Institute hosts the hour and 40 minute event. Lets get started. Good morning welcome to aei and welcome to our program today the value of the conversation with mike levin. Im gary schmitt a senior scholar here at aei and director of the program on american citizenship. I will skip the link the set of introductions and there are link the bio go to the website. And to also look at their biographies. s we have a click one a quick overview of theov proceedings. Of the recently elected congressman from the 29th district in california from the northern san diego to southern orange county. Frankly i have a niece that lives out there not sure why he decided to move to dc. And with the house of Veterans Affairs committee. Following his remarks and of the Second District we are pleased what the congressman and the willingness to come our way. So to be joined in a discussion after the brief remarks by the two congressman by the questionandanswer session. So after that discussion with the Henry Jackson foundation and also my colleague from aei. The focus of that discussion is what we need to do to fix the broken narrative to the more accurate narrative from social assets. Will also be followed by a q a session and then will end promptly at 10 00 a. M. After discussion please stay in your seats for a few minutes while he transitioned to the second panel we would appreciate it for both q a sessions, please wait for microphone and introduce yourself and please ask a question. Let me conclude by Veterans Affairs and veterans policies in the subject of aeind scholarc we have been writing about for some time that writing about policy is one thing but producing legislation is another. Thats why we are delighted to have the congressman with us today the bipartisan cosponsors of Veterans Organization plan with the act of 2019. A measure passed in the house in late may. Please join me to welcome the congressman. [applause] good morning. Thank you for being here we are not voting today so grateful to have a somewhat free day before i get on the plane and none better than the most rewarding aspect of my service so far here in washington the washington dc teacher the subcommittee on House Veterans Affairs committee with housing and Workforce DevelopmentTuition Assistance and homelessness. It is an incrediblee opportunity particularly for a freshman and one that i take seriously every day. And im honored to have a chance and also House Veterans Affairs committee is the most bipartisan place in congress there are a lot of interesting things its a crazy week but the story that is a told nearly often enough of bipartisanship and that still happens on a daily basis in washington and our work that most of the time if you turn off the video and just listen the subcommittee in particular you would not know who the republicans or democrats were well they are in the service of our veterans and our country and i hope thats how it always is think the chairman and the Ranking Member have done a terrific job and im honored to have a Ranking Member to build a relationship based on the shared trust. I am the grandson of a world war ii veteran. My grandfather on my dads. Side i think of him all the time when thinking about how we treat those who in many cases sacrifice everything for freedom and security and he taught me about what it means to be a patriot and serve the country paraguay did not serve but i have a small opportunity from thehe economic subcommittee who have given back so much and my grandpa would often talked about the gaps in the t 14 are Services Provided to veterans and i remember that well and it is unconscionable we would not do Everything Possible to help the veterans that they are that means the best of care Workforce Development opportunities and the best Transition Assistance Program we could come up with and so much more. The other good news is that we are actually passing bills. But you dont hear about that either but in our committee we have 40 bills we have passed over half of them there is some staff here but in the subcommittee and i am honored that six of those bills i helped to introduce that has passed with the house of representatives also had a great meeting with senator chester a couple days ago and im encouraged for us to get over the finish line to have that much legislation so these will become law which is exciting so very briefly i would like to explain the six bills one of them is with the representative and we are grateful for you to lead the way. And what that would do is a somewhat controversial plan with the v. A. All the veterans i want to one i talked to wantt it so you can separate the core work of the opportunity from the benefits administration and the benefits administration and with that distribution of other benefits for the forever g. I. Bill. Homeowner benefits in the Transition Assistance Program. With those that are rightly earned. What we have to do with those excess existing resources. To create more red tape. And those veterans that would beed impacted and i would say mister when strip would agree with me on that. And for those in the short term with a longterm impact in those gains to experience as a result than that would be welcome over time. So one toth support disabled veterans housing and with adapted housing and my friend has been a champion of this it was a friend who passed away after service in iraq. Lament jeff some more offbase transition assistance with wraparound support to go on to have a more successful post career. We have another one of Mental Health access. And those that serve in the National Guard so where clearly that it is available to them as well and we also try to protect our veterans we try to take out the v. A. Loan. The other scholarships under the g. I. Bill for the stem scholarship for what the programs are offering. Hopefully these would be noncontroversial. And all the rhetoric