as soon as he took the post of executive secretary of the committee of war veterans, alexei maresev sentmittee with a proposal to celebrate victory day by holding solemn meetings. says that on may 9, we would like to organize a meeting of the veterans of the defenders of moscow militia in the gorky park of culture and such a holiday took place too. every year on may 9, 18:55, all channels of the country stop showing tv shows on the screen, a living trembling flame of the eternal flame appears at the tomb of the unknown soldier and the voice of the announcer says let's remember everyone by name. it seems that this tradition has always been in fact, it appeared thanks to the efforts of this man, the hero of the soviet union alexei mariseev. today is difficult imagine that the last time at the state level, may 9 was celebrated in 1947, as holiday parades. in honor of the victory, they had not been held since 1945, no one believed that the veterans committee would be able to revive them, but after all, the soul and driving force of the organization was on the river on his prostheses. he walk

veterans committee and lead sponsor of that bill to get veterans the care that they need exposed to toxicurn pits and the care that the government has promised them. thanks for joining us. i appreciate it. >> my pleasure. >> i want to talk about this issue and i would be remiss if i didn't actually ask you for your reaction to the huge news from the white house tonight, announced by the president, that ayman al zawahiri, the leader of al qaeda, has been killed in kabul by a u.s. done strike, obviously that makes an historic night but wanted to get your reaction particularly as chairman of the veterans affairs committee at a time when so many americans have fought in the post 9/11 wars. >> a couple of things, rachel. i appreciate the president's decisive decisions, know they're not easy but he made the right decision, and he got the job done. and i think this really falls back on the people who serve us in the military and our intelligence community being able to find and deliver a strike on a person who has had a long history of doing bad things to this nation. so i think it's a great day

senator john tester, chair of the veterans affairs committee and the lead sponsor of that bill to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits get them the care they need. thanks for joining us tonight. >> thank you, rachel. my pleasure. >> i would be remiss if i did not actually ask you as we start here for your reaction announced by the president that ayman al-zawahiri, the leader of al-qaeda, has been killed by a u.s. drone strike. obviously that makes this a historic night, but want to get your reaction particularly as chairman of the veterans affairs committee at a time when so many americans have fought in the post-9/11 wars. >> a couple things, rachel. he made the right decision and got the job done. and i think this really falls back on people in the military and our intelligence community being able to find and deliver a strike on a person who has got a long history of doing bad things to this nation. so i think it's a great day in america, and i applaud the president's actions. >> i think it's a significant day particularly for american veterans. i mean, the taliban providing saf

with that, i just turn it over to the chair of the veterans affairs committee. >> thank you, mr. chairman. when we first became chairman we were just so thrilled. good afternoon. i am chair of the veterans affairs committee and i was honored to attend this congressional delegation or be a part of the congressional delegation with speaker pelosi and our colleagues here today. while we were abroad, there was interest with our defense security allies and partners. some are allies and some are partners. interestingly enough, we visited robust inspiring democracies. some of those democracies have a balanced approach with china. they don't want the united states to force them to choose sides. but interestingly enough, even those that don't want to be forced to choose sides are very interested in the united states being there security partner. we help them with military and training. of course, they were interested in what we do with our veterans. i had a long extensive talk with the defense minister of malaysia on that topic. i had a chance to speak for a second time with the minister f

he's chair of the veterans affairs committee, and he leaves that monster bill to get parents the care and the u.s. government has promised them. senator, thanks for joining us tonight. really appreciate it. >> thank you, rachel. my pleasure. >> i wanna talk about this burn pits issue, i'd be remiss if i didn't actually ask about the huge news about the white house tonight, announced by the -- ayman al-zawahiri the leader of al qaeda, has been killed in kabul by a u.s. drone strike. this makes us a historic night. but i want to get your reaction, is specifically as chairman of veterans affairs committee at a time when so many americans have fought in the post 9/11 wars. >> well, a couple of things rachael. i appreciate the president's decisive decisions, i know they're not easy, but he made the right decision, and he got the job done. and i think this falls back on the people of service and the community to be able to find and deliver a strike on a person who has got a long history of doing bad things to this nation. i think it's great day in america, and i applaud the presidents actio

