[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5412]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   WE MUST TAKE CARE OF OUR VETERANS

  (Mr. WALBERG asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. WALBERG. Madam Speaker, all of us in this Chamber agree, our 
recovering veterans deserve hospitals that are clean, secure and 
sanitary when they return home from the battlefield defending our great 
Nation in the name of liberty.
  The recent findings at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are a grave 
breach of trust to those who shed blood on the battlefield fighting for 
our freedoms. This Congress must work with the administration to 
implement a comprehensive evaluation of conditions at Walter Reed and 
hold those in charge accountable for these deplorable conditions.
  The bipartisan commission created by the President to determine 
whether similar problems exist at other military and VA hospitals is 
also a necessary and appropriate course of action. Going forward, we 
must ensure world-class standards and patient-centered efficiency for 
our veterans. Better oversight is clearly necessary to ensure military 
facilities exemplify our soldiers' honor and courage.
  As hearings on the conditions at Walter Reed are held this week, this 
Congress must reaffirm its commitment to our wounded soldiers and 
veterans to ensure they are provided first class medical care.

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