Department of Veterans Affairs. Robert Alan Mcdonald of ohio to be secretary. The presiding officer under the previous order, the time until 12 30 will be equally divided in the usual form. Mr. Sanders madam president . The presiding officer the senator from vermont. Mr. Sanders as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, i rise today in strong support of the nomination of Robert Mcdonald to serve as secretary of the Veterans Affairs administration. Madam president , i also want to thank majority leader reid for moving this important nomination forward as quickly as it has, and i hope very much that later this afternoon, with a very strong vote, the u. S. Senate will vote to confirm Robert Mcdonald as secretary of the v. A. Madam president , before i talk about mr. Mcmcdonalds qualifications, i did want to take a moment to express my sincere thanks to generic shinseki for his dedicated service to our nation, first as a soldier and then as head of the v. A. , working ti
Has a deep passion to do everything that he can to protect our veterans. Madam president , the other quality that mr. Mcdonald brings to this job is that he has been the c. E. O. Of one of americas leading corporations which a company which has tens and tens of thousands of employees. His more than 33 years with Procter Gamble gives him the tools to create a wellrun and accountable v. A. In other words, he will bring the tools of a c. E. O. In a private corporation to the v. A. , a huge bureaucracy which needs a significant improvement in accountability and in management. As we begin debate on mr. Mcdonalds nomination, i believe it is important that my colleagues understand the realities that he will face in leading the v. A. Madam president , the v. A. Operates the largest integrated Health Care System in the United States, with over 1,700 points of care which include 150 hospitals, 820 communitybased outreach clinics, and 300 vet centers. In fiscal year 2013, the v. A. Provided 89. 7
Were 50 to 55 now. Its not going to move much. Low pressure spinning oaf the bay and delmarva bringing in moisture off the atlantic. Some of this has been moderate to heavy. When you see this red showing up, that is some heavy rain were looking at in the baltimore region. You notice its trying to rotate back toward d. C. Weve had waves of rain at times coming through us. You see the heavier showers south, northeast. So keep the rain gear handy and if you can telework, i suggest doing that andrea and mike . Thank you, howard. Heres whats in the news right now. Three teenage girls from suburban denver may have been trying to join isis militants in syria. They stole money from their parents and flew to germany. That is where they were stopped by the f. B. I. When they landed. The two sisters and a friend have now been returned to colorado. This announcement comes one month after 19yearold Shannon Connolly of arvada, colorado pled guilty to charges that she conspired to help militants in s
The sidewalks. Also armed much of the region with the temperatures in the low to mid50s. Youll need a jacket this morning. And an umbrella of course. Low 50s throughout much of the morning. During the afternoon, walking home from the metro and school, the rain will be ending. The winds will get quite gusty. When they pick up and how strong they will get coming up next at 6 11. Melissa, how are the winds now . Penn north 544 is 30 minutes late. So quite a delay. New crash 66 east at westmoreland. And 66 east at nutley street a crash in the left corner. 95 headed northbound out of Stafford County you can see were jammed the entire way. It gets jammed northbound through dale city. Actually looking pretty good. Especially considering the wet roads and the fact that you should leave early if you possibly can. Beltway at colesville road, my beltway barometer a little bit wet. Lots of roads will look like this this morning. Im back in 10 minutes with travel times. Prepare for more stops at wi
Gentleman from washington. Mr. Hastings thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mr. Hastings i yield myself as much time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Hastings thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, s. 130 directs the secretary of the interior to convey to the powell recreation district approximately 322 acres of land located in park county, wyoming. The powell recreation district will continue to use the land for public recreational shooting complex as it has since 1980. The bill would have no cost to the taxpayers since the powell recreation district is required to pay for any administrative costs associated with the conveyance. This is a noncontroversial bill, mr. Speaker, and i urge its adoption and i reserve the balan