then it went to the senate floor, passed out of the senate veterans affairs committee unanimously.ors tester and moran, democrat and republican, put it all together, it came out unanimously and in june it went to the floor of the senate. and it passed 84-14, which in this senate, you can't get this senate to pass the ice cream is delicious law 84-14. it was a landslide. there was a technical issue in it, so it had to go back to the house. one sentence, so nothing was added no gimmick was put in, nothing was changed, when it came back to the senate to what we thought was just a procedural vote, then they shot it down. but nothing had changed in the bill from the one that they had passed 84-14 in june. so none of us understood it. and i asked senator cruz why, what had been inserted into the bill, what gimmick, what budgetary flip had they inserted in there that caused you to change your vote from yes on june 16th to no in july. and do you know what he said, chuck? >> go ahead, i was going to play his clip for you, but you beat me to it. so tell me. >> he didn't say anything. he can'

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we come in peace for the region and our chair of the veterans affairs committee, representing our veteranse value of peace and the avoidance of conflict. i am sure he will speak to us about that but i want to salute him for his protection of our veterans, not just our veterans, but the veterans of all countries engaged in war. nancy pelosi speaking there. at the heart of all this china's determination that a self—ruled, democratic island is in fact part of chinese territory. rupert wingfield—hayes reports from taiwan. the speculation has been swirling for days, but it wasn't until this moment, with her plane on final approach, that we were sure nancy pelosi would defy beijing and become the most senior us politician to visit taiwan in a quarter of a century. for days, china has been making ominous threats that it would not stand by and allow it to happen. we are now beginning to see china's response. large—scale military exercises in the seas around the island, starting on thursday. translation: if the us - continues down the wrong path, we will take strong and resolute measures to ensure

chuck schumer is the first to choose between the two veteran committee chairs who ended up in the sameleground money woes, the republican senate campaign committee canceling millions of dollars in ad buys across some of the most competitive battleground states this cycle. the "the new york times" reporting the gop campaign arm has slashed $10 million across arizona, minnesota and wisconsin since the beginning of this month. the committee spokesperson says it comes in an effort to spend the money in the most efficient manner. this quick programming note, join dana bash as she goes inside the fight against the world's oldest prejudice. this special report begins sunday at 9:00 p.m. eastern. thanks for your time today at "inside politics." hope to see you back here tonight as we count the votes from the wyoming and alaska primaries. alex marquardt picks up our coverage right now. >>> hello, i'm alex marquardt in washington, d.c. thank you so much for joining me today. under seal and under pressure. the justice department is not budging as calls mount to release more information on the fbi

understand the thought process, it does not make sense to hold up the bill. >> chairman of the veterans affair committeeester , thank you so much for being with us. >> i worked up there and i know things can get testy but i cannot remember any party holding aid for veterans in such a serious come in such a serious situation. and switching their position on a bill because they are angry about a reconciliation package that is passing or they're angry about another bill, again it seems extraordinarily shortsighted and cruel and it also seems like a strategy that is doomed to fail politically. >> a rare moment where senate minority leader mitch mcconnell was out maneuvered by majority leader chuck schumer and republicans are throwing a fit, one bill that passed the senate at this point they tried to whip against it making republicans take unpopular stances to go against a bill that would've hurt china economically that's number one and the number two, veterans to deprive them of necessary health benefits, extraordinarily unpopular and they announced with no change to the bill it will pass anyway. we saw yes

i know that because i'm chair of the veterans committee.nk those funds are justified, we don't put them in. or if we think they need more money, we put more money in. it happens during every appropriations process and it will happen on this one. but the truth is there is no $400 billion slush fund. the v.a. can't just move money around. at their own whim. that is all directed by congress. and with oversight of congress, it works and the process does work. we might say we spent too much or too little money but congress is the one that makes that determination. not the v.a. >> all right, very quickly, what do you tell your constituents about this? i mean everyone thought this vote would go through? >> what i tell my constituents is i'm going to continue to work as hard as i can do to do right by the men and women who served this country in the military and this is doing right by the men and women would served in this military and i will continue to work as long as i have to work to get this kbil across the finish line. why? it is important. i

