[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 41 (Friday, March 9, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    WALTER REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 9, 2007

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to voice my outrage at the 
horrific conditions uncovered at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center by 
Washington Post reports last month. As a frequent visitor to this 
facility, I was appalled to read about a part of the center I did not 
see--overused outpatient housing in disrepair, patients confused about 
where to go after serious operations, and a tangled bureaucracy that 
service members and their families had to endure.
  These conditions are not only unacceptable, but also indicative of 
the Bush administration's failure to plan for the Iraq war and its 
aftermath. We owe our wounded service members, who bravely served our 
country, so much more than what they have received. Many promises are 
made to our service men and women before they deploy, and when these 
promises are not met, we have failed this distinguished group. Not only 
does this affect current service members, but it affects those that may 
look at a future career in the service. What message are we sending 
them?
  Madam Speaker, these past few years we have found ourselves in a 
fiscal bind. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent on the 
war, and we are now faced with difficult budget decisions so that 
future generations do not have the burden of a deficit. But we should 
all agree that what cannot be sacrificed is the well-being of our 
wounded service members. As Members of Congress, it is our duty to do 
everything in our power to make sure that these vulnerable men and 
women do not slip through the cracks without proper counseling, 
adequate care or a safe place to live.
  I am committed to ensuring that our men and women in uniform receive 
unfettered access to competent and coordinated care in safe, clean 
facilities. It is clear that administrative policies need to be 
revised, not only at Walter Reed, but across the system at locations 
both here and abroad. That is why I am proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 
1268, the Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act of 2007, which was 
introduced by my colleague from Arizona, Congressman Harry Mitchell. 
This bill will establish oversight and accountability of the Nation's 
military medical centers and housing facilities and reduce the amount 
of paperwork and bureaucracy for recovering service members and their 
families by establishing an electronic clearinghouse. This measure will 
also establish support services and rights for recovering service 
members and their families, as well as the Oversight Board for the 
Wounded.
  While we must provide the best possible medical care to service 
members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, we also must pay heed to 
those that served our country previously. We cannot forget that the VA 
will play a larger role in the coming years as more service members 
return from ongoing conflicts. We must promise both service members and 
veterans that we will seek accountability and work towards eliminating 
these problems completely. They have given too much to our Nation to 
expect anything less.
  What we need now is accountability, honesty and oversight. I fully 
support my colleagues on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, 
the Armed Services Committee and the Veterans Affairs Committee that 
have held hearings on this matter. I am also encouraged by the creation 
of a bipartisan presidential commission led by former Senator Bob Dole 
and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, that is 
charged with looking into the care of wounded service members.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues and forging solutions to 
correct our military care structure and give our wounded service 
members the care that they earned and deserve.

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