[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 28, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S1807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           VETERANS BENEFITS

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I wish to make one other point, which 
is not a constitutional argument, but it does have a lot to do with 
veterans. I say that we have spent some time on this, and we should; it 
is not an unimportant matter. But I also hope we will spend time on the 
floor of the Senate talking about a range of other very important 
issues that affect veterans. I am amazed that every time I meet with 
veterans in Minnesota, or in other parts of the country, I hear about 
the ways in which veterans fall between the cracks. We have a budget 
this year that is better than a flatline budget, but Senator Kennedy is 
out here--a health care Senator--and he knows that better than anybody 
in the Senate.
  The fact is, we have an aging veteran population like we have an 
aging population in general, and that is all for the good because 
people are living longer. We don't have any real way right now of 
helping those veterans the way we should. We passed the millennium 
bill, but the question is, Will the appropriations be there? We ought 
to be talking about the health care needs of veterans as well. We ought 
to be talking about how we are going to make sure those veterans can 
stay at home and live at home with dignity, with home-based health 
care.
  I was at a medical center in Minneapolis, which is a real flagship 
hospital. It is not uncommon, when you go visit with veterans, you will 
see spouses who are there with their husbands, or maybe out in the 
waiting room or the lobby relaxing. You can talk to them for 3 minutes 
and realize they are scared to death about their husband going home. 
Maybe they had a knee or a hip operation, or maybe they have cancer. 
The spouses are mainly women. They don't know how they are going to 
take care of their husbands.
  There isn't even any support for respite care. When are we going to 
talk about that issue? When are we going to talk about the number of 
veterans who are homeless? When are we going to talk about the number 
of them who are Vietnam vets, because they are struggling with 
posttraumatic syndrome and because they are struggling with substance 
abuse and they don't get the treatment? When are we going to be talking 
about this overall budget for veterans' health care, which is not a 
national-line budget?
  There is an increase from the President this year--I am glad for 
that--but it doesn't really take into account all of the gaps and all 
of the investment we need to make. When are we going to do that?
  I did not come to the floor to not speak to this amendment. I have 
spoken with as much as I can muster as to why I oppose it. But I also 
want to say--I want this to be part of my formal remarks because I 
don't think it is off the Record--colleagues, that I hope we will talk 
about the whole set of other issues that are very important, not only 
to veterans but to the American people.
  I can assure you that I have worked with veterans to put together 
their independent budget. That is a whole coalition of veterans 
organizations. It is really shocking how many veterans fall between the 
cracks. We have a lot of work to do. We are talking about people's 
lives. It is no way to say thanks to veterans when we don't come 
through with the health care we promised them.
  I want to make it clear that I hope we will soon focus on these 
issues as well. I hope the veterans community will--I know the veterans 
community will--focus on these issues as well. I spend an awful lot of 
time with veterans. I have a lot of meetings with veterans and with 
county veteran service officers. These issues come up over and over 
again.

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