[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 34 (Thursday, March 23, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S1665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      KEEP OUR PROMISES TO AMERICA'S MILITARY RETIREES ACT OF 2000

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I rise today in support of S. 2003, Keep 
our Promises to America's Military Retirees Act of 2000.
  This is an important step in providing the men and women who serve 
our nation with a benefit our government promised them when they 
entered the military and, a promise that our government broke. It is 
our duty to restore these benefits.
  There are still a few of us who serve in the Senate that wore our 
country's uniform in time of war and in time of peace that know of the 
hardships placed on the military people and their families. We also 
know, first-hand, of the promises made by our government to our service 
men and women. This bill is just a small step in restoring one of those 
most important promises--health care for military retirees. There are 
military retirees in my State of Montana that drive hundreds of miles 
to get their health care. There are some living a few miles from 
Malmstrom AFB, who cannot get an appointment on base. Mr. President, 
these are the folks that we promised to take care of it they spent 20 
years of their lives defending our freedom.
  We have a long way to go and much more to be done for our military 
personnel, active duty, retired, as well as our veterans. As chairman 
of the Appropriations subcommittee on Military Construction, I place a 
high priority on providing the active duty men and women and their 
families with adequate homes and facilities to work and live in. Mr. 
President, we have the best trained and the most highly educated 
military in the world--we must make a commitment to provide them with 
the tools necessary to do their jobs, with the salaries and benefits to 
recruit and retain them and with adequate homes and facilities to live 
and work. Just as these people honor their country with their 
commitment, this country must honor our commitment to them. With 
anything less, we lose these valuable people.
  I encourage my colleagues to support S. 2003.

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