This forum is airing live. It is a historic moment. I want to thank both republicans and democrats alike for making this possible. The majority and minority working in a bipartisan way. It is the first live entirely virtual bipartisan forum for the United States congress. The first one ever. Modulation,s, everybody making this possible. So covid19 has changed everything. Every american is affected. And americas veterans are not immune. In fact, veterans are facing unique challenges right now due to the Global Pandemic. But the challenges created by covid19 will not go away overnight. In the wake of this pandemic, new challenges will emerge and their impact could become just as severe as the novel coronavirus. There is no shortage of frightening statistics that point to how tough times are for countless americans right now. Very, veryver the grim statistics. More than 55,000 americans are dead from covid19. Nearly 7000 veterans have tested positive. Of which 435 veterans have passed awa