[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 7, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H2249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS PROVIDING PROPER OVERSIGHT OF POOR TREATMENT OF 
                            WOUNDED SOLDIERS

  (Mr. HARE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HARE. Mr. Speaker, the American people are rightfully outraged by 
the stories coming out of Walter Reed.
  On Monday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held 
its first hearing at Walter Reed to determine how long these problems 
have been going on and how best we can fix the problems as soon as 
possible. Three other hearings are scheduled throughout the week.
  But this administration has some tough questions to answer. First, 
when did they know that wounded military personnel were not receiving 
the treatment they deserve? The President said he wasn't aware of these 
problems until the Washington Post investigation, but several GAO 
reports have been released outlining some of these problems. Was the 
administration ignoring these reports or just ignoring the problem?
  And, second, why did the administration choose to privatize services 
at Walter Reed? And how did they go about choosing a company with ties 
to Halliburton?
  Our soldiers deserve better, and I am confident that this Congress 
will provide the necessary oversight so that we can fix these problems 
immediately.

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