[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 20 (Tuesday, March 1, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                      VETERANS' BUDGET FALLS SHORT

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute, and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, we had a large meeting today with the 
Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander and he had courage to tell it like 
it is.
  Now, it is clear that the budget proposed for the Department of 
Veterans Affairs by the Clinton administration falls short in almost 
every area.
  It appears that the VA is being sent a message that it can slowly 
begin to wind down. The hope is that the veteran will simply go to 
other carriers or providers. From the evidence contained in the VA 
budget, veterans can assume, and should consider, that the VA is to 
become a second-class health care provider.
  It is startling to reflect that at a time when this Government is 
paying benefits to Iraqi POW's to relocate in this country, our 
Nation's veterans find themselves being told there is not enough for 
them. For the record, I have introduced House Concurrent Resolution 
141, which expresses the sense of the Congress that the Federal 
Government should terminate the policy of allowing resettlement of 
members of the Iraqi Armed Forces in the United States.
  One of the reasons I introduced H.R. 408, the Veterans Bill of 
Rights, is to insist that veterans receive the care and follow through 
on our promise to care for them--to continue to respect them as a 
cherished and distinct population. Truly, their sacrifice has been 
unique, their care and protection must be our first priority. Let us 
not tie the vitality and rejuvenation of the VA to any other piece of 
legislation. Let us do right by the veteran of the merits of his or her 
service.
  We must turn this budget around and deliver better and more thorough 
care for our Nation's veterans.

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