(U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, today oversaw a Joint Hearing of the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs to hear the legislative priorities of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Commander Duffy, I’m honored to have you and your leadership team with us today.  I’d like to recognize Jack Hawley, VFW’s State Commander for Montana, as well as Tim Peters, Art Widhalm, Virginia Arnold and Bob Schwegel yesterday.  Thank you all for what you do every day on behalf of Montana’s veterans.

Commander Duffy, we’re here because Congress should take its cues from you.   The VFW provides a critical perspective on how to best address veterans’ struggles.

Your members have left the safety of our shores to serve our nation overseas in uniform.

They also provides critical services every single day to veterans and families in Montana and across the country. 

Thank you all for your continued commitment and service.

As I told the American Legion this morning, we hold these hearings because only VSOs - and not partisan political groups or pundits on cable - can help Congress focus its oversight and legislative efforts to ensure veterans have access to quality care and benefits. 

That means taking cues from you on how to:

• Hold VA accountable;
• Ensure VA has the capacity to meet the needs of all veterans, and
• Fix Choice and Community care.

You are going to hear from a lot of folks today about how much they unconditionally support veterans.  While showing appreciation for those words, I hope you will also hold them accountable for their actions.

It is a critical time for the VA.  Today, it is confronted with looming and dramatic funding shortfalls and a Choice Program that, at least in Montana, is not working.

Many veterans have lost faith in the VA over the past few years. We've won many of them back, but much work remains to be done.

Rather than just giving a veteran a card to seek care in the private sector-the path forward should be an integrated network of VA and community providers. 

This means VA should continue to serve as the coordinator AND primary provider of care, while the private sector fills gaps. 

Commander Duffy, I want to commend your organization for its work, not only on "Our Care 2017" - your recently published report on veterans' health care, but also for your work on the Independent Budget. 

It's clear that VFW is a leader when it comes to gauging feedback from veterans and outlining an appropriate path forward on the delivery of care.  Your input and guidance will be critically important as we move forward. 

So hopefully Congress will spend less time patting itself on the back, and more time rolling up its collective sleeves to enact meaningful reforms on behalf of veterans.

I know it's what you expect.  But it's also what you deserve.  And I look forward to our discussion today.

Commander Duffy, again welcome.  And thank you.