Can you please call the roll . [ roll call ] clerk you have a quorum. Announcement of prohibition of sound producing devices during the meeting. Approval of the minutes from the october 6 regular meeting. Can we open up the line for Public Comment on the minutes from the october 6 meeting. You have zero questions remaining. Well pause 20 seconds. If no one comes on the line, well move along. Clerk if members of the public wish to address the board on the meeting, please dial 10 to join the queue. And the number is available on the screen, should anyone want to join. You have zero questions remaining. Then well close Public Comment. Directors, are there any additions or amendments to the minutes . If not, may i hear a motion. Motion. Is there a second . A second. Please call the roll. [ roll call ] clerk 50. Item 5, communications. Due to the covid19 emergency, this meeting is being held virtually and all members of the public and staff are participating via video conference. This will
But also to the american people. Secondly, productivity. Productivity is critically important to us. We measure value units, which is a common measurement in the medical industry. It is a measure of productivity. Our productivity is up 8 over the last year, versus a budget increase of 2. 8 . I am asking for ways to improve our productivity every day. There is no question that demand is increasing for our services. I do not feel capable of going to congress and asking for more money, unless i can show them that we are trying to save money. If you look at my testimony over the last year, what you see is i told congress that we had 10 million square feet of unused space. Unfortunately, it is all in somebodys congressional district. If we could close that space, that would save the v. A. And the american taxpayer 25,000 per year. Please look at my testimony. 10 million square feet, 25 million a year. We are eager to work with members of congress to close that space. And we are going to hav
Economies bloom. That is not in lieu of a percent of of a political settlement, but it helps that people in the west bank and people in gaza see that they are not living at the edge of a precipice, that they ave the wherewithal to have real life and businesses. That is easier to do in the west bank. The west bank has been reasonably quiet. Lets work to ensure that that continues. Say, do weround and and to be like aleppo syria, do we want to be like yemen, like libya . Or do we want to have a real life and potential for Real Solutions down the line . Can solve thef we political problem right now. I think president obama has his own thoughts as well. There are three components here. There is the political component, the political solution, there is security, and there is prosperity. Least, we should work on prosperity and security and if we can, include a political solution. For that, we will have to sit down and talk. Unilateralism, i suppose that is it would have but to meet Israeli S
Recently, maybe you could hold a hearing on its progress. I would welcome that. Giving alcome me in warm welcome to Veterans Affairs secretary robert donald. [applause] Robert Mcdonald thank you so much. War, the ymcal has been a friend of veterans. Forerunner of the g. I. Bill. Today i am pleased to announce the v. A. And the ymca has agreed by furthering our partnership. This makes it easier for v. A. Facilities and ymcas to help in Service Members to connect resources they need. To you and the entire organization for your enduring help to veterans. The benevolent protection of alex has been friends to too. Ans for a long time, the hospitals they built in boston in 1918 was a forerunner of todays v. A. Medical centers. Committed, the elks 4 million over a fouryear. Over a fouryear time span to help and veterans homelessness. Paul, thank you and the elks across this great country for your generosity and loyalty to our nation. [applause] the ymca, the elks these are Strategic Partnersh
Obama good morning, everybody. Several years ago, the state department began a review process for the proposed instruction the pipeline that would carry Canadian Crude Oil from the heartland through the the gulf of mexico to the market. This morning, senator kerry informed me that after extensive Public Outreach and consultation with other cabinet agencies, the state department has decided that the keystone xl pipeline would not serve the National Interest of the United States. I agree with that decision. This morning, i also had the opportunity to speak with Prime Minister trudeau of canada. While he expressed his disappointment, given canadas position on this issue, we both agreed that our close friendship on a whole range of issues, including energy and Climate Change, should provide the basis for even closer correlation between our countries going forward. And in the coming weeks, members of my team will be engaging with theirs in order to help deepen that cooperation. Now for year