Whereas in the history of the United States more than 48,000,000 citizen-soldiers have served the United States in uniform and more than 1,000,000 have given their lives as a consequence of their duties; Whereas as of July 21, 2005, there are more than 25,000,000 living veterans; Whereas on March 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln expressed in his Second Inaugural Address the obligation of the United States “to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan”; Whereas on July 21, 1930, President Herbert Hoover issued an executive order creating a new agency, the Veterans’ Administration, to consolidate and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans; Whereas on October 25, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Department of Veterans Affairs Act (Public Law 100–527; 102 Stat. 2635), effective March 15, 1989, redesignating the Veterans’ Administration as the Department of Veterans Affairs and establishing it as an executive department with the mission of providing Federal benefits to veterans and their families; and Whereas in 2005, the 230,000 employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs continue the tradition of their predecessors of caring for the veterans of the United States with dedication and compassion and upholding the high standards required of them as stewards of the gratitude of the public to those veterans: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)recognizes the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Veterans’ Administration; and (2)acknowledges the achievements of the employees of the Veterans’ Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs and commends these employees for serving the veterans of the United States.