[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 8, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H11907-H11908]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        REMEMBER THE COMMITMENT OUR NATION OWES TO OUR VETERANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida [Mrs. Thurman] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. THURMAN. Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, November 11, Americans will 
once again pause to honor the brave men and women who proudly carried 
the American flag in conflicts great and small, and places famous and 
obscure. On Veterans' Day it is important that those who protected the 
freedoms and liberties we so cherish as a Nation be remembered for 
their service, their valor and dedication to duty.
  Many times we have asked our veterans to interrupt their lives, to 
leave 

[[Page H 11908]]
their homes, their families and their jobs so that our Nation might be 
protected. Some faced hardships most of us cannot even imagine. Many 
died so that our cherished national ideals of democracy and freedom 
might live on, and live they have.
  While we celebrate Veterans' Day in thousands of ceremonies across 
America, I believe it is also important to remember that our Nation 
owes a commitment to our veterans every day of the year. We owe our 
veterans the security of knowing that the programs created for them are 
not weakened or destroyed. On that account, I am afraid we stand on the 
brink of failure.
  The Republican budget recently passed by the House and Senate will 
cut veterans' programs by about $6.4 billion over the next 7 years, 
including increasing veterans' copayments for prescription drugs.
  The severe strains this budget will place on the Nation's 26 million 
veterans was one reason I strongly opposed it on the floor of the 
House.
  The second way veterans will be harmed is the budget bill contains 
$270 billion in cuts to the Medicare Program, $27 billion in Florida 
alone. Medicare cuts will force the 8.8 million veterans on Medicare, 
one-third of all veterans in the United States, to pay increased 
premiums for low quality care. This includes more than 4.3 million 
veterans with combat experience and 1.2 million veterans with 
disabilities connected to their service. In Florida, 648,133 veterans 
on Medicare would be affected.
  Veterans will also be harmed by another provision in the Republican 
budget cuts in Medicaid totaling $170 billion. Florida will lose almost 
$10 billion as a result, and approximately 12,700 veterans in Florida 
will likely lose their Medicaid coverage in 2002.
  Republican proposals to block grant and cut Medicaid would deny 
Medicaid coverage to as many as 171,900 veterans nationwide just in the 
year 2002, including 103,600 elderly veterans and 68,300 disabled 
veterans under the age of 65. Where will these veterans who lose their 
health coverage go?
  Well, most veterans who lose their Medicaid coverage under the 
Republican budget simply cannot afford private health insurance. 
Seventy-eight percent of Medicaid-eligible veterans have incomes of 
less than $20,000.
  The bottom line is this: Because of budget proposals that cut 
veterans' programs, Medicare and Medicaid, the Veterans' Administration 
estimates more than 400,000 veterans who have no private health 
insurance may find it necessary to seek health care in VA hospitals. 
However, due to financial limitations of the VA health system, many of 
these deserving veterans would find themselves left out in the cold.
  Mr. Speaker, even as we seek ways to reduce the budget deficit, we 
cannot allow the burden of our efforts to fall hardest on those least 
able to carry it. In the name of fairness and equity and on behalf of 
the 26 million veterans of America, I believe we can achieve our 
budgetary goals without breaking faith with those who have already 
placed their lives and livelihood on the line in order to keep America 
strong and free.

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