and partisanship to be set aside i hope its always that way but i have no greater honor to be on this committee in my background i am very interested in energy and environmentale policy that what i didnt expect of House Veterans Affairs committee to be as rewarding as it is in those early accomplishments i could achieve here in washington would be in the Veterans Affairs committee was six bipartisan bills we passed in the last seven months will hear from representative when strip and get ideas. Thank you very much. [applause] thank you very much and thank you for being the pleasure to be here and talk about the v. A. Committee it is the Top Committee with bipartisanship but it also exist on other committees as well but not just at the end of the day. I had a reporter at home one time Say Something about that how many members of congress . It was about ten you name the people you see every evening on cable tv. What do you think the rest of us are doing all day . But the v. A. Committee is the place where we get a lot of things done the forever ga built the g. I. Bill, the mission act was cosponsored by every member of the committee i dont think theres too many wtimes you can say that in any other committee and that is a big bill a that got a lot done. I agree its always a pleasure to walk into the Committee Room knowing you will have good conversation that is very serious and professional in every way as you take care of veterans. So in particular, this particular bill was very important to me in so many ways for a lot of reasons becausemp it focuses on that transition. Td the opportunities that exist economically. So for six years i served on the arm Services Also serving in iraq 2005 and 2006 as a surgeon. Whenur i came back from the wa war, then home for 15 months, and as a reservist they said you dont have to go back to work for 90 days. I said i am going next week. Im not going to sit around my house. That is the important factor. That is easy for me because i had a medical practice to go back to not everybody has that luxury. I was 47 years i old at the time summer 21 years old are 22 years old and dont have anything established over a long period of time. Inc. About what you go through during that time its very odd because you come back in the rest of the country is going about their business. There is gas at the pump, food at the store, nobody knows what you just went through. If you dont have somewhere to go or something to do its very different theres a book called faith in the american soldier about how they would get together be for their missions and pray but one was about a soldier getting ready to come home for been in iraq for a year and was at the Baghdad Airport and he begins to cry. Said were going home he said because i dont think we can ever do as much for other people as we did here and i will be bored and it will seem mundane. And i think that is very true in so many ways. So why is this important . We mentioned the tap program like you were getting out, heres your benefits we will see you later. But for me its much more important to go further back so think about what the v. A. Has had to do. They have had to be t reactive to any conditions or problems that you have and a lot of those come from the fact you are part of something big. You are part of something we were needed every day. You were essential. If you come back and dont have somewhere to go in somewhere to drive forward its very challenging posttraumatic stress is very se creal. If you have been in that environment that has not affected you in some way shape or form then there is probably something wrong with you. But if you have been there and it does have an effect to some degree i consider that normal. And that should be addressed to the level that you need it. But just as important is what i n like the term post essential stress you were so essential and needed then you come back with nothing. Its important you have a plan. So within the v. A. Is a great opportunity to make sure we are really focusing on opportunity for veterans not only when they bei first get out but beyond that as they continue to have o opportunities that is important so for transition assistance go back further. I would love to see more and more when you are recruited thinking about joining the military military you get with the recruiter who says what you want to do . I want to be a marine. I want to do infantry. Here is what the path looks like imagine the recruiter says what do you want to do after . Lets talk about that. Lets prepare that path whether four years or 24 years , lets talk about that. When you are two years out for enlistment maybe you have that conversation with a professional that says here is your path in the military if you want to stay in here is your path otherwise to use your g. I. Bill and get you into employment or everything you learned in the military and put that into a job. If you graduate college and get your degree and dont have a job lined up thats not a great day. But if you take that uniform often know we were going and what the opportunities are that is much better. Talk about the v. A. Being reactive so many suicides dont happen in uniform. It is later. And i think they have the later because that situation is you have nowhere to go and no one to understand what you have been through and to wake up every day with a purpose. That makes a difference swallow these things are important as we move forward to help our veterans and now we say soldier for life so lets mean it. Soldier for life but we will be with you and help you we will guide out a path and career for you so imagine a parent who hears a recruiter say what do you want to do afterwards . We want to get you there to. That is huge this bill is a step in that direction and as irs mentioned, the tap program that is where we are going on Armed Services and v. A. This is a conversation