Ensuring Veterans' Smooth Transition Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, by way of further introduction, I am the same Al Green who lives across the street from the DeBakey VA hospital; the same Al Green who fought in this Congress to secure a Congressional Gold Medal for Dr. Michael E. DeBakey; the same Al Green who has 800 flags outside of his office presently to be distributed over at the DeBakey VA hospital; the same Al Green that goes there annually and speaks to veterans, who talks to them about their needs on an annual basis; the same Al Green who has had veterans who tell me the difficulties associated with enrollment; the same Al Green who has veterans who say they are so pleased that somebody would come by to be of service to them.

Mr. Speaker, this Al Green announces here and now that I will support the underlying bill. I support it because it is necessary. I support it because I believe the veterans that I have spoken to will support it. They need it, and they will enjoy knowing that we came to this floor to bring this to fruition.

Mr. Speaker, finally, if the VA hospital is not properly funded and this creates some funding issues, I am prepared to vote to fund the VA hospital sufficiently so that our veterans can be taken care of. Anyone who is willing to go to a distant place, who may not return the same way they left, who may have issues for the rest of their lives, and they do it because they want to protect this country, I am going to do all that I can to protect them. This is the least a grateful Nation can do.

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