[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 135 (Thursday, September 26, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1724-E1725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 3666, DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND 
HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS 
                               ACT, 1997

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. BOB STUMP

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 24, 1996

  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the conference report 
on H.R. 3666, the VA, HUD and independent agencies appropriations bill 
for fiscal year 1997.
  As chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I am deeply 
dissatisfied with the way the conference report treats the veterans' 
portion of the bill.
  The conference report switches priorities approved by the House.
  The result, veterans lose out to nonveteran programs.
  I strongly object to the conference report boosting programs for EPA, 
NASA, and Americorps at the expense of veterans.
  The conference report drops VA medical care $55 million below the 
House, inadequately funds VA medical research $15 million below the 
House, and skims $13 million off the House on resources necessary for 
timely processing of veterans service connected benefit claims.
  The conference report bumps up EPA by $140 million above the House, 
NASA $100 million above the House, FEMA $197 million above the House, 
and gives $400 million to ``paid volunteers'' and bureaucrats at 
Americorps, which the House had zero funded.
  Mr. Chairman, the overall story is unfortunately a weakening of the 
House-passed priorities for veterans' programs.
  Additionally, it is inappropriate for legislative amendments to find 
their way into appropriations measures.
  While I would not necessarily disagree with all the attached 
legislative amendments had

[[Page E1725]]

they been properly before the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I strongly 
object to their presence in the appropriations bill conference report.
  The conference report creates an unprecedented benefits entitlement 
for children with spina bifida, on the basis of what can at best only 
be called questionable scientific foundation.
  Worse than that is the way it has been paid for.
  The appropriations bill reverses the Supreme Court's Gardner 
decision.
  This is not simply an offset.
  It is legislative savings that should be controlled by the Veterans' 
Affairs Committee, and it is more than what is needed to pay for the 
new entitlement.
  Thus the VA Committee loses control over $500 million.
  That's the difference between the costs of this brand-new entitlement 
and savings from repeal of Gardner.
  It's the price for rushing these provisions through the 
appropriations process instead of the committee of jurisdiction.
  The appropriations bill strips the House Veterans' Affairs Committee 
of our plan to achieve significant savings without hurting higher 
priority veterans' programs, and denies veterans the potential of using 
that $500 million for other benefits improvements for service-connected 
veterans.
  Frankly, we should be able to do better for these men and women who 
served us in uniform.

                          ____________________