johnny isakson who showed his great respect for our veterans through his leadership on the veteran affairs committee, and congressman sandy bishop as long champion of the marauders like rusty. -- always a reliable voice for our nations veterans. finally, thank you to all those joining us online to honor the marauders profound patriotism and unwavering devotion to duty. ladies and gentlemen, at this time, please stand as you are able for the presentation of the colors and the national anthem. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> it is uncommon, please join me as we mark this special occasion. gracious and merciful lloyd, you are the giver of life. the igniter of faith. the provider of health and the author of love. mighty one, oh ancient of days, you have guided us -- receiver servants most humble pair as we gather today to remember, honor, and celebrate for selfless exemplar's of unquestioned strong and -- 3000 american soldiers responded. the man of the 50 30 seventh composite unit, gala had, answered the presidential call to embark on a dangerous and hazardous mission. lord, i pray you are mighty blessing on those matters wh

his argument, but as i think i saw in your programming earlier, jon tester who's chaired the veterans committeeged at all. it was a minor sentence to make sure that we didn't violate some of the house procedural rules that was changed that have nothing to do with the kind of mandatory spending that this bill requires to make sure that veterans get what is owed to them. this was i think a sense of anger that republicans had because of the legislation, and i saw joe manchin on earlier today, the legislation that joe manchin and chuck schumer put forward last wednesday afternoon i guess it was. i think in a spat of fury they decided to vote down that legislation and now are paying the price as veterans groups and americans are just frankly astonished that, you know, internal partisan politics is going to suddenly hold up a veterans bill. i think the -- you're basically seeing the republicans race and beg to get this bill back on the floor so they can show their support, get it through, but it was, again, a political fumble at best by some of my friends on the other side. >> well, senator mark warn

there was leadership on the veterans affairs committee and congressman sandy. bishop has long champion the marauders legacy and former congressman peter king always a reliable voice for our nation's veterans. finally, thank you to all those joining us online to honor the marauders profound patriotism and unwavering devotion to duty ladies and gentlemen at this time planned as you please stand as you are able for the presentation of the colors and the national anthem. oh lord. but okay. try come present. oh. oh say, can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we held at the twilight's last gleaming. who's brought some rights and bright stars through the par? adise fight or the ramparts. we watched were so gallantly streaming. and the rockets were the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. oh say does that star-spangled banner yet? or the land of the and the home of the oh. shoulder talk to much. ladies and gentlemen, please join me as we mark this very special occasion in a word of prayer. gracious and merciful

sen brown: thank you for your work on the veterans committee in your work with hud. i apologize for not being able to stay. i just wanted to stop by and think chair smith and ranking member rounds for the work they do. i appreciate them for that. jack reed has been working on combating homelessness almost as long as a and i have been alive. [laughter] before we were in the senate. so thank you for that. this is a serious public health issue. i'm hopeful we can address, if not in this reconciliation packaged on the road for sure. sen. smith: thank you. now, we will turn to our next witness who joins us remotely. i am delighted to have her join us. we have had the opportunity to work together in a variety of environments over the years. welcome. >> thank you very much. chairwoman smith, ranking member rounds and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. i am the assistant commissioner and executive director of the interagency. minnesota has a strong history of bipartisan leadership on homelessness. i worked on the issue for nearly 30

johnny isaacson, who showed his great respect for our veterans who is the leadership of veterans affairs committee. a champion of marauders legacy and former congressman, peter cain, also ever voice for our nations veterans. finally, thank you to all of those joining us on line to honor the marauders profound patriotism and unwavering devotion. ladies and gentlemen, at this time can you please stand as you are able for the presentation of the colors, and the national anthem. [inaudible] >> colors present. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> right shoulder. colors, march. ial occasion in a word of prayer. gracious and mer >> latest gentlemen, please join me as we mark this very special occasion in the lords prayer. gracious on our civil war, you are the giver of life, the igniter of faith, the provider of hope, and the author of love. mighty one, oh ancient, you have commanded us to be strong and courageous because you are always with us. wray save your service most humble prayer as we gather today to remember, honor, and celebrate a group of man who truly set the example for others to follow. in 1943

val are act to korea, val are act and are chairman of the foreign affairs of choosing the veterans affairs committee as, as made a commitment in that regard as well. when we talked about economics, we were blessed to have the private sector experience as well as the leadership, as vice chair of the ways and means committee. congressman susan dell been a of washington state and we were also blessed with a contributions to the discussion from russia christian, a morphy from chicago, illinois. mr. mr raja, as we call and he said he, his name puts everybody on the 1st name basis with him. raja was closing our meeting by commending korea for the action to take condemning russia for their brutal invasion of ukraine. thank you. and then with great pride, a korean american member of congress. andy kim, andy kim is a member of the foreign affairs committee and the armed services committee among other leadership roles that he plays. and we were very informed by his participation and his commitment to work together. so this is special for us because the u. s. republic of korea relationship is special to us and

