Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you also for holding this hearing, today.

Caring for the veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has been a top priority for this Committee and this Congress.

In the past 16 months, I have heard from veterans across the nation that excessive bureaucracy and substandard living arrangements are complicating their war injuries.

Last year, an outraged nation learned about the terrible conditions many of our wounded warriors had to endure as they recovered from their battlefield injuries at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. We have all heard the sad stories of moldy walls and rat droppings at Building 18.

Even worse, we learned that these dilapidated conditions extended beyond Walter Reed, to other military facilities... and even veterans’ facilities, where troops turned veterans faced a long, complicated and confusing process to get the benefits and care they have earned.

Conditions like these, and miles of bureaucratic red tape, rob our troops and veterans of what they deserve the most: dignity; respect; honor.

Following the Washington Post report, I partnered with Rep. Rahm Emanuel and Sens. Barrack Obama and Claire McCaskill to introduce H.R. 1268, the Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act, to address the most serious problems facing our service members and veterans.

I was happy to see many pieces of that legislation included in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law this January.

This is a good start, but I believe we can, and will, do better.

Our nation’s veterans served honorably to protect us and our country.  The least we can do is fight for them when they come home.

I yield back the balance of my time.