies more than 80% of claims and gulf war associated illnesses. officials with the v.a. and government accountability office testified. >> good morning and welcome, everyone. this is a joint hearing of the subcommittee on disability assistance and memorial affairs and oversight and investigation. we will now come to order. i first want to take a moment to thank my colleagues, chairman bergman, the ranking member, and ranking member custer for holding the hearing with me today on the important issue that we are facing, and that is helping gulf war veterans get the benefits that they have earned. thatould go without saying we have a duty to take care of the men and women who have been wounded while serving in our military. unfortunately, too many injured go for veterans are not being taken care of. the v.a. estimates 44% of gulf war veterans develop gulf war illness, yet 26% of these veterans are receivin

v.a. reviews claims from gulf war veterans. a recent report found they denied more than 80% of claims from gulf war associated illnesses. officials from the the a and accountability office testify. -- testified. >> good morning and welcome everyone. this is a joint hearing of the subcommittee on disability oversight and investigation. we will come to order. i want to take a moment to thank for holding the hearing with me today on an important issue we are facing, and that is helping gulf war veterans get the benefits they have earned. itching go without saying we have a duty to take care of the men and women who have been wounded while serving in our military. unfortunately, too many injured gulf war veterans are not being taken care of. the v.a. estimates that 44% of gulf war veterans develop gulf war illness, yet 26% of these veterans are receiving benefits. something does not add up. similar 15, 2016, a , the v.a. testified it was taking steps to improve service for gulf war veterans, g

v.a.'s in-house capacities is erroneous. v.a.'s bottom line has increased substantially since the turn of the century while most other government agencies have theen theirs stag nant or rebecause. v.a.'s budget has gone up four times since 2001. two weeks ago former secretary principi testified that since left the department in 2005, the most current v.a. budget submission released in may, v.a.'s budget increased a stung 268%. that growth will likely continue which is appropriate ven our nation's commitments to serving her veterans. yet especially considering the choice is just three years old, the idea congress is focused only on going v.a.'s external compass sit false. that said, there are certainly priorities that remain unaddressed in the bill before us and i'm committed to continuing to work on those in the coming months. however, providing $2 billion today will ensure that the choice program remains funded for the next six months. solving our most pressing issue and preventing yet ano

in the v.a., to shorten waiting times, to make the v.a. more competitive because his veterans have the power to choose health care professionals that you want to see, that empowers you and improves the whole system. cba'st has been two of primary reforms for the v.a.. we just had a new bill signed into law, the accountability and protection act that we have been working on for years. i don't think it would have happened in the previous presidency. with that signing, what you think so far of how president trump and dr. david chilton are areg -- dr. david shulkin doing at the v.a.? sen. cruz: the president has declared a strong commitment to the v.a. reform, and so has the secretary. that commitment to reform is an important starting point. we need to actually demand real results. i will say, for example, the president budget mr. president'-- the president's budget. to propose increasing the budget --the day a test of the v.a. of the v.a. by about $6 billion per year. i view the existing choice pro

v.a.. if anybody can reform the v.a., you can. you are a strong leader and we're happy to have your service for our country. [applause] a lot of times, you hear people gripe about the v.a.. it's important for our citizens to care deeply about our vets transition. this today, three educators from three parts of the country. it spends a lot of time on veterans issues. my predecessor at the bush center is now head of the from they of north i university of texas system. a meaningful higher education. they felt a little out of place. primarily because of age and partly because of experience. i want to thank you for being here. we have a lot of that's here today. i wish you would stand out so we could recognize you. vets and families. [applause] maybe we should've gotten everybody who owon. i tell people all the time that we are a fortunate nation to have millions volunteer in the face of danger. i view our vets as a tremendous national asset. a phd in life without having had to go to college. t

through the v.a. this was one of the recommendations the commission on care came out with last year because if you look at i.t., it has been a troubled area of the v.a., whether you are dealing with electronic health records, real-time locations of medical equipment, which the lack of that has caused significant problems in terms of sterilizing equipment, infection. you look at private hospitals, they are moving towards using technology to improve inventory, to improve safety, to improve health care outcomes, and the va has been lagging behind. another critical piece of it -- we talked a minute ago about the bogus record-keeping. well, having a fully integrated, unified i.t. system would make that much, much harder to happen because if you had the records where you had one centralized system that was strong i.t. -- it becomes much harder to hide the delays and it becomes apparent to anyone looking that if there are waiting periods, you cannot hide it. adding a chief officer will with serious experienc