he serves on the house armed services committee and is a veteran of the war in iraq. thank you so much for being with us this morning. you're reaction when you heard the news yesterday from president biden that al zawahiri has been kill and as we were discussing this morning, the effort that led up to the day that was years in the making. >> i was happy to hear it. i spent about 7 months fighting in al bar against al qaeda and their alleys and to see one leader go down, i felt like justice had been served for people that were hurt on 9/11 and for people around the world. and so this is a good start. it was a very difficult mission. i'm glad the president decided to go forward with it. it also is a great credit to our national security apparatus as well as the cia who have worked hard to create a mission that would minimize collateral damage which is extremely important nowadays. all around, i think this is a great victory for the united states. this is not ending al qaeda but disrupted al qaeda. >> we've heard a couple of views of this victory objectively for the unit

we come in peace for the region, and our share of the veterans affairs committee, representing our veteransoids of conflict. >> pelosi made it very clear that the reason why she is here is to show solidarity with the island of taiwan, which has been under increasingly amount of intimidation but military, diplomatically and economically from mainland china, laura. >> there have been a lot of conversation on the trip, as you know well. there is the piece you wrote in the washington post, as well, talking about why she was there. you mentioned a flight, and we see images of her landing. speaking of that flight, there is new reporting that cnn has about that flight to taiwan. what did you learn? >> yeah, that is a fight that i have taken myself. normally, if you are flying the normal direct route, it is only about four and a half hours. it is at least under a five hour flight for sure. that is how long it would normally take, but speaker pelosi's foot took more than seven hours, according to cnn reporting. the reason for that is because they're trying to avoid, potentially, -- i don't know if w

and our chair of the veterans affairs committee, mr. ans, understanding the value of peace and the avoidance of conflict. >> pelosi made it very clear that the reason why she's here is to show solidarity with the island of taiwan which has been under an increasing amount of intimidation, militarily, and diplomatically from mainland china. >> there was that piece show wrote in "the washington post" as well talking about where she was there. you mentioned the flight, we see images of her landing. speaking of that flight, there's some new reporting that cnn has about that flight to taiwan. what did you learn? >> reporter: that's a flight i've taken myself. normally it's only about 4 1/2 hours, at least under a 5-hour flight for sure, that's how long it would normally take. speaker pelosi's flight took more than 7 hours, they were trying to avoid potentially this -- i don't know if we have the map handy or not, but the six locations around the island of taiwan where there are military drills that have been taking place since the overnight ho

act and our chairman of the foreign beers _ and our chairman of the foreign beers sorry veteran affairs committeewe were blessed — talked about economics we were blessed to have the private sector— blessed to have the private sector experience as well as the leadership as vice—chair of the leadership as vice—chair of the ways— the leadership as vice—chair of the ways and means committee of washington state. also the contributions of litigious discussion of roger krishnamurti from chicago, illinois. _ krishnamurti from chicago, illinois, rogeras krishnamurti from chicago, illinois, roger as we called them — illinois, roger as we called them he _ illinois, roger as we called them he said his name puts everybody on a first name basis with them, he is closing our basis — with them, he is closing our basis by— with them, he is closing our basis by courier for the actions _ basis by courier for the actions it has taken, condemning russia for their brutal— condemning russia for their brutal invasion of ukraine. then— brutal invasion of ukraine. then with great pride korean american member of congress an

and general john talalay, chairman of the korean war veterans memorial committee. earlier off here, the. opening. yeah, i got. there. yes. one second. what. we did. oh. oh. oh, that's my my. please have seat. ladies and gentlemen. welcome to the korean war veterans memorial. we honored to have you here with us today both in person and with those at home. viewing today's special event. my name is larry henschel. korean name ethan j. and it is my greatest honor and privilege to be your master ceremonies for today's wall of remembrance, dedication. on june 25th, 72 years ago, north korea's invasion of the south erupted into a three year war from ideals, school differences. 72 years ago, roughly. 1,780,000 americans left homes, set to their families and put their lives on the line for the freedom to be born country, a country far away from home. today marks the 69th anniversary of end of that war. in inaugural moment, we are witnessing a moment in. many of us here today can afford this freedom due to the names listed on the wall of remembrance. it is our duty as america

