[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 69 (Friday, May 9, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H3959]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TAX CUTS AND VETERANS BENEFITS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Strickland) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STRICKLAND. Mr. Speaker, we have just voted on a large tax cut 
bill in this House, but I think it is important for the American people 
to understand how our fiscal irresponsibility is affecting other 
aspects of our society. I think it is important for the American people 
to know that the budget the President sent to this House originally and 
which was passed by this Chamber cut mandatory and discretionary 
spending for veterans programs by $28.3 billion. It is hard to believe 
that at a time when our President was asking America's young men and 
women to go to Iraq and to fight and in many cases give their lives 
that he sent a budget to this House that cut veterans benefits by $28.3 
billion.
  Let me tell my colleagues what else was in that budget that the 
President sent over that hurts our Nation's veterans. He was asking 
that the co-payment for a prescription drug that a veteran would need 
to pay would go from $7 a prescription up to $15 a prescription. Just 
about a year and a half ago, we increased that co-payment, or the House 
did against my objection and the objection of my Democratic colleagues, 
they increased that co-payment for a prescription drug from $2 up to $7 
and now the President is asking that that co-payment be increased from 
$7 to $15 a prescription? And do my colleagues not understand that many 
veterans get 10 or more prescriptions a month? That is 10 times 15. 
That is a lot of money for veterans who may be living on very limited 
fixed incomes. It is shameful. It is shameful what the President has 
asked in his budget that he sent to the House.
  But it gets even worse. The President has suggested that there be an 
annual enrollment fee imposed upon veterans of $250 annually. Think 
about that. These are young Americans who have gone and served our 
country, many of them during wartime. They have served honorably; they 
have come back to this country. They are participating in the VA 
healthcare system, and the President says they should be charged an 
annual enrollment fee of $250 at the very time that we are giving huge, 
huge tax cuts to the richest people in this country, many of them who 
have never served in the military. It is just outrageous. But it gets 
worse because in the President's budget he suggested that the cost for 
clinic visit be increased.
  At the time when we are giving large tax cuts to the wealthiest in 
our country, many of whom have never served in our military, we are 
putting additional financial burdens on the backs of our Nation's 
veterans. And then about 1 year ago, this administration's Department 
of Veterans Affairs put out a gag order, and basically the gag order 
said this: too many veterans are coming in for services. We do not have 
enough money to provide those services; so none of our health care 
providers around the country can any longer make public service 
announcements encouraging veterans to use the benefits that they are 
entitled to receive. No longer can our health care professionals 
participate in health fairs which could identify diseases in their 
early stages so that they could be prevented. No longer are our health 
care professionals around the country allowed to put out newsletters 
describing the services that veterans are legally entitled to and 
encouraging them to take advantage of those services.
  Mr. Speaker, we are limiting what we are willing to do for our 
veterans so that we can give huge tax breaks to the richest people in 
this country. And the question is this: The President and leadership of 
this House must make a choice. Are we going to defend and protect and 
provide for our veterans, or are we going to continue to cut their 
benefits, to cut services to veterans in order to give money to the 
richest people in this country? That is a choice that is facing those 
of us who serve in this House.

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