has unequivocally stated, v.a.'s policy has not changed. the v.a. provides care, benefits and other v.a. services to all veterans, including transgender veterans. the president's policy reversal comes after our military has undertaken a measured and thoughtful process to make our military open to lgbt americans to serve their nation with pride and patriotism. this thoughtful process included the successful repeal of don't ask, don't tell. which had the support of civilian and military defense leaders and an overwhelming number of americans. unlike the president's tweet, the decision to repeal don't ask -- the original decision was not -- it would be reckless and cruel to remove people from their roles. it is reckless and dangerous to leave vacant positions that are so vital to our national security. it would be cruel to perniciously discharge these service members less than honorably, an act that could gravely impact whether they are eligible for v.a. benefits. time and again we see dramatic and unintended consequences of the president's thoughtless

is not connecting the v.a. with enough small businesses that

v.a. facilities. my colleagues are working to fix that but it's been a meaningful start and a quicker path to care. without congressional action, we risk leaving our heroes without choice. that's not raveg i am willing to take. v.a. secretary shulingin has estimated one million -- shulkin has estimated that one million veterans use choice care. more are using private sector providers. this year alone more than 18 million appointments with private doctors have been authorized by the department of veterans affairs. if we fail to take these actions, the veterans will lose their ability to receive prompt care from choice providers. we will be flooding the v.a. medical centers with patients even as we know many facilities are overburden and underperforming. this is not a doom's day prediction. this is not a hail mary moment o pass an obscure act. chairman roe has worked diligently to ensure this does not happen. in the senate my friend and fellow georgian senator isakson serves as chairman of t

in the v.a. and ensuring we get real change. >> next question is from roy about veterans choice. in particular, why they can't use local medical facilities. if you could just step out. >> first off, i would love to salute you ted for your service to america and texas. thank you. [applause] my concern is about the veterans hospitals. my dad was a world war ii vet. they would put him on a bus, shipped him to dallas, and he would state or the day, ride the bus back and come home to do something he could do as local hospital. you talk about the big bureaucracy of the v.a. why do we have to have all these v.a. hospitals if we could do what you started, where veterans can go anywhere they want to go? they will show their cards, get your service done, and you are done. you won't need all the a half -- all the va hospitals. i'm not saying you have to close them down. but why not use them for our disabled and homeless vets? they would have someplace to go with cafeterias and everything. just taking care o

in the v.a., ensuring we get real change. >> next question is from roy about veteran's choice and why they cannot use local medical facilities. just step out to the side there. >> first off, i would like to salute you for your service to america and to the veterans of texas. senator cruz: thank you. [applause] >> my concern is about the veterans hospitals. my dad is a world war ii veteran. they put him on a bus, shipped him to dallas, and he would stay there the rest of the day, and then he would ride a bus back to do something he could do it is general hospital. home to do something he could do as local hospital. you talk about the big bureaucracy of the v.a. why do we have to have all these v.a. hospitals if we could do what you started, where veterans can go anywhere they want to go? they will show their cards, get your service done, and you are done. you won't need all the a half -- all the va hospitals. i'm not saying you have to close them down. but why not use them for our disabled and hom

it's the highest level of v.a. funding ever provided. v.a. medical care, the bill funds v.a. medical care at $69 billion. that's the full request. including an additional $2.6 billion beyond the advanced appropriation to cover unanticipated needs. many members expressed concerns about medical care issues and were able to fully fund the budget request for mental health services at $8.4 billion. suicide prevention outreach at $186 million. homeless veterans treatment services, housing and job training at $7.3 billion. opioid abuse prevention at $50 million. and we began that in the omnibus last year. the $50 million in opioid prevention. opioid abuse prevention. rural health initiatives, $250 million. caregivers' stipends at $604 million. repeat last year's bill language regarding improved standards for suicide prevention hotline. for disability claims processing, again, another issue very important to so many members in this body. particularly through our veterans who are seeking services from the v.a. or benefits. we provide $2.9 billion. which is $50 million over the request

