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Floor Speech
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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I come to the floor to speak about the nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs that we will be voting on in a couple of hours.
I have long considered myself a friend of veterans. The men and women who have put themselves in harm's way to serve our country, they deserve our full support, and they have mine. Too often, I hear from veterans in Iowa that the Department of Veterans Affairs makes it difficult for them to access healthcare and the services that we honor them with because they have defended our country.
Whether this is expecting them to drive an unnecessary distance for their initial disability exam or making it more difficult to seek the care that they choose outside of the VA system, our veterans deserve much better. The VA needs to do better, which brings me to former Representative Doug Collins, President Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Representative Collins, a veteran himself, recognizes the challenges veterans face with the VA.
During his time in the House of Representatives, he was a supporter of giving veterans the choice on where to seek healthcare. He and I agree that the VA needs to do better by our veterans and taxpayers alike.
This became more obvious to the public last year when the VA misled Congress by claiming the Department was going to face a shortfall in funding but, in fact, ended the fiscal year with a surplus--can you believe this?--in the billions.
When I heard about this alleged shortfall, I joined my colleagues, led by the junior Senator from Alaska, to work to bring more transparency to the VA budget process. As I shared with Representative Collins, I will continue to do so.
When we first met in my office, I gave Representative Collins my advice that I give to every nominee coming to the office because these people come before the committee, and one of the questions they are asked: Will you answer our letters? And they all say yes. But we know, as a matter of fact, that doesn't happen as often as it should.
So I suggested to him that maybe instead of saying ``yes,'' he say ``maybe'' so he wouldn't turn out to be a liar ever, unlike the former Secretary of VA who did not feel the need to respond to even a bipartisan letter that I sent in October of 2024, alongside three of my colleagues, before that Secretary departed from his post. Now, Representative Collins understands the importance of being accountable and forthcoming to Congress because he has been a Member of Congress.
So I thank Representative Collins for his service to our country, and I will look forward to voting positively on his nomination.
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