as chairman of the house veterans affairs committee, i'm committed to ensuring our nation and va continues to support service members after they are no longer in uniform. i like to ask, are you aware veterans have less access to abortion counseling and services through va healthcare than active-duty service members do the department of defense? >> thank you for the question. i have not researched honestly about va rates or services. such distillates this is lack of support for members who are celebrated yet it feels performative when thank youse are followed up with actionable support. thank you. >> thank you for your question, i didn't know that. i follow the va healthcare system is a medical service corps officer, i am familiar with the va. i am proud of my military service and it saddens me to know i will end my military career and will have to face these challenges and sacrifices i made during my career. those will go unnoticed and i will have access to the same care that i did when i was active-duty because i'm a woman. >> it makes me concerned this is one reason why women veterans do

his latest guest is senator john chester, chair of the veterans committee. a quick break for us. i've been taking prevagen for about three years now. people say to me periodically, "man, you've got a memory like an elephant." it's really, really helped me tremendously. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. i grew up an athlete, i rode horses... i really do take care of myself. i try to stay in shape. that's really important, especially as you age. i noticed after kids that my body totally changed. i started noticing a little pudge. so i took action! coolsculpting targets, freezes and eliminates treated fat for good. no needles, no incisions. discuss coolsculpting with your provider. some common side effects include temporary numbness, discomfort and swelling. you've come this far... coolsculpting takes you further. visit coolsculpting.com (jeanne) with thyroid eye disease, my whole world became about my eyes. i hid my bulging eyes, and double vision takes you further. made things look like this. but then my doctor recommended tepezza, a prescription medicine that treats thyroid

act for the veterans, the select committee, the first black woman appointed to the supreme court. so yes, this is an icing on the cake of moving forward, of democratic achievements in a bipartisan way in this election year. >> but despite all of what you just laid out, i know youhose from cbs project that republicans will win the majority i can you reverse that? >> oh, absolutely. i think that the conversations as we're interesting the crucial months of september and october, look, we had an all-time low unemployment rate. we see a court that is regressive and trying to take away a woman's right to choose. we're fighting and standing for that. >> your trip to taiwan, we've seen these dramatic chinese war games in response to this visit. china cut off some of the diplomatic ties with the united states to protest the fact that you went there to taipei with speaker pelosi. did this trip backfire by undermining some of the biden administration priorities? >> not at all. clearly the biden administration, by his presence there, by increasing economic ties there, is something that shows

all of you here today for the presentation of this report of the presidential advisory committee on gulf war veterans illnesses. the work of this committee reflects the administration's commitment to finding answers for the thousands of brave men and women suffering from undiagnosed illnesses after serving in the persian gulf war. and it reflects the president's abiding commitment to being responsive to and responsible for our veterans and their families. i know that there are members who are here of the commission and i'd like them if they would just to stand so that we could see all they're all standing good. we appreciate very much the time and effort that went into this service, and i know firsthand how important and difficult your task has been over the last four years the president and i have received many heart-wrenching letters from gulf war veterans and family members. many veterans and their family members said they felt that their country had forgotten them. so in the fall of 1994, the president asked me to explore the issues surrounding the health needs of gulf war veterans and to look in

[video clip] >> the top republican on the senate veterans affairs committee says he thinks republicans should pass this now and fix any problems that emerge later. >> except there is never an opportunity to fix the problems later. that is why they are not giving us the opportunity now. they know they can prevent us from fixing it later. >> one of the questions i think people have about what you are claiming is a budgetary gimmick is, the v.a. budget will always remain subject to congressional oversight. . they can't just spend this money anyway they want. how i read this legislation, it says that this money has to be spent on health care for veterans who suffered exposure from burn pits. >> this is why they do this sort of thing, jake, it gets very deep in the weeds and very confusing very quickly. it's not really about veterans pending. it is about what category of the government bookkeeping they put the spending in. it will have no effect on the amount of money or the circumstances under which the money for veterans is being spent, but what i want to do is treat it for government acc