in short, the v.a. lawyers say it can't be done. >> it makes me feel played that they would say it's a scholarship after talking to them it's not. >> family is disabled veteran and low income family. every little bit helps. nathan: if you are a family of disabled veteran we posted the letter to watch out for on the website. we have the veteran administration full statement online. that is on wjla.com. alison: thank you. now back to checking websites. snopes is on the brink of going out of business. it's in an ugly legal battle to taking money of snopes so they raised money from the readers in two days on the go fund me page. hearing is scheduled next week. larry: next at 5:00, katy ledecky proves she is human after all. alison: also next made in america. and why you might say that about part of your larry: a consumer alert. minutes ago fox con announcing plans to build factory in wisconsin. the taiwanese company makes iphone and television screens. four years ago they said it new factory in pennsylvania

officials with the v.a. and government accountability office testified. >> good morning and welcome, everyone. th

the v.a. system, and now congress is a voting to let people get out of the single-payer system. how come that is the situation, as opposed to going to the single-payer system? i have proposed in the past that if they want to have a single-payer system, give everybody free access to the v.a. for one year and let them see if that is the way they want their medicine? host: v.a. as a model, how would you respond? has advantages and disadvantages. it does manage to hold down costs, but it doesn't restrict choice and access. on pharmaceutical costs, the v.a. offers one drug in each therapeutic class. if it is not right for you, you might be out of luck. there are studies that show that a limited formulary is costing if not months, of lives if they are truly sick. havee provide care, if you a good -- if your congressmen is on the right committee, you get a lot of v.a. hospitals both in your area. if not, despite overutilization, you will be out of luck. the v.a. does a great job on some things but do

that the v.a. had made misfortunate calculations and as a result of poor budgeting and finance, the dollars for the choice program were not going to last until january but are soon toax pair, just within the -- to expire, just within the next few days. demand for the choice program was up 30% to 40%. it's clear by that increase in demand that veterans needed choice, that they liked choice, that it's working for them. and we now owe it to those veterans to make sure that that choice program continues and that the funds are available to accomplish that goal. with choice the funds that they had anticipated that would last until january now will run out sometime in august. we think in the next couple of weeks. those depleted funds will mean that kansas veterans and veterans across the country who have been using the choice program will no longer be able to and it means those that could use the choice program into the future will be without that option. we run the real risk -- the likelihood is almost a

the republicans don't want to do that, we already have the v.a., we have insurances single payer, so -- host: are you happy with your care? caller: absolutely. prostate cancer for 21 years and i'm thinking chemo in december, ed every morning i wake up, i thank v.a. for what he they do for me. host: alexandria, minnesota. up, lauren on the republican line. caller: good morning. that d like to told congressman, the democrats accuse republicans of helping rich.he they have robbed the rich and the middle class for years with freebies, everybody should pay get.everything they every place you know, now hiring, now hiring, what is people are getting freebies and don't want to work. single pay. to host: in your town in alexandria, lauren, help wanted signs, what kind of jobs are people -- that caller: all the stores, state all the stores, now hiring, now hiring, onstruction, big construction outfit on the south side of truck drivers ed and operators and young people, there are so many not qualified drugs and all that crap they are on, it is disgrace. i grew up, everybody was working, young a

to ensure every v.a.orker is held accountable for the quality of care they provide to our veterans. [applause] tonight we are deeply honored to be joined by another -- by a number of wounded warriors from walter reed. i was over there recently. these are incredible people. the enthusiasm and the spirit and some of them who were hurt really badly, they've got so much spirit, and they love this country so much. these american heroes risked everything so that you and i can live in freedom. they gave all they had. everything. for their comrades, their country, and for victory. they like winning. we like winning again, don't we? [applause] in the old days, we used to win. we just kept fighting and fighting and fighting. we are going to win again, folks. we admire their strength, their courage, and we really support that incredible went they have -- that incredible wind they have. -- will is a stroke strong is so strong, and they want to win. they want to win for you. thank you for being here. that's great. [ap

david shulkin is secretary of the v.a.oledad: do you think that there will be a day when those diagnostic techniques are not a 20-part questionnaire done by a provider to someone in the military services, but instead a blood test or something more tangible? secretary shulkin: i think that we are moving in that direction quickly. and i think we are making good progress in improving the specificity and sensitivity of our ability to diagnose things. soledad: those advances can't happen soon enough for kelly's family. her husband, michael, an army vet, also suffers from ptsd. he, too, had trouble getting the right diagnosis. soledad: will someone who's entering the military 10 years from now have a completely different experience, do you think, than you both had? michael: i hope there is, that would be fantastic. sgt. rodriguez: because at the end of the day, if there's something going on with them, they want to know what it is. soledad: it took michael rodriguez a took a long time to get diagnosed. he hesitated to answer the

