Captioning performed by vitac forward to hearing first from sloan gibson. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Chairman isakson Ranking Member blumenthal and the committee, were committed to making the Choice Program work and to providing veterans timely and geographically accessible care, using care in the community whenever necessary. Ill talk shortly about what were doing and the help that we need from congress to make all of that happen. First, i want to talk very briefly about access to care. Most mornings at 9 00 a. M. , for the last year, Senior Leaders from across the department gathered to focus on improving veterans access to care. Weve concentrated on key drivers of access, including increasing Medical Center staffing by 11,000, adding space, boosting care during extended hours and weekends by 10 and increasing staff productivity. The result, 2. 5 million more completed appointments inside va this year than last. Relative value units, a common measure of care delivered that measured car
Public of the need for validity of a broad program. The concept delineating between the number of people affected or how targets are picked, versus the program itself, i think is valuable, and it gets to a question that i would like a from everybody on. There is a trust problem that now exists, for whatever series of reasons. An example of a concern that i at least have was revealed through a usa today piece that came out last month that revealed that the dea had been conducting a Metadata Collection Program ten years before 9 11. One of the concerns and maybe this is pessimism or paranoia depending on who you ask, is that stopping a program like the telephone Metadata Collection Program that is ongoing under authority, how do we know it does not show up under another 30 . It is a sincere question that premuch everybody, because theres no reason to hold the community to such a paranoid standard, but how do we get to that point . I think this question is a real challenge because of the
The same question that i asked senator george allen, an issue that weigh the minds of many automatic spending cuts tt are scheduled to take place in january. Youut forthth a detailed proposal. Tell us what that plan is. I will. We are only here because off congress not been able to work together. I put a plan on the table get rid of 1 trillion of cuts by doing e following. We have to make a decision about the bush tax cuts. They expire yearend. I would let them expire for over 500,00000 in income. We need compromise. Making them permanent would bust the deficit whiter. Lets find a compromise budget wider. But signed a compromise. Fix medicare. Allow the federal g government to negotiate for prescriptions ther than accept the price is a Pharmaceutical Company chararges. That is what a business would do and it is what we do in the v. A. System. Finally, we should not be giving tax subsidies to the big private oil companies. They made 130 billio in profit. I want them to be profitable. Th
Good evening on this sunday night from boca raton, florida, on the eve of the crucial third and final debate. Tonight, a new poll showing just how pivotal this final debate will be. Gts stephanopoulos standing by here in a moment, but first, the breaking news tonight from wisconsin. The shootings this sunday that left three people dead and four more injured. This is the scene tonight, outside a suburban spa near a crowded shoming mall. Police flooding the area, putting the mall on lockdown. Searching for the gunman all day. And tonight, the ap is now reporting the gunman was found dead inside the spa. Abcs alex perez is on the scene tonight in brookfield, wisconsin. Reporter what started out like any other quiet sunday morning in suburban milwaukee, within minutes, turned deadly. 11 00 a. M. , the azana spa had just opened for the day. Customers already filing in, when a man entered the store and began shooting. Frantic spa customers, some in robes, others barefoot, scrambled to get ou
From the jawzs of victory, things not looking so good for the president in negotiations over the fifth most actively traded issue. Over the fifth fifth call cliff. That seem yesterday to be making progress, demanding that congress raise taxes while threatening to veto a bill that would keep current tax rates in place for 99 of the country, the president further demanding that washington go his way or no way at all, president obama seems to be on his way to perhaps becoming the imperious president. Ive asked the Vice President to lead an effort that includes members of my cabinet and outside organization to come up with ccrete proposals no later than january that i will push without delay. This is not some washington commission, that is not something where folks will be studying the issue for 6 months and publishing a respect report that gets read then pushed aside. Lou you will notice that president did not call for concrete proposals on Mental Health care oPublic School security, or a