[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 64 (Thursday, May 1, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H3620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COMING HOME: WELCOMING OUR TROOPS WITH CUTS IN VETERANS PROGRAMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my concern for the men and 
women of our armed services who will be returning and are returning 
from Iraq. My colleagues are aware that our troops were funded during 
the period of fighting last month at the rate of about $1 billion, $1 
billion, every 2 or 3 days.
  Now, we did not want our troops to go without having everything that 
they needed for success, but if we have the money to send our troops to 
war, we must, Mr. Speaker, have the money for them when they return. To 
abandon them upon their return shows disrespect for those who have 
willingly risked all when their Nation called them to serve.
  In the next few months, Congress will be voting on the veterans 
budget. The House Republican budget that came through this House was 
outrageous. It cut veterans benefits by $25 billion over the next 10 
years, and they took that vote right after a resolution expressing 
support for our troops. Now, the final budget resolution we passed 
corrected some of the most glaring problems in that budget, but it is 
still $1 billion less for the health care for our veterans in the 
coming year. One billion dollars. That would fund approximately 5,000 
doctors, 10,000 nurses, or three million additional outpatient visits.
  Over the next 10 years, the budget falls far short of what will be 
needed to keep up with inflation and with the growing number of 
veterans who were using the veterans health care system. We must fight 
during the appropriation process for a budget that is worthy of our 
returning veterans. We cannot ignore their rights and their needs. 
Veterans health care is one of the most important issues that we fund.
  We hope and pray that we do not have veterans from the current 
conflict who become ill with Gulf War illness, but we must prepare for 
that possibility. And we must not forget the warriors of the first Gulf 
War who are sick, tens of thousands of them, and are still waiting to 
learn the cause and the cure for their illnesses.
  Of course, Mr. Speaker, we need to change the whole process of 
funding our veterans health care. Right now, each year in Congress, as 
we are doing this year, we have to fight for a health care budget. In 
the last session, there was legislation to change VA health care 
funding so that the amount of funding would automatically, 
automatically rise each year to accommodate inflation and new 
enrollees, that is, for example, to accommodate the returning veterans 
from Iraq. I will again, and I urge all my colleagues, to cosponsor 
this bill when it is reintroduced this session. And we must work hard 
for its passage.
  Right now, Mr. Speaker, 200,000 veterans are waiting more than 6 
months for their first health care appointment. In fact, veterans will 
die while waiting for that first appointment. We must resolve to change 
this immoral situation.
  When our active-duty soldiers from the war in Iraq leave service, 
many are qualified for educational benefits under the Montgomery GI 
bill. This is an earned benefit that allows them to reenter civilian 
life as educated and productive members. But the current GI bill 
benefits are woefully inadequate to do the job. Back in 1944, this bill 
paid for the full cost of college tuition. But now it barely pays for 
two-thirds of the average cost of attending a 4-year public college. We 
must work to provide funding for the full cost of tuition fees, books, 
and supplies for those who do serve 4 years of active duty in the 
military service.
  I could go on and on, Mr. Speaker, because there are so many other 
areas that need more funding than is currently budgeted. We will soon 
be commemorating Memorial Day. We will be hearing words of support for 
our veterans from all Members of Congress as they speak to Memorial Day 
crowds. But words can be cheap. What is important is how we vote.
  We have the money. We have the resources. It is a question of 
priorities. It is a question of will. Let us make our veterans, who are 
returning from war, proud of us.
  There is one final thing I want to say. A substantive way we can 
assist our veterans is to guarantee them jobs with companies that are 
awarded government contracts to rebuild Iraq, and I have introduced a 
bill to do just that. It is called the Let U.S. Veterans Rebuild Iraq 
Act, which will treat our veterans with the respect they deserve and 
provide a tangible way to better their lives. They fought for freedom 
in Iraq, who better to get involved in securing the future for Iraq?

                          ____________________