to ensure every v.a.orker is held accountable for the quality of care they provide to our veterans. [applause] tonight we are deeply honored to be joined by a number of wounded warriors from walter reed. i was over there recently. these are incredible people. the enthusiasm and the spirit and some of them were hurt really badly, they've got so much spirit, and they love this country so much. these american heroes risked everything so that you and i can live in freedom. they gave all they had. everything. for their comrades, their country, and for victory. they like winning. we like winning again, don't we? [applause] in the old days, we used to win. we just kept fighting and fighting and fighting. we are going to win again, folks. we applaud their strength, their courage, and we really support that incredible wind they have. the will is a stroke strong -- is so strong, and they want to win. they want to win for you. thank you for being here. that was great. [applause] one such hero is captain luis avella.

and how many people do you think are eligible now, and will the v.a. provide them with an exoskeleton? gary: this one is the second generation. they are constantly working to improve their devices. on monday we are going up to berkeley, california to have some testing for the next model. yes, they continue to improve. they want to make it lighter, more powerful, or functional. because of the successful fda trials, these devices are available to carefully jake's theo paraplegics through veterans administration. they had to get tested and meet the criteria that they are pre-manufactured like ford or chevy. competition is helping drive innovation. but if an individual meets the criteria to safely refitted for operating these devices, they are eligible to have them at home through the v.a. >> i salute you. i want to thank you your service, prior to the injury and since. and thanks to your lovely wife. her job is certainly as special as yours was. my question to you is this, after spending time in a wheelchair and you spend a lot of time standing, has your

its credit, the v.a. -- mamograms. to its credit, language to hold the v.a. to this better standard. as i stated in my testimony before the rules committee, mr. speaker, it's my sincere belief if the milcon-va was being considered as a stand-alone as is tradition under an open rule, it would receive strong bipartisan support. but unfortunately that's not what we're doing here today. instead of following regular order, we instead are taking up four bills at once and adding funds to begin construction on president trump's irresponsible border wall that he promised mexico would pay for and now taxpayers are being stuck with the bill. this fiscally and morally irresponsible expenditure leaves the nondefense appropriations bills grossly underfunded. furthermore, contrary to popular belief, this bill isn't even great for defense. all this talk about making sure that we provide adequate resources for our defense and our national security ignores the fact that the budget control act provides additional funds that would ultimately be sequestered without a cap adjustme

one thing the v.a. did was right driving down the price, they are therapy.ush out and the price of drugs effectively deny treatment to some who needed and the v.a. drug and price is good for patients and that is one thing where you look at the impact on access for other conditions and payers? >> gotcha. a right any questions for the audience? right over here. >> hi. i guess i have to take issue, whator, unfortunately with you said about hepatitis c curative drugs. as mentioned bva -- the v.a. a great example. i think they are down to $24,000 as a cure. but for medicaid, it is around the same price, because the rebates, competition and discounts, and so, we feel that this is $24,000 for a cure and that will save money down the road. there are a lot of drugs that are a lot more expensive. most of those costs are borne by the federal government. sen. cassidy: you say most of the costs are borne by the federal government. technically that is true. they were about 50%. if you look at cap c -- hep c, that is

to ensure every v.a.ker is held accountable for the quality of care they provide to our veterans. [ applause ] tonight, we are deeply honored to be joined by a number of wounded warriors from walter reed. i was over there recently. these are incredible people. the enthusiasm and the spirit and some of them were hurt really badly, they've got so much spirit, and they love this country so much. these american heroes risked everything so that you and i can live in freedom. they gave all they had. everything. for their comrades, their country, and for victory. they like winning. we like winning again, don't we? [ applause ] you know, in the old days, we used to win. we just sort of keep fighting and fighting and fighting. we are going to win again, folks. we applaud their strength, their courage, and we really support that incredible win they have. the will is so strong, and they want to win. they want to win for you. thank you for being here. that was great. [ applause ] one such hero is captain luis avella.