it was an exclusive opportunity to embed with the house veterans affairs committee has they listened women veterans. texas has the largest population of women veterans nationwide. >> you're a woman, i don't know what to do with you. >> reporter: that's what she said a va doctor told her when she sought care for a panic attack. texas' abortion restrictions spotlight the existing generator disparities within the va medical team, as some of them told congresswoman julia brownlee. >> we spent our whole lives assimilating into a male world. why should we have to assimilate into male health care? >> reporter: she says she had multiple miscarriages, requiring several surgeries that may be illegal today. in 2016, amber turned to the san antonio va for severe pain in her stomach and back. at that time, she says, the clinic had one gynecologist and a single ultrasound machine. some clinics don't even have that. a 2020 inspector general report found the biggest va hospital in texas went several years without a gynecologist. and had inadequate women's facilities. >> the service that i received w

across the finish line is democratic senator from montana jon tester, who chairs the senate veterans affairs committeeoins me now. welcome back to the newshour. tell us what is going on, why has it been so hard to get this bill through. it's already unusual to see this kind of fight over defense spending. sen. tester: i want to say one thing to correct the record. there is not one thing that has changed in the bill with the exception of one line that was taken out of the bill that allowed the v.a. to buy out provider contracts. it was taken out because it was a revenue raiser and nothing else was changed in the bill since we voted on it on june 16 and passed with 84 votes. i want to be clear about that and i will sit down and go over it line by line. this was brought up by senator toomey, a friend of mine, and somebody who is very smart, that says i will be leaving this place and i want to control the appropriations process. regardless of what justification we are going to use, and by the way, the secretary of the v.a. said if we passed toomey's amendment, it will be rationing of care to our veterans

joining me now is a member of the house veterans affairs committee and don callaway, the founder of theongressman, i'll start with you, the pact act is huge. tell me a little bit about what that means for the veteran community whose lives will be altered and saved due to the passage of this legislation. >> jason, i started fighting this fight five years ago with a local consistent died. she was 39 years old. she was stationed where beau biden was stationed. she tied of pancreatic cancer and said it was due to the bush pits and promised me to continue this fight. since then we've been gaining the attention that culminated in today to fulfill the promise i wade to her and all the other veterans. there were widows crying, veterans on oxygen that were barely able to breathe walking to this event telling me in tears that they now have hope, that if they die their families will be taken care of look, this is an historic accomplishment by president biden with the most expansive access to health care for veterans in generations, over $3.5 million veterans and their families will be positively i

takano: i ask unanimous consent that the committee on veterans affairs be discharged from further consideration of h.r. 8656 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the clerk: h.r. 8656, a bill to designate the clinic of department of veterans affairs in indiana as the scwak yes walorski v.a. clinic. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to consideration of the the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the bill is engrossed, read a third time, passed and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the house will be in order. the house will be in order. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1319, resolved that the house has heard with profound sorrow of the death of the honorable jackie walorski, a representative from the state of indiana. resolved that the house has heard with profound sorrow of the death of zachary potts and emma thompson, staff membe

. >> i want to bring in senator and chairman of the veterans affairs committee senator tester.ank you. >> i'm going to ask you your message to the mom we just heard from. but let me start with the news from senator schumer that the bill is expected to get a vote tonight. is it going to pass? is this going to be a done deal? >> look, i don't want to predict yes, but i feel good about it. but i can also tell you a week ago i went to the floor and said we're going to vote on a bill again that we voted on on june 16th that got 84 votes. much to my surprise, we didn't get enough votes. we didn't even get 60. i think those veterans out on the lawn, and it's not particularly nice in washington this time of year, and they have been out there for five days making their voices be heard along with the other veteran service organizations across this country. they have been contacting folks like me? the senate saying it's time to pass this bill. that made a huge difference. but we have to run through the tape. and we wont know this until i think we're going to vote on three amendments. and

across the finish line is democratic senator from montana jon tester, he chairs the senate veterans' affairs committeeins me now. welcome back to the newshour. tell us what is going on here. why has it been so hard to get this bill through? it is already unusual to see this fight over a defense spending measure. sen. tester: i just want to say one thing to correct the record. there is not one thing that has changed in this bill, with the exception of one line that was taken out of this bill, that allowed the v.a. to buy out provider contracts. that line was taken out because it was a revenue raiser. there is nothing else that was changed in this bill since we voted on it on june 16, and it passed with 84 votes. i want to be clear with that. i will sit down to anybody who wants to go through this bill and prove that. this is an issue that was brought up by senator toomey who is a friend of mine, and somebody who is very, very smart that says hey, i'm going to be leaving this place and i want to control the appropriations process. regardless what justification we are going to use, and by the way, the se

