[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 31 (Tuesday, March 15, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H1503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS AND OUR NATION'S VETERANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I want to explain to my colleagues and to 
Americans across the country what happened here today on the floor of 
the House, especially what happened to the veterans of these United 
States, veterans of past wars, veterans of the current war in Iraq and 
Afghanistan. Iran may be next.
  We had a supplemental budget, they call it, on the floor today, a 
budget for $81 billion to fund our war in Iraq and Afghanistan; and 
they called it a supplemental so they could do it over and above the 
regular budget so they do not have to pay for it in ways that you and I 
have to pay for things or our businesses have to pay for things. They 
just create a bigger deficit without accountability.
  So they are on their way to passing an $81 billion supplemental bill 
for our active duty troops; and yet when I brought on to the floor an 
amendment to that $81 billion that said let us put $3 billion into care 
for our veterans, those coming back from the wars today and those who 
have been in wars previous to this, I asked for a figure of $3 billion 
because that is what the veterans service organizations in this Nation 
said is what we need more than what the President requested in his 
recent budget proposal. So I brought on to the floor a $3 billion 
amendment to an $81 billion supplemental.
  Keep in mind that we have a $2.5 trillion budget. We have this year 
at least a $400 billion deficit. We have an existing debt of $7.5 
trillion. We are spending $1 billion every 2 or 3 days in the Middle 
East, and yet they say we do not have the $3 billion for our veterans.
  That is what happened on the floor of the House today, my fellow 
Americans. They voted down the ability to deal with our veterans.
  Those who are coming back today from Afghanistan and Iraq, the vast 
majority have the potential of having post-traumatic stress disorder, 
PTSD; and yet when they will need the services in the coming year, we 
will have reduced those PTSD services because of the cut in the budget 
that the President has proposed and this Republican Congress will 
approve.
  We will cut nursing care. We will cut research. We will cut 
prosthetic devices. But we will add more waiting time for those who 
want a mental health examination or a dental examination. We will add 
months and months and months to the waiting time for those who want 
their claims established. Yet when I asked today for $3 billion, the 
majority of this House said no.
  We can afford the $81 billion. It was for our active duty. We can 
afford a $7.5 trillion debt. We can go into deficits for $400 billion 
this year, but no, no, let us not pay that $3 billion for our veterans.
  I thought that was disgraceful. I thought that was unconscionable. I 
hope that when the Republican Members of this House go home, all the 
veterans across this country will say, how come you voted against that 
amendment to give $3 billion more for our health care? How come you did 
not respect our active duty, when they come home will not find the 
services? How come they negatively influenced the morale of our troops, 
because they know that they are not getting proper treatment back home?
  I hope people ask that to those Republican Congressmen who voted down 
my motion on a technicality, when we have veterans from World War II 
and since and coming back today who are suffering.

                              {time}  1930

  Madam Speaker, I think that is disgraceful. I think the American 
people had better question this Congress about why they do not support 
the veterans of this United States.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Drake). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  (Mr. BROWN of Ohio addressed the House. His remarks will appear 
hereafter in the Extensions of Remarks.)

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