it's the highest level of v.a. funding ever provided. v.a. medical care, the bill funds v.a. medical care at $69 billion. that's the full request. including an additional $2.6 billion beyond the advanced appropriation to cover unanticipated needs. many members expressed concerns about medical care issues and were able to fully fund the budget request for mental health services at $8.4 billion. suicide prevention outreach at $186 million. homeless veterans treatment services, housing and job training at $7.3 billion. opioid abuse prevention at $50 million. and we began that in the omnibus last year. the $50 million in opioid prevention. opioid abuse prevention. rural health initiatives, $250 million. caregivers' stipends at $604 million. repeat last year's bill language regarding improved standards for suicide prevention hotline. for disability claims processing, again, another issue very important to so many members in this body. particularly through our veterans who are seeking services from the v.a. or benefits. we provide $2.9 billion. which is $50

this month the v.a. committee chairman roe -- v.a. committee chairman roe and ranking member walz included my bill in the bipartisan g.i. bill. the harry w. colmery veteran education assistance act of 2017. this bill passed the house last night and i was proud to join my colleagues in voting for it. i am grateful to chairman roe and ranking member walz for including my bill in their legislation. i'm also thankful to senator crapo who has sclud legislation in the senate. -- included legislation in the senate. it's my hope that the senate will act, too, and from there our bill can be signed into law. this legislation will mean a great deal to the hills. it will be a great comfort to them and all those who have experienced such a terrible loss. as a grateful nation, it's the least that we can do. and america must always be a grateful nation. the harry colmery education veterans assistance act of 2017 keeps our promises to our veterans and their families, especially when they need it the most. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield the floor

you bring up v.a. before, the v.a. inspector general says more than 300,000 vets could have maybe died waiting for care they found their records stall in the system, they passed away, that is single payer right there. >> yes, that is right, we're all going to die, but are we better off with something or without something? i the republicans and democrats have got to come together to get something done or they will both get blamed. liz: moving to next topic, media going wall-to-wall, reporting a second undisclosed conversation with president trump and putin at g20 summit. dollar slips to a low. >> how is made in america wea week going. >> it is being overshadowed. >> according to washington post exciting senior washington official, mr. trump left his seat and sat next to mr. putin. critics say it, it was unusual. >> only three people who know what was said in the meeting, president trump, putin and the interpreter. >> when these headlines popped. trump and putin held a second undisclosed meeting at g20 summit. in our new

number two, something like the v.a. i go to the v.a. for everything. and they charge me, which is fine. and it's no lie. but why don't they use my medicare? it's my money, but they tell me i can't. so there again, he goes for the v.a. he gets people who have the ability -- he's a businessman. and we need somebody, not a politician who's going to buy and sell us like all the politicians in the world have done to us, you know, every time you get a guy, i'm very sorry. but these guys get elected, and to me, when i see a politician is what the destruction that the party is doing, just trying to fight him, because this is ridiculous. these aren't human beings. the trouble with politicians, they're like prostitutes. give them money, and they do anything you want. host: frank, thanks for the call. this is from "the washington times," as the president lassos the american spirit. she says president trump from poland put to words what courses and drives greatness, the never-ending quest for freedom, not as a government grant, but as a god-given right. this is wh

yet, the v.a. in its infinity isdom, doesn't even -- infinite wisdom, doesn't even allow doctors to talk to veterans in the states that are legal. my amendment is simple. it wouldn't dispense marijuana -- it allowed the v.a. doctor to work with the patients. the people who know them best. it passed last year with 40 votes on a bipartisan basis. there were 18 bipartisan co-sponsors, nine and nine, republican and democrat. it's already passed the senate by a 2-1 margin in committee. it was actually enacted into law -- excuse me -- it was actually approved by the house last congress, but in conference committee it was stripped out, led by former senator kirk. and i sincerely believe one of the reasons he's a former senator is because illinois veterans and their families were outraged about that action to reverse what congress did. and now we're not even allowed to vote on it. i think that's incomprehensible. i don't think it's fair to our veterans. my friends on the rules committee are on the wrong si

i will tell you is a member of the v.a. committee, i see a single-payer system every week as i preside in my committee. long lines, long wait times, not great access to care for our veterans. there is been a crisis were people have gotten sick or some have died waiting in line. that is the single-payer system that i know about in the united states. we don't want to go there. we want to go the opposite direction, and so i think jackie was right on. host: send us your questions on twitter. we want to see those. it is @cspan. democrat callers, (202)-748-8000 . republican colors, -- callers, (202)-748-8001. independent callers, (202)-748-8002. the congressional budget office is marking up the budget. topline numbers on that budget. cuts mainly from anti-programs like supplemental intrusion assistance program -- supplemental nutrition assistance programs. guest: i am going to support it and i have worked hard with my colleagues to get to these numbers. let's dig in a little bit. you mentioned cuts to programs. food stamps are su