a statement from the chairman of the veterans affairs committee. in favor as well as a letter. about objection -- take the action -- take the action to smooth the return of those who served their country outside the united states. i give credit to the united states with the proactive action that has been taken using the authority within the immigration nationality. that is not the easiest ways. i am hopeful we can move forward. to move on with our veterans to make sure they get the past that they earned through their service to our country. looking at the demographic, the majority of those who have taken , who have inquired about the full program have been removed from more than 20 years. many of them are elderly, over 60. the sum between 70 and 80 years of age. even individuals who served their country in combat, need the veterans benefits they earned. we need to do what we can to honor their service -- to honor our service to them. at this point, and without objection, you will note that the record will remain open for five days. five legislative days for additional questions

as chairman of the house veterans affairs committee, i am committed to ensuring our nation and v.a. continue to support our service members after they no longer are uniform. i'd like to ask, are you aware that veterans have even less access to abortion counseling and abortion services through v.a. health care than active-duty service members do through the department of defense? >> thank you for the question. i have not researched honestly about v.a. rights or services after out of uniform and retirement. i think it is such a disservice that the lack of support for members who supposedly are celebrated, who are thanked for our service, yet it feels very performative when those thank you's are not followed up with actionable support. thank you. >> thank you. >> hello, thank you for your question. i did know that. i follow the v.a. health care system as a medical service corps officer. i am familiar with the v.a. i'm proud of my military service and it saddens me to know that soon i will end my military career and i will have to face these challenges. and the sacrifices i made during m

schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the senate veterans affair committee be discharged from further consideration of s. 3606, and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 3606, a bill to amend title 38, united states code, and so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the committee is discharged. the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i know of no further debate on the bill. the presiding officer: if there's no further debate, the question is on passage of the bill. all those in favor say aye. all opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the bill is passed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate's vet veterans' affairs committee be discharged from further

as chairman of the committee on veterans' affairs, the v.a. uses its bargaining power to get drug costs lowered for veterans and we are going to see it happen for all of americans. all of these draw on the house-passed build back better bill and improve the lives of american families. we will not stop fighting for the pieces left on the cutting room floor whether it is universal child care, prek and medicare expansion. we made this a progressive agenda and only needs two more votes to pass in the senate. think about that. air net 2% more in the senate means we go the full distance on the progressive agenda and i turn it over to my colleague from the great state of michigan still has a tremendous voice, debbie dingell. [applause] mrs. dingell: i had jaw surgery and he told me not to talk, can you see debbie dingell not talking? i'm a hockey player. i thank all of my colleagues behind me who are the best friends anybody could have and not stopped fighting for men and women. this talks about the health care provisions. i will never stop fighting

as chairman of the house veterans affairs committee i'm committed to ensuring that our nation and v.a. continue to support service members after they no longer are in uniform. i would like to ask are you aware that veterans have even less access to abortion counseling and abortion services through v.a. health care than active dirty service members do -- active-duty service members do through the department of defense? >> i have not researched honestly about v.a. rights or services after out of uniform and retirement. again, it is such a disservice that this is the support or lack of support for members who supposedly are celebrated. who are thanked for our service. it feels very performative when those thank you's aren't followed up with actionable support. thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you for your question. i did know that. i follow the v.a. health care system as a medical service corps officer. i am familiar with the v.a. i'm proud of my military service and it saddens me to know that soon i will end my military career and i will have to face these challenges. and the sacrifice

committee, mr. meeks, the chairman of the veterans affair committee, mr.e, congresswoman delbene, andy kim of new jersey who was a diplomat before coming to congress as well as congressman raja krishnamoorthi, a member of the intelligence committee it was, like, a six-person co-chair committee a lot of attention was paid to taiwan and that's right. it was a bigger visit than that. it followed on the president's direction that we would have a focus on the asia-pacific. it also took up his initiative of the indo-pacific economic framework, so we went there to listen it's important for us to have parliamentary to parliamentary exchanges as we, again, go forward with a new initiative. >> madam speaker, just to jump in here -- >> in singapore we had -- in all of the countries -- we thanked the members of asean and our asian friends for their very strong support for the people of ukraine and condemning russia for their invasion in all of the places there, we brought our respect and listened to what they had to say about how we go forward security-wise, economic-