It's hard to know how to phrase this without sounding negative or condescending. I think the members of this committee have worked very hard on behalf of veterans, so if I say anything that sounds that way, please forgive me.
I don't see anything in the copy we have been given from the Veterans Affairs web page that contradicts any of the things we've talked about as a committee. In fact, I think they're all contained in that. The gist of where we were going is encompassed in this piece of writing on the web page, which tells you what the bill of rights is. I don't understand the hang-up with semantics. I have difficulty with that.
I have worked with many of the people in this room for many years. Your hearts are all in the right place. We all want to move forward with the veterans issue. I guess there are some stung feelings in here, and I can understand that, but we need to look at the really important part we have in front of us that we can make changes through, and that's the health care review, which will do exactly what Mr. Stoffer raised earlier this morning. This is something that is going to be a benefit to all those veterans and all those widows of veterans who have been waiting for some sort of response. We could spend the next six meetings, if you want to, going over old ground, because the committee makes its own destiny, or we can move forward on new ground. That choice is entirely in the hands of the committee.
I personally want to make certain that we do everything we possibly can with the health care review to get the answers veterans have been asking for for a long time. I recognize that if this committee doesn't want to go that way, there's nothing anyone can do to force it, but I can tell you without a second's hesitation that the government is going to move forward. If you'd like to have input as a committee, and I believe it is very important that we do, then we have to move on with this. Otherwise, we're going to be here arguing about something that's already dealt with, and we're going to miss that opportunity as a committee to deal with something that means a great deal to veterans, and that's the health care review .
My recommendation is that we move forward. And I will abide by whatever decision this committee makes.