i went to the v.a. in charleston, south carolina. from there i went to a v.a.ouse for substance abuse. i stayed in that house for a year. it took me a year in that program to beat this thing. host: for people who do not have that access like you did, what were their options in baltimore back then? caller: their options were going into the grams and coming right back to the streets -- into programs and coming right back to the streets. just like leaving the son and allng back to the father, these products, it is more than likely you're going to stay in that cycle of drug addiction because you are using constantly. you're taking one drug away to substituted with another drug that substitute it with another drug. host: thank you. anthony is in new york. caller: good morning. thank you for this opportunity. i would like to draw your attention to an article on may 20, 2001. a news reporter from the new york times had written a story that mentioned stephen castella, the assistant administrator for the drug enforcement administration in washington pointed out that the

veterans affairs in butler township, butler county, pennsylvania, as the sergeant joseph george kusick v.a. community living center. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from florida, mr. dunn, and the gentleman from california, mr. takano, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. dunn: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and . tend their remarks the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. dunn: mr. speaker, i yield to myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. dunn: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 2210, a bill to designate the department of veterans affairs community living center in butler county, pennsylvania, as the sergeant joseph george kusick v.a. community living center. sergeant kusick served in the united states special forces during the vietnam war. november 8, 1967, sergeant kusick was ambushed by enany forces, wounded and refusing aid, he remained in the midst of battle. the helicopter

it's now available for veterans through the v.a. we demonstrated that which not long ago was thought to be impossible. a paraplegic has fundamentally been able to stand and walk again. i was honored to be the first paraplegic to walk around the statute of liberty. xoskeleton. it was in april 2015, the first time since the accident, i was able to stand with mary by my side for the national anthem in front of thousands of people at a race in bristol, tennessee. believe me, i will never take for granted the little things in life. the little things like being able to get out of the bed in the morning and use the bathroom in less than two minutes, or the ability to climb three steps to knock on a neighbor's door, or stand and hug my wife and kids. these things were lost to me. but some of them i'm getting back. as you saw in the video, i was able to walk my beautiful daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. here is where i can't make eye contact with her, because i will get choked up. i will stare right here. [laughter] gary: if someo

the v.a. has had a few problems, and i'm sure all of you have been working casework on what the v.a. has been doing and that's where the government and the bureaucrats are making decisions. and we've been through some enormous times on that. that's why we did the choice act, and the choice act had a lot of problems. that's government health care, and we say, well, no, choice isn't that. choice got to go outside of the government. not quite true. i think the folks at the v.a. picked the companies that you had to go through for the health care. and when they did, they didn't want it to be efficient. they wanted as much of it to come back to the v.a. as possible. and so i'm sure that all of us, as we travel across our state, are running into people who are having problems with providers not getting paid or not being able to get their appointments, and if you check with the providers, you find out what kind of a terrible process they have to go through to get paid. that's government health care. a

water, v.a.-military construction and legislative branch. there are 54 amendments awaiting consideration. we are also expecting to debate to continue until the evening. final passage votes sometime tonight and then members will begin their summer recess. over in the senate, of course, senate debate continuing on health programs and policy and they're in the third day of debate. just under 10 hours of debate remaining. we are expecting a final vote on friday. you can watch the debate live on our companion network c-span2. while we wait for the house to return, we'll show you some of the back and forth between members on amendments related to cutting funding to the congressional budget office. this happened on the house floor yesterday. ach control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. perry: our nation $2 trillion in debt and $200 trillion in unfunded liabilities and we don't know the answer there, but we've got to find a way to reduce our spending and make sure the things we're paying for are worthy and actu

well, how has that worked out with places like the v.a.? you know, i hear talk now about single-payer. i a. get to that in -- i'll goat that in a second. if you like the v.a., you're going to love a single pay system because that's exactly what it is. let me go on, mr. president. i've heard a the love talk in this chamber tonight about -- i've heard a lot of talk in this chamber tonight about, oh, the republicans are going to hurt people in america. let me talk about who's hurting people in america today. in 23014 -- -- in 2014 -- this is a travesty itself. we cannot get the information from the i.r.s. we have just gotten the information from the i.r.s. in 2014, mr. president, the i.r.s., under the rules of obamacare, fined 8 million people $1.8 billion, mr. president. i don't know about you, but i'm outraged. i know you are, too. now, the uni-of that is -- now, the irony of that is that 85% of the people that were fined, $1 .8 billion, half of them made less than $25,000. so what our democratic friends s did is they crammed down the throat

