[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 7, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H2726-H2727]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               VETERANS' ADMINISTRATION 1995 RESCISSIONS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 1995, the gentlewoman from Connecticut [Ms. DeLauro] is 
recognized during morning business for 3 minutes.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, cutting funding for veterans to pay for 
tax cuts to the wealthy is wrong. Clearly, my Republican colleagues 
from the House Appropriations Committee disagree. Last week, under the 
continued assault of the Contract With America, veterans learned that 
Republicans cut $206 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs 
budget to help pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.
  These cuts represent more than just money--they represent the 
breaking of a solemn promise Congress made with sick and disabled 
veterans across the Nation last year. These cuts target some of the 
most vulnerable groups in our society--aging World World II and Korean 
conflict veterans and other who have sacrificed so much for our Nation.
  This funding is sorely needed. The Department of Veterans Affairs has 
been counting on this assistance to pay 
 [[Page H2727]] for six critically needed ambulatory care projects and 
to replace worn our medical equipment.
  This was not money unwisely appropriated. In the case of the 
ambulatory care projects, each of these projects have been carefully 
considered and authorized. Further, they are an essential part of the 
Department's plan to move away from costly inpatient care to delivering 
cost-effective outpatient care; part of the Department's plan to invest 
taxpayers dollars and make the VA medical delivery system more 
efficient.
  One of these projects, the West Haven VA Medical Center, is located 
in my district in West Haven, CT. The West Haven VA Medical Center 
serves the entire Veterans Administration's medical system. It is the 
site of the National Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Research Center and 
the only VA AIDS diagnostic laboratory. Despite its notable reputation, 
the center's buildings are in extremely poor condition.
  The proposed ambulatory care clinic at West Haven would connect the 
two main, deteriorating buildings and provide the space that is 
necessary to respond to the number of outpatient visits at the hospital 
which have doubled since 1984.
  Madam Speaker, this, in the words of Lauren Brown, a nurse at West 
Haven, is not any way to treat ``* * * vets [who] served their country 
regardless of party affiliation or which party was sitting in the White 
House.''
  In Connecticut, we are lucky. The West Haven Project is supported by 
the entire delegation--Republicans and Democrats alike. It is my hope 
that Members will follow the example Connecticut has set and stand in 
support our veterans by restoring funding for the Veterans' 
Administration.
  Madam Speaker, our obligation to our veterans must be kept. These 
cuts are mean-spirited. They do not save money. They must be reversed. 
When there cuts are debated on the floor next week, I urge my 
colleagues to support an amendment that will restore this crucial 
funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs medical construction and 
equipment accounts.


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