we started and we have picked up the ball to run with it as well. Because its important so lets break that stigma. I was at an event with majorleague baseball owners and george bush showed up unexpectedly and they said what are you doing in town . He said im here to support the veterans and help the veterans transitioning figuring out how to put together a resume and apply for the job. And ask for qualifications and skills you cant put sniper. [laughter] i Pay Attention to detail. I show up for work on time and you can count on me. Those are the things they have to do. People are trying to help with this transition and we need to do our job here in congress to do everything that we can and in light of that stigma and met a veteran one time and i met a man who was playing guitar at a military event. Im not a Wounded Warrior i am still a warrior. And most dont want your pity to appreciate what you have done for go thank you very much now lets begin the conversation. [applause]th. So the overall thoughts of how those benefits are delivered and with that same bill and same idea if you feel v. A. Is Getting Better from shifting as a process to a collaborative effort. To l figure that part out. Into those v. A. Centers to really take that approach more and more. It is another human being and we see that more and more that the culture is improving. Maybe it has always been but as long as i have been in congress thats not the feelings. So those district i think the team is doing a fantastic job for local veterans to have extremely high quality of care looking holistically at the whole person and the challenge that we face in san diego for those who fall through the cracks who are eligible for services are not gettingel services for many reasons that happens. In our area roughly 1300 of the greater san diego area with a lot of hard work but too many fall through the cracks and those that are taking advantage of any services they are only eligible for certain services. So my colleagues have a couple of bills to expand those housing services. But we have to do all we can to make sure they are falling through the cracks everybody is getting the services that they need. With a huge addiction to opioids but throughout our population but a problem with homelessness everything that i have seen locally and those i have spoken s with her doing everything they can but we just have to stay on it but that act is a great way to focus in those resources that exist to cut the red tape. Thats my next question. If you see those improvements to reach the story close do we have the system functioning on its own . There are two components. So what we try to do on one front talking about homelessness and then to immediately and trying to do on the front end but with those that have been out there for a while, we always appreciate and im sure you do too when somebody calls the office because they are looking for guidance. But thats a big part of it. It has been so wonderful to see how many private citizens or groups popped up to be there and in cincinnati at the veteran center to get engaged with anything to talk about the benefit to have assistance to work towards employment. The v. A. Cannot necessarily be a headhunter for everybody and these take place that did not exist before. So hopefully the next generation will find themselves in a better position than the previous generation. There is a huge number of marines and others that serve in great weather so the greater san diego region and including secretary wilkie has more than anybody in the United States its important to have a veteran on staff dealing with aes casework so what i have learned for those who have a very active caseload with casework that everyone is wellintentioned but sometimes the bureaucracy can get in its own way so the idea is to create an administration to target those resources like Workforce Development and Tuition Assistance and are better able to have a clear set of targets to implement those. They would be roughly study or the Women Veteran homelessness. And that is something we have to look at and the amazing work being done by nonprofits should not be a substitute and the veterans stand down those are on the brink of homelessness with those organizations but that is done because they are falling through the cracks because we have a similar veteran center that is incredible we can only always do better. And a great job locally and nationally we could always do better in the system. And also. So how many can you get through the senate . But not for any reason. And to get a good number of them are not as controversial to be hot lined they obviously have their own process over there and senator chester but there are things that we can getwe done that many years in the making as they come together from chairman to conneaut. That is a huge deal for those Vietnam Veterans that they rightfully deserve. And to have more Success Stories that the narrative isnt just dysfunctional nothing but is there a lot of disagreements and things that they are getting done specifically for veterans. Please introduce yourself. And went to thank the Committee Staff are working together partisanship has nothing to do with it but working with the veterans is what drives them. [applause] i am a disabled veteran but first of all thank you for your service i appreciate what you are doing but that sounds like civil rights by another name and access to quality education, employment buffer Service Members and veterans to unknown those statutes and with that department of labor overseas through the us code. And as they stand up first i have two questions but then the second question goes to both of you. So would you be willing and able to hold a h hearing in your committee and then to look at how to consolidate and strengthen those civil rights in the two open letters of the federal agencies for those civil