. >> to health subcommittee's looked at how the v.a. reviews claims from gulf war veterans. a recent report found they denied more than 80% of claims from gulf war associated illnesses. officials from the the a and accountability office testify. -- testified. >> good morning and welcome everyone. this is a joint hearing of the subcommittee on disability oversight and investigation. we will come to order. i want to take a moment to thank for holding the hearing with me today on an important issue we are facing, and that is helping gulf war veterans get the benefits they have earned. itching go without saying we have a duty to take care of the men and women who have been wounded while serving in our miry

v.a. . kiddo. if i want to treat his first american meal. in the parking lot. after lunchtime finally clear. we've got a real. emotion. and . even. met the day you eat. ok to hate. going. through the you know. the. twenty seven million hispanic nationals million latinos who do not have a begin to usa. throw them out of the country or what would happen. economic collapse who will mowed the lawn. go to crap the poor. who will clean the hotel rooms. and who would screw trophies together. ok i'll be ok. with. the little birdies. that's where you ok what do you want to. hear. the. other sound. of the quote. you know. mom. mom. ah ah. it was good fun. oh we're in mexico or in the states the united states houston texas yes seems like we're home on the second. and you feel more thaksin or mexican. texan definitely could you say you are a generation of immigrants that are living the american dream absolutely yes living . we my parents you know my parents worked hard to educate my sisters that myself you know they worked in the fields in the farm. know that my parents we

what he delivers for v.a. that would be great.nto a voucher program that would be perfect for like the 9/11 generation and on. if we got vouchers, that would be great. and he would get all of the vote, but we want to see like with obama we want results, show me clinics out there in suburban areas or vouchers in mail where i can go to know actual doctor. kennedy: we'll see, what president has up his sleeve, he has talked about the v.a. reform a lot. brian suits thank you so much. >> big league. kennedy: always. >> coming up, is it possible to fat shame a cat? i'll do my best to try in the where to get in... where to get out. if only the signs were as obvious when you trade. fidelity's active trader pro can help you find smarter entry and exit points and can help protect your potential profits. fidelity -- where smarter investors will always be. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ whoa that's amazing... hey, i'm the internet! i know a bunch of people who would love that. the internet loves what you're doing... ...so build a better website in under an hour wi

and we've published them at every v.a. facility, delivered same-day mental health services at every v.a. medical center nearly doubled. the number of veterans given approvals to see the doctor of their choice. and as i said, just signed brand-new legislation, went through the house, went through the senate and i signed it so fast we didn't want to take any chances, right, harry? to ensure every va worker is held accountable for the quality of care they provide to our veterans. tonight we are deeply honored to be joined by a number of wounded warriors from walter reed. i was over there recently. these are incredible people. the enthusiasm and the spirit and some of them were hurt really badly. they've got so much spirit and they love this country so much. these american heroes risked everything so that you and i can live in freedom. they gave all they had. everything. for their comrades and for victory. we like winning again, don't we? you know, the old days, we used to win. we're going to win again, folks. we applaud their

what he delivers for v.a. that would be great.urns into a voucher program that would be perfect for like the 9/11 generation and on. if we got vouchers, that would be great. and he would get all of the vote, but we want to see like with obama we want results, show me clinics out there in suburban areas or vouchers in mail where i can go to know actual doctor. kennedy: we'll see, what president has up his sleeve, he has talked about the v.a. reform a lot. brian suits thank you so much. >> big league. kennedy: always. >> coming up, is it possible to fat shame a cat? i'll do my best to try in the topical storm, that is next. dearthere's no other way to say this. it's over. i've found a permanent escape from monotony. together, we are perfectly balanced. our senses awake. our hearts racing as one. i know this is sudden, but they say...if you love something set it free. see you around, giulia i am totally blind. and non-24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. talk to your doctor, and call 8