(U.S. Senate)— U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, today presided over the confirmation hearing of VA Secretary nominee Dr. David Shulkin.

The following is Tester’s opening statement, as prepared for delivery:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Dr. Shulkin, welcome back before the Committee.  As you may have noticed, you are now operating on a much larger stage, in more ways than one. 

I appreciate you accepting the responsibility that comes with the duties of the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

It is my hope, and the hope of this Committee, that you are up to this task.  The way in which you answer our questions today will help many of us make that final determination.

Amidst an impressive career as a health care executive in the private sector, you were brought into the VA about 18 months ago to help transform the administration and delivery of veterans’ health care.

The wait-time scandals that arose from Phoenix in 2014 were something none of us could tolerate.

After Secretary Bob McDonald took the helm of the Department, a number of senior leaders were replaced and a number of transformational reforms were initiated, many of which you were a part of.

Meanwhile, Congress, in a rare demonstration of bipartisanship, enacted the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014.

This legislation sought to bolster the capacity of the VA to better directly serve veterans, and to expand veterans’ access to Community Care when the VA was incapable of providing that care in a timely manner.

Now, two and a half years later, the VA is confronted with looming and dramatic funding shortfalls and a so-called “Choice Program” that – at least in Montana – has only left veterans with the “choice” of waiting longer for care or not getting it at all. 

Just a couple weeks ago, a veteran from Helena, Montana, wrote to me –

“Trying to get into the cardiologist and work with the Choice program was the most stressful part of my heart attack incident.  It took 19 days from the time that the Choice program was contacted with my ‘urgent’ case for me to get to the specialist.  I was concerned the entire time that I was going to have a heart attack while I was waiting.” 

I could share dozens of similar stories from frustrated veterans, family members, and even front-line VA employees in Montana.

Not to mention, community providers in my state and across the country continue to drop out of the Choice Program because of the bureaucracy involved and the time it takes to get reimbursed through the program.

Look, I get it. Some of that is how the law is written. Some of that – actually, a lot of that in my state – is on the Third Party Administrator. 

But a lot of that is also on the VA.  And as head of the Veterans Health Administration for the past two years, a lot of that responsibility falls directly on you.

We often look at numbers and statistics up here to try to determine whether a program or an agency is effective.  But behind every statistic, behind every number – is a person, and a story.

And the story I hear every time I go back to Montana – which is almost every weekend – is that the Choice Program is making a difficult problem even worse.

I know VA has endorsed an effort to simply extend the life of that program, but I’ll tell you what – if anyone wants to extend the life of this program without also taking steps to make it work better for veterans, you’ll have to go through me.

And I will oppose you every step of the way.

I relayed that message to you during our last conversation.  And it’s my understanding that we are on the same page.  I appreciate you being upfront about that.

But I also know that you will be fighting a war on multiple fronts – while trying to carry out the Department’s mission, you’ll have to deal with a Congress that has not proven itself to be the most productive or cooperative partner. 

And you’ll have to deal with a new President who has taken some public positions – on everything from privatization to his personal opinion of the VA workforce – that are in stark contrast to positions you have taken. 

Sooner than later, you’ll come to a crossroads.  And you’ll have to choose whether to pursue what you think is best for veterans, or what the President tells you is best for veterans. 

I want you to succeed, I really do.  But there was a reason it took so long to find someone to sit in that chair today.

In a conversation with VSO representatives a couple weeks ago, Bob Wallace – the VFW Executive Director – described Bob McDonald’s job as trying to turn around the Titanic….in a bathtub… and in as little time as possible.

Under his leadership, there is no question that the VA made some very meaningful and tangible progress on critical priorities like connecting more veterans to care, ending veterans’ homelessness, and getting the disability claims backlog under control. 

And though the veterans population has decreased in recent years, more and more veterans are enrolled in VA healthcare and are receiving critical benefits like disability compensation or educational benefits.

But as we move forward, more veterans will come out of the shadows.  The veterans’ population will age, and their already complex medical conditions will become even more complex.  

These folks will turn to the VA, and it is critical that you earn their trust by demonstrating that you can meet their needs in a timely and thorough manner.

So the question of the day is whether you can build upon the VA’s successes and continue delivering for veterans and their families, while also taking steps to address the systemic and chronic challenges the Department’s ability to carry out its mission. 

In short – “Are you up for this job?”

We need to know that you’re the right person to lead this Department at a critical time because there is simply too much is at stake.

I look forward to our discussion today, and thank you again for your willingness to serve on behalf of our nation’s veterans and their families.

And I thank you